Ask yourself what you need from your clothes. Is it a beach or city break? Do you need a smarter outfit or is that just-in-case evening dress really taking up valuable space and can be left behind? Prioritise things that offer dual function: a plain swimsuit can double as a top with a skirt or trousers. A sun hat you can roll, (1, below) or a baseball cap are more useful than a wide-brim hat that will get battered in transit.
Always pack a tote bag for supermarket runs or souvenir shopping sprees. An organised backpack with a compartment for your laptop and water bottle, (8), makes life easier, as will a cross body bag for your phone and passport – Topologie’s, (9), come in a multitude of colour options. Put an adaptor on your phone charger before you travel, so you don’t forget it. Regular travellers will benefit from investing in a universal global adaptor that fits any plug in any country plus USB and USB-C charging points (£34.99, robertdyas.co.uk).
When it comes to the suitcase itself, don’t get caught out with an oversized bag at the gate – make sure you check the airline’s cabin baggage dimension allowance before you travel. Look for luggage that is lightweight and easy to spot on the carousel, Nere’s pastel Bondi collection (main image) fits the bill (Cabin case, £99, medium, £129, large, £139). Or give the viral ‘under seat’ bag a whirl (£15.99).
Travelling with coat hangers is a pain. Solve the problem with a few handy fold-up travel ones, (10). Stop raking through your case to find a pair of pants or a clean T-shirt by dividing your clothes into logical groups with packing cubes (above, left). Give creased clothes an instant refresh with a hand steamer that doubles as an iron when used on a flat surface, (11).
Making your wash-bag contents travel friendly hinges on whether you are checking in your luggage or not. The single plastic bag allowance at airports is stingy, so when travelling with carry-on only buy your SPF at your destination and save a bit more space with rehabyourhair.com’s shampoo and conditioner liquid-free sheets (£24 for 25 sheets) – even the sachet dissolves in the shower, meaning zero waste. For short trips decant your face creams and moisturisers into travel-sized pots; Donna May London’s come with useful labels (£19.95). If you plan to spend your last few hours before the flight home at the pool, take a waterproof nappy bag (below) to stash your wet swimmers in and a compact, fast-drying travel towel (3, below).
Have you ever arrived at your holiday destination, but your luggage hasn’t? That’s why it’s always wise to pack one spare outfit (something that rolls up easily and can be dressed up or down) like Nobody Child’s black jersey maxidress, (£29) and swimwear in your hand luggage, so you can at least have a dip while you wait to be reunited with the rest of your belongings.
Finally, when you’re back home, ready to unpack, pop a bamboo charcoal purifier bag into your suitcase to eliminate odours during storage, from £6.99 (amazon.com).
1. Hat, £37.99, hm.com
2. Sleep mask, £30, blissy.com
3. Travel towel, £28, Dock & Bay, johnlewis.com
4. Wet bag, £11.95, econaps.co.uk
5. Swimsuit, £79, hush-uk.com
6. Shower-proof sandals, £45, birkenstock.com
7. Fit pro true wireless earbuds, £220, Beats by Dre, johnlewis.com, Wireless Speaker, £149.99, Beats Pill apple.com
8. Backpack, £129.99, mous.co
9. Strap, £30 and bag, £41, both eu.topologie.com
10. Travel coat hangers, pack of 10, £9.99, thehangerstore.co.uk
11. Steamer, £150, steamery.co.uk
12. Luggage scales, £15.99, Salter argos.com
