It's been far too long since we've all been able to travel and we've definitely forgotten how to pack a suitcase properly. If you're already considering what to take with you on your next holiday, we don't blame you for being excited!
While packing a suitcase is pretty straightforward, there are plenty of little things you can do to ensure you are packing your belongings away most efficiently.
To help you out, Marie Bateson, founder of Cutthe Clutter and APDO’s Volunteers Director and Siân Pelleschi, founder of Sorted! and APDO's Conference Director, have shared their top tips for how to pack a suitcase.
If you're wondering about what to pack in your hand luggage, we can help you there too.
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Start early, do not leave it till the night before and have a list. Write a list of everything you would need for holidays in general and keep it in your suitcase. When it comes to packing, you can then start to tick off everything and know what is still left to get,
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Lay everything out on the bed that you intend to take. Then reduce it! We always take too much so consider the type of holiday you are going on. Is it a sun, ski or walking holiday? These all need very different items.
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Work out your outfits ahead of time – can you utilise one or two items of clothes in more than one outfit? This will help reduce the number of clothes you take.
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Do not fold your t-shirts and clothes but try rolling them instead, they are generally not as likely to crease packed that way. Delicates would be the exception and a combination of rolled and folded is also usual.
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Store underwear or small items in shoes.
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If you are going to be living out of a case, use lightweight bags, pouches or even packing cubes. They allow you to separate categories and find things easily. You can also use them for the laundry to keep that together once worn. This means that you don't have to route to the bottom of the case to find things.
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Decant products into small containers rather than take large bottles of things like shampoo and moisturiser or take travel size that will easily fit into your travel toiletry bag.
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Keep footwear around the outer edges as it gives a bit of strength to the body of the case if it is not a hard body shell. They do get thrown around a bit! If there is a risk of polish transferring to clothes or you have jewels on them, consider putting them in little bags first.
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Use a jewellery roll or small travel box for your jewellery. There is nothing worse than tangled chains.
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Keep a small bag of those essential holiday items (such as phone chargers, plug adaptors etc) in your suitcase ready to go, that way you don’t have to go searching for them when the time comes to pack.
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Wrap anything delicate in clothes or beach towels.
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Get inexpensive glasses cases for your sunglasses if you don't have a case.
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Use a tablet separator with days of the week on and fill it in advance rather than taking multiple tablets and vitamin supplement tubs.
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Attach something to the handle of your case to recognise it on the conveyor belt if it is a standard size and colour and ensure there is an address label on it.