Holiday advice – Packing advice tips

Holiday packing advice and tips: Whether you’re still planning or you’re booked and ready to go, we’ve got plenty of advice and tips to help you on your way…

Use our holiday packing checklist to make sure you’re packing the right stuff and you haven’t forgotten anything.

It’s all too tempting to treat a suitcase like a temporary cupboard, but don’t. Lugging a heavy case up and down airport escalators, into and out of cars, buses or taxis and up stairs to a hotel room is no joke.

THE BASICS

1. Make list and tick them off as you pack
2. Take clothes that won’t crease easily
3. Colour coordinate clothes to save space
4. Start packing well before departure
5. Double-check your list before you zip/lock your luggage

How to pack

Roll clothes to reduce wrinkles
Wrap clothes in plastic or tissue to help reduce wrinkling
Don’t put easily crushed clothes at the bottom of a bag
Put items you don’t mind creasing into shoes and other nooks and crannies
Check how heavy your luggage is as you go along
Leave room in your hand luggage for extras
Wrap shoes in plastic bags to stop clothes getting dirty
Seal the lids of toiletries and sun creams with tape

For the plane Top tips

Contact lens equipment (excluding solution) and feminine hygiene supplies to last the journey, if necessary
A warm jumper, to double as a pillow or jacket, and socks
A change of clothes, in case your hold luggage is delayed on arrival

NEVER FORGET

Rail/bus/airline/boat tickets
Passport if travelling out of Britain
Itinerary
Wallet
Travellers’ cheques/foreign currency/credit cards
A separate record of the serial numbers on travellers’ cheques and credit card numbers/hotlines
Driver’s licence, for ID and car hire
Travel insurance documents

LONG HAUL HOLIDAYS

Remember that many goods can often be bought more cheaply abroad
Travel with more cash, rather than more luggage
Note the generic names of prescription drugs if you need them, as brand names vary
Pack an empty holdall in your luggage for clothes and gifts bought abroad

Useful items

Thermal T-shirt/shorts
Fleece
First aid kit, with plasters and antiseptic cream
Old trousers, tops or a tracksuit

BABIES AND CHILDREN

There’s no need to take separate luggage for your baby. Many infant products can be bought abroad, so stick to the “travel light” rule. For beach breaks, pack extra T-shirts and tops for older children and at least one spare bathing suit each.

Always take

Your child’s passport
A front carrier/nappies/changing mat/cold water sterilising tablets/socks/hat for babies
Baby formula milk for the trip if you don’t breastfeed
Plastic rubbish bags
A few toys and nibbles for the trip
High-protection sun cream
A personal stereo, reading/puzzle books or quiet computer games for older children
A small daypack
A pair of your child’s sandals in your hand luggage, for arrival in hot countries