Five ways to pack more efficiently

Whether you love or hate packing, it’s easy to go overboard resulting in excess baggage charges and a ton of unused items to unpack on your return. Here’s five of my top tips to help you pack more efficiently for your trip – after all, then there’s more room for any souvenirs you want to bring back!
Check the weather forecast

No matter your destination, the weather can surprise you and there’s nothing worse than being caught out unexpectedly. Pretty much as soon as I book a holiday, I add the destination to the weather app on my iPhone. This gives me a good idea of how things are looking when the time comes to pack – for example, I was expecting around 18 degrees Celsius on my trip to California in two weeks but the temperatures are currently hovering around 27 degrees! Plus, seeing your next holiday location on your phone totally cheers you up on a long day in work.

Make a list

Being a ridiculously organised kind of person, my notebooks (and Notes app) are full of lists for all occasions. A few days before your holiday, write down everything from clothes to electrical bits. As well as helping you to streamline your packing, you can use this up until you leave for the airport to make sure you haven’t left anything. This has helped me to remember my phone charger and toothbrush countless times, as the items you can’t pack in advance are by far the most likely to get left behind.

Plan your outfits

Packing too many clothes takes up valuable space and makes unpacking even more of a chore. Take comfortable items and pick pieces that mix and match easily. You never need more than three pairs of shoes! Add a few accessories like necklaces into the space you’ve saved to change up your look.

Travel size everything!

Unless you’re away for a longer period of time, those full bottles of shampoo and conditioner are a completely unnecessary weight in your case. Decant products into smaller bottles (most pound shops, Primark and Boots all have sets of travel size bottles) or buy travel sizes of your essentials like shower gel and toothpaste. One of the best tips I can give is to always pack a couple of mini plastic bags to put them in for your flight home. Nobody wants to open their case to find a suncream explosion.

Keep your hand luggage to the essentials

It can be tempting to stuff any overflow into your hand luggage but you’ll want all the room possible under your seat to stretch your legs out. Check out my hand luggage for long haul flights post to see exactly what you should include!

What are your tips to pack more efficiently?

Laura x