How To Pack For The Holidays: A Complete Guide
Between picking the outfits you’ll wear, remembering all your holiday necessities and actually getting everything to fit into your suitcase or carry on, packing for a holiday can be stressful. Packing well will ensure you’re ready for your itinerary and any other spontaneous plans, which means that some of the pieces you’ll be bringing should be versatile and can be easily dressed up or down for a nice evening out or a low-maintenance stroll on the streets of whatever destination jet setting off to. Here’s our tips to pack for the holidays in the best way possible!
Organisation is key
The key to successfully packing for a trip is organisation. It ensures that you’re prepared for the plans you have at your destination but being prepared also means being ready for anything that could happen as plans can easily change. Being organised enough to prepare for spontaneous plans or unforeseen situations/emergencies will make your trip go smoothly no matter what happens. You’ll find organisation as a recurring theme of this guide, as I firmly believe it’s the cornerstone to making any plans.
Lists, lists, lists
One of the best ways to stay organised whilst packing for a trip is by making lists. This should be one of your first steps for packing. List all your beauty and toiletry necessities, clothes, shoes and any accessories you plan to bring. While it’s all well and good to look fabulous whilst you’re away, perhaps most importantly list your travelling essentials which can be your passport, tickets and important documents that you’ll need to go anywhere. You must avoid any last-minute fiascos of forgotten passports at all costs. No thanks.
Choose wisely
When choosing the outfits you’ll be donning, think carefully. Not just style wise but on a practical level. Think of fabrics that don’t wrinkle easily which allows them to be rolled in your luggage for more space whilst not looking entirely disheveled when worn. Pick pieces you can mix and match to give you options and outfits that can easily go from day to night. Flats are best when travelling due to all the exploring you’ll be doing. A pair of stylish sneakers always does the trick and they can also be worn on the way to your destination, but having a pair of nice sandals for maybe a more dressier occasion can change up any outfit. You might even have space for a pair of heeled sandals if you’re feeling spicy.
Compartmentalise
Packing cubes are a great way to keep organised when you pack for the holidays. It saves you the hassle of rummaging through your entire bag or suitcase to look for one thing and keeps everything neat and tidy. Dust bags can be used as an alternative if you can’t get your hands on any packing cubes.
Make space
Wherever you’re travelling, it’s always good to make space for any treasures found at the gift shop to bring back home. Cute little mementos or souvenirs can be a nice way to remember your trip and are good conversation pieces for when guests come over.
Stuff bags and shoes
Take a page out of Janice’s book from Friends and stuff your bags and shoes with smaller items of clothing, like your socks and underwear, to make use of all space.
Be prepared
Anything can happen whilst you’re on holiday so it’s always important to bring some of the basic medications you might need, like painkillers, cures to common colds, plasters or even sleeping pills. Better safe than sorry.
