Whether you’re packing for an impromptu weekend getaway or a three week beach holiday, holiday packing is stressful, especially when packing for kids as well.
One of the best parts of going on holiday is the excitement and the build-up before going on vacation, but when the holiday packing stress hits, nothing else matters, right?
Never fear!
We have got 8 top tricks that are guaranteed to make your holiday packing easier and stress-free:
1. Wear your heaviest clothes for the journey
Excess luggage is a common problem for those who are flying to their holiday destination. To avoid this, wear your heaviest clothes while you travel, such as jeans, sweaters and perhaps that jacket that you want to take for colder evenings. This will free up space in your bag and also use up less of your allocated baggage weight allowance.
2. Be ruthless with yourself
How many times have you gone on holiday with a bag of clothes and only worn 3 out of the 33 outfits that you took?
Precisely.
Take out all the clothes that you think you will need, and then pack at least ⅓ back into your cupboard. You are more than likely to spend more time in your costume if you are off to have a KZN South Coast beach holiday.
3. Invest in lightweight baggage
Apart from being easier to manoeuvre and travel with, lightweight luggage will also give you the luxury of packing in more.
4. Cling film is your friend
You reached the beach, finally!
You open your suitcase, ready to whip out your costume when you get a whiff of jasmine and lavender, before realising that your greatest travelling fear has materialised!
The entire contents of your suitcase is coated with your very expensive body gel and shampoo!
To prevent this scenario, take off the lids from all your liquid bottles and cover them up with cling film. You can then use clear tape to seal the gap where the lid joins the bottle.
5. Invest in some scales
No, we don’t mean that you should monitor your weight while on holiday, but it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on your luggage weight. Use your luggage scales to weigh your bags before you travel so that you can avoid unnecessary additional fees and stress. Knowing what your bags weigh before each leg of your journey will enable you to make a plan before hitting the airport.
6. Make sure your hand luggage game is strong
Preparing for missing luggage doesn’t seem like something you should do before going on holiday, but unfortunately, it is a possibility, and it’s better to be prepared than not. It’s pretty obvious, but you should always have a spare change of clothes, toiletries and all your valuables.
I repeat, ALL your valuables.
This will ensure that you don’t have to go rushing to the shops for necessities if your baggage is lost or delayed and in the unfortunate event of it being stolen, no valuables would have been taken.
If you are travelling with kids, the same applies. Keep a spare set of clothes as well as all their medication, toiletries and valuable toys in their hand luggage. Be sure to find out what isn’t allowed in hand luggage on the airline that you are travelling with.
7. Game face on
We know that for some ladies, travelling without their makeup is like travelling naked. But there is a way to prevent your precious powders and exotic eyeshadows from cracking; just place a cotton wool ball or pad between the powders and the lid and voila! Who says you can’t glam up on holiday?
8. Roll, don’t fold
Who enjoys ironing?
Who enjoys ironing on holiday?
Exactly!
Don’t arrive at your destination with a bag full of ironing! To iron out this problem, roll your clothes rather than fold them. If you can, place the rolled up clothes in a vacuum bags. This will ensure that your clothes are crease free and will also give you more room to pack other goodies.
Now that you know how to pack, maybe you should get cracking and start making your way down to the KZN South Coast for the perfect beach holiday!
