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The ultimate guide to successful packing

Why do so many people get holiday packing wrong? And are men from Mars and women from Venus when it comes to packing? As airlines tighten their policies on baggage allowance, perfecting the art of packing could save you money as well as reduce stress, so the last minute travel website latedeals.co.uk has come up with this ultimate guide to successful holiday packing. LV bag There is always the temptation to pack everything but the kitchen sink; afterall, if you pack everything then you’ll be fine, right? Wrong, especially now airlines are now getting stricter when it comes to our personal bag allowance. How we pack 65% of holidaymakers are last minute packers and fill their suitcase the night before they travel Most people FOLD: 68% fold clothes, 22% both fold and roll, 10% just roll clothes 12% of people write a packing list HALF of us cram extra items into our suitcase just before we leave for the airport The majority of women admit they over pack – 91% claim they never wear all of their clothes 53% went over personal baggage allowances last year What we pack Most people pack 2 extra pairs of pants per night away On average women pack between 6 pairs of shoes for a week away in the sun 1 in 4 take tea bags abroad Men pack for Mars, women For Venus Forget about gender studies – packing a suitcase is where you’ll find truth about the differences between men and women… Men use 98% of what they’ve packed while away on holiday while women only wear 62% of what they’ve packed… more than a quarter is unworn! Men pack late – 90% of men pack the night before Women pack early – 50% start to pack 3+ days ahead The average British man packs 14 items of clothing for one week away while the average British woman packs 44 items of clothing for one week away 7% of men purchased new clothes whilst on holiday / 47% of women purchased new clothes whilst on holiday Men most likely to forget essential items like underwear and toiletries Women most likely to forget accessories like jewellery and sunglasses Men pack ‘items’ of clothing while women pack ‘outfits’ Men take a “make do” approach while women are perfectionists & tend to pack for every eventuality and say “better to be safe than sorry” Men mostly carry the bags? Women tend to pack the bags! The art of holiday packing – how to pack like a pro This year, you can do it differently, thanks to this, the ultimate guide to successful packing… Roll, don’t fold – you will actually fit in more clothes if you roll them up very tightly and then tightly pack into your case. Make a list – before you even contemplate reaching for suitcase, plan what you will wear by day and what can go with what and stick to it! Don’t be last minute – the optimum time is at least two days before your holiday. Plan to wash – it’s really easy to wash some of your items mid holiday (or easier still, ask your hotel to launder your clothes). Heavy items at the bottom – and keep lighter items that tend to get creased at the top. Make use of shoes – stuff footwear with rolled up underwear, socks, jewellery, and even toiletries. Place footwear around the outside of the case. Buy when you get there – you can buy some consumable items when you get there – saving you even more space! Wear your bulkiest items – if you’re really struggling to pack everything wear it! Layer up. Fragile items – pack any electricals in the centre of your case, cocooned by soft clothes. Do you agree with latedeals.co.uk’s tips? Are there any other suggestions you would like to add? Please tellus in the comments!

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.

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11 Comments

  1. Pack heaviest items at the bottom of the suitcase? But what about when the suitcase is standing up? Which is often the case.

  2. A really enjoyable and informative post. There are some great statistics here – I was particularly amused to read that 1 in 4 take tea bags abroad!

  3. Loved reading the differences between men and women. I’m one of the worst packers in the world I think, although I at least always remember to pack the things I know I’ll use–like a sarong! Those things are magical.

  4. Tip for women: bring dresses instead of separates. Even a maxi dress takes up less space than a top plus a pair of pants or a skirt.

  5. Rolling your clothes really does save space & clothes don’t wrinkle as much! I still pack way too much…but how do you decide? Only brought tennis shoes once & ended up having to wear them out to dinner at a nice restaurant we hadn’t planned on going to. Other times I bring nice shoes & never go anywhere I need to wear them…enjoyed the suggestions & info. Thanks. I’ll keep trying to pack better.

  6. Great article and so true. Now add kids to the mix and the suitcase dilemma gets crazy! I always make sure I can wash clothes on vacation as the kids go through about 3 outfits a day! I also fill up on healthy snacks and a few special toys. I make lists of everything and last vacation we were well under our luggage allowance which I was so proud of :-)

  7. These are some great tips. My wife and I did a six month trek across Canada and back around the USA. I spent 10 weeks perfecting my packing list, before I even started to pack. LOL.

    The best thing we did was get rid of the cotton clothes and buy quick drying fabrics. That way we could wash in the hotel sink at night and have dry clothes by morning.

    Thanks for the post! Keep up the good work!

  8. I’m sorry, pass that one by me again. Put the clothes closest to your body, lingerie and underwear inside your shoes. And toiletries. What?

    The law of gravity is that toiletries in a tube or in a glass container should be avoided like the plague. Putting toiletries into a hard toiletry vanity bag also means you can put other fragile items such as alarm clocks and jeellery in there. So you cannot forget any of these are already in place when you booked.

    Lingerie and underwear can cocoon electrical items.

    Do not pack any food. You are a luxury part of travel and you can buy it at your destination. Even tea bags.

    Women seem to think they are going on an excursion to unemplored jungle for the stuff they pack. None of it is needed as the world is now a small place.

    Pack essentials like underewar, lingerie, power cables adaptors for your destination into a suitcase as soon as you book, and make up a bag with tickets, passports and holiday cash. Tip. Never take stuff out, but only add to it, or you will forget essential items.

    Remember the stress of carrying bags and suitcases, so knapsacks spread the load across the shoulders.

    As you are business class travellers in the luxury travel world, you have more baggage allowance but does not mean you have to weigh yourselves down.

    Your destination will have all that you need. If you are so far away and remote, then the most essential thing is the power cable adaptors to your electrical gadgets as this keeps you updated with any changes of flights or any information from the Foreign Office about where you are going on holiday.

    Prevent stress and use your holiday to do what is the entire function of the cost of it. De-stress and have a rest cure.

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