Smart Holiday Packing Tips
Katie Jeynes-Cupper • September 7, 2019
Become the ultimate packing Pro! Use these tips to help you save time and save space in your bags.
1. Think ahead
You really need to think about what you will be doing on your trip and what clothes you need. You don’t want to waste room packing items that you won’t use on your trip as they will take up way to much room. The best advice is to lay out all the items you plan on taking before you pack them. This gives you the opportunity to take a hard look at it all and think ‘do I need to take that?’ or ‘do I need that many tops?’. This could help you avoid packing 3 similar tops when you only need one - if it needs a wash you can most likely do it in a sink! Either way, you’ll feel more prepared for your trip ahead.
2. Wear the big stuff
This is a good thing to consider if you are planning on talking bulky necessary items like walking boots or winter coats which would take up a lot of room in your bag. Make it a rule to wear these items whilst you travel. This means you’ll save room in your bags for more clothes and it’ll keep you warm on your journey.
3. No need for irons
When you get to your destination, its inevitably that some clothes always end-up with wrinkles. And not all places offer an iron and board – especially if you opt for the adventurous safari tent. The best way to sort this quickly and stress-free, is to hang it in the bathroom while you take a shower. This allows the steam to smooth out the crinkles, so you have fresh, crisp clothes.
4. The rolling tactic and more!
You’ve probably heard it but not believed it, but the rolling tactic actually works. The idea is that with a top you fold the arms into the centre and then roll it up. With trousers, you fold them in half and then roll up. This tactic stops creasing and saves space in your bags instead of traditionally folding items. The best thing to do after that is to place the clothes in a vacuum compression bag – you can buy bags that don’t need a vacuum as well. This creates so much space in your bags and stops jumpers and sweaters taking up all the space.
5. Accessorise
Just remember, to pack light you need to choose versatile and interchangeable pieces that can be worn with each other. This means picking staple items in basic colours, like black or white. This could be packing a pair of black jeans, skirt or tops. This allows you to add colourful belts, hats, scarves and jewellery to jazz up the look. They add instant colour and help make your outfit pop! It’s ideal to pack accessories like these because they don’t take up that much space and you will most likely wear them whilst you travel.
6. Reduce your shoes
Shoes most definitely take up the most room in your bags and ideally you want to only pack one pair and wear another. That could be a pair of trainers/flats and heels which both can make an outfit either instantly smarter or casual. If you’re bringing walking shoes, It’s a good idea to wrap them in a bag even if they are clean because it is likely when you head back home they won’t be.
7. Scale down your wash bag
Ladies, we have so much make-up! But we don’t need to take 6 different types of lipstick with us on a 5-day trip. Just pack the essentials and try only to pack 1 of each thing, e.g. 1 concealer, 1 eye shadow, 1 lipstick etc. Then place it into a small bag or maybe a plastic sandwich bag if you’re thinking of taking them on your carry on for a flight as it’ll save you time and hassle in security. At Bowbrook, we offer luxurious shampoo and body wash, so you don’t need to worry about bringing your own.
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