Packing for a holiday can be stressful as more often than not, you’ll find yourself packing twice as many clothes as you’ll ever wear. Packing for a family holiday is even worse, especially if your children are begging you to pack all of their favourite toys, electronics and gadgets. Let Cosmos holidays ease your preparation – follow our top tips for holiday packing below.
Size is Everything
Although an extra large case might seem like a good idea, the weight might make it difficult to lug around the airport and you might also find it difficult to fit it into a taxi. Instead, choose some lightweight medium size suitcases and simply share everything between the cases. Don’t give cases to your children, either, unless they’re actually carrying something useful. You should also double check the luggage allowance of your airline, as some will allow one case per person but if you’re travelling with infants or babies that don’t have their own seat, this may not apply.
Pack Clothes in Your Carry-On
Although you’re going to want to keep your carry-on luggage as light as you possibly can, it’s a really good idea to pack at least one outfit change for each traveller – just in case the worst should happen and your cases go missing. That way, you’ll all at least have one change of clothes to tide you over until your cases either arrive or until you can buy new clothes.
Avoid Bulky Items
Taking your children’s favourite toys on holiday is all well and good, but if the toys are big and bulky, they’ll take up valuable space and weight in the cases. Instead, let your children each choose a quiet gadget device, such as a personal MP3 player, tablet or handheld games console, as well as a cuddly toy or books. Make sure that whatever they choose can fit into a small backpack that they can wear and let them know that they are going to be responsible for it. This way, you avoid bulk and save space in your checked luggage.
Likewise, try to avoid packing bulky beach towels – they’re heavier than you might think and they take up far too much space. Take the advice of Netmums and simply buy cheap towels when you arrive and leave them there, as this gives you more room to bring souvenirs back!
Use All of the Space
Folding and packing clothes in thin layers takes up a lot of space in your case and it’ll also leave you with creased clothes. Instead, roll clothes – they stay crease-free and you can fit more in. Use the space in your shoes to stuff socks and underwear and get rid of boxes and bulky packaging on toiletries so that you can fit more in. Miniature toiletries from hotels are great for taking on short holidays, or you could simply decant your products into smaller bottles to save on weight and space. Think about taking products that have more than one use, too, such as 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, lip and cheek tint and primer and moisturiser.