The Best Tips to Help You Pack for Your Holidays

It's that time of the year when most people head out for their holidays. Whether it is to catch some sun in Europe, feel the cold in the South or stick to the hot heat in the Middle East, there are some fail safe tips that are always useful when travelling.Here are the best tips to help you pack for your holidays which I have picked up over the years:

1. Pile all your clothes and accessories in one corner that you anticipate to pack one week in advance. Then cut half the pile. You will need more tops than bottoms. For my two week trip to Scandinavia I had 2 jeans, one waterproof trousers and leggings, 12 tops which were light and not likely to crease and some vest tops to wear underneath in case it got colder. The key to packing in Europe is to have layers. In Iceland I wore leggings and waterproof trousers to keep me warm and dry. When I was too warm, they leggings were taken off (subtly of course).

2. If you are going to a cold country, take one jumper/sweater and one cardigan/hoodie. Also pack a light waterproof jacket which will fit on top of your warm clothing. My Sherpa Thame jacket kept me nice and dry near the waterfalls!

3. Roll all your tops and clothes that can wrinkle. Fold the rest of the items such as jeans, jackets, dressy bottoms.

4. How to pack your clothes - Pack your stiff items on top of each other, then place them sideways tightly towards one side of the case. This will create a neat row of clothes and prevent them moving around when travelling. Then pack the rolled clothes (I put the same type of clothing rolled up in garment bags/packing cubes like this one from Muji.

5. Pack the underwear in gaps and inside shoes. Twist the bras so one cup slides into the other and the straps are folded inwards. If you are sightseeing, hiking or doing anything which involves walking a lot, take sports bras. They kept me all in all day travelling around Europe.

6. Keep items you are will use when you land on top, whether that is your bikini or pyjamas.

7. Store jewellery in a small ziploc bag. Do you need multiple earrings, necklaces and rings? I wear one pair of hoops, two rings and a necklace for my trips. They work for the day and evening. It means I have to think less about my jewellery choice and save on packing.

8. Snake belts around the lining of the suitcase. This will cradle your clothes together.

9. Limit your handbags. If you are travelling to various destinations, a backpack will ease the pain to your body and make it easier to push your suitcase around. I use a smart messenger bag as my daily bag when on holiday. The straps can be hidden at night to become a clutch bag.

10. Be Frugal with the Footwear - you need one pair of flip flops, wedges/heels for night and flats/trainers for sightseeing. Wear the heaviest pair when travelling.

11. Take one fancy dressy outfit. You never know when you might need it. A friend recently went to Ukraine and was able to get a last minute ticket to see the Ballet. Luckily she had a fancy dress to wear for the night!

12. Carry a light shawl. I have a black lace shawl which I bought for GBP 1 in my teens. This goes with me everywhere. It protects me from the sun and can be used as a headscarf or sarong when I go to religious places.

13. Keep the dirty soles of your shoes away from your clothes and suitcase by putting them in hotel shower caps or shoe bags.

14. Store Beachwear in the same manner as your underwear. If you need to take a beach towel with you, roll and vacuum pack them to reduce the size.

15. Buy miniatures of your toiletries. You can buy all the essentials in Boots for a few dirhams or pounds. Small versions of holiday basics, from sun cream to insect repellent, are also available.

16. Store your toiletries in a neat organized way. I have used the same Muji one for years (which they unfortunately don't sell any longer!). Find one which can store your items, easily, neatly and is not heavy.

17. Take the bare essentials of your makeup. You are on holiday and will most probably pick up some sun so will need less makeup anyway. I take my trusty eyeliner, mascara and lipstick (which is always in my handbag) and that's it. Or fill empty bottles (you can buy from Daiso, Body Shop or Boots) with your favourite toiletries.

18. Take as few electronics as possible. I always have too many wires due to phones, tablets and cameras, but have tried to reduce. I store them together in one mesh Muji garment case (or packing cubes). If you are travelling with someone, see if you can share chargers. Forget the hair straighteners for a few days and save space in your luggage.

19. Buy a Round the World Adaptor. It works in over 150 countries so saves you money in the long run.

20. Protect items with your socks. Worried about certain bottles, cover them with one of your socks. And you can never have enough socks!

21. Shrink your dirty laundry. My friend, introduced me to Compression Bags. She used them to pack all her clothes when travelling on holiday, but the clothes were creased when out of the bags. However, they are ideal for dirty clothes that are going to be washed as soon as you get home. I love the ones from Eagle Creek as you just have to put the items inside the compressor sac, zip it closed and roll it. You’ll hear the excess air releasing through the one-way patented valves. Easy and reduces the packing volume.

22. Take see through plastic bags (ziploc bags) with you. They are useful for storing souvenirs, shells from beaches, toiletries you are worried might explode, keeping wires separate, and generally help keep your bag organized. Also you can store your daily supplements and pills in little plastic bags.

23. Leave room in your suitcase. You know you will buy something when abroad.

24. Store your passport, e-gate card, currency, etc in a large leather wallet. I bought mine over 10 years ago and it's still going strong.

25. Keep your hand luggage essentials to a minimum. I always carry my pashmina (doubles as warm blanket on the plane and scarf in cold countries), moisturisers, painkiller, lip balm, panty liners (ladies it keeps your underwear fresh), mini pack of tissues, wet wipes, flip flops (so I can walk to the toilet. It also saves me packing it in my suitcase) and noise reduction headphones (my Bose ones were the best investment I made for travelling).

26. Carry a water bottle. My friend bought me this BPA Brita Water bottle from Target and I have to say it was brilliant for our trip. In Europe you can drink tap water (I do love that you can do that easily and for free) so we would fill up our bottles everywhere. If we had any doubts about the water, we would feel (slightly) reassured that it was fine as it had been filtered. Just remember to empty it before you get to security check at the airport!! (Norway security kindly emptied the bottle of water for me, rather than yelling at me to throw it away (UK, USA, Australia note the bit about yelling)

.This list is not exhaustive and I am sure I may have missed a few. What travel tips do you swear by which could help us with travelling more organized and lighter?

If you have any tips, leave them below in the comments box.

Have a safe, organized holiday wherever you are going.None of the companies mentioned in this blog gifted the products to DeCluttr Me.

The Best Tips to Help you Pack for your Holidays

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