The lead-up to a holiday can be rather stressful. While you should be getting excited about your upcoming trip, there’s usually work to finish off, jobs to sort at home, passports to locate, currency to collect, sunscreen to buy – and so much more.
Plus, if you’re someone who hates packing, you’ve probably left that to the last minute – and now you’re faced with working out how to fit all your outfits, nine pairs of shoes, three books, your laptop, and assorted chargers into your wheelie bag.
While it’s tempting to cram as much as your can into your suitcase, jump on top, yank the zip around and hope for the best, when you arrive at your destination you’ll likely end up with creased clothing, missing shoes, and lots of tangled wires.
This is where TikTok comes in handy. Organisation gurus on the video-sharing platform have tons of useful tips that will turn you into a packing pro, whether you’re off on a solo adventure or a family vacation.
Here are seven brilliant packing hacks every traveller needs to know about.
1. Use suitcase dividers
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An absolute must for a neat and tidy case, suitcase dividers come in all shapes and sizes.
Some packing gurus swear by mesh cubes, while others suggest ziplock or drawstring dust bags are just as effective.
Read: How to travel with carry-on only
2. Pack outfits together
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Are you the kind of fashion lover who meticulously plans all their holiday outfits way in advance?
Rather than grouping tops, bottoms or dresses together, fold each outfit (apart from shoes) and pack them in the order you’ll wear them.
3. Try a wardrobe organiser
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Repurpose a fabric wardrobe organiser by putting an outfit on each shelf, collapsing it down, and placing straight into your bag.
When you arrive on holiday, simply pull the organiser out, hang it up, and that’s half your unpacking done. Genius.
Read: Crush packing for a cruise with these nine tips
4. Roll your clothes
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Instead of folding, rolling your clothes serves two purposes: it takes up less space, and means your garments will be less creased when you unpack.
For light items such as vests or T-shirts, try lying a few on top of each other, and rolling them like sushi.
5. Save space with vacuum bags
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Vacuum bags are particularly useful for ski trips, winter holidays or city breaks when you need to pack items such as puffer jackets and chunky knitwear. They suck or roll excess air out of your clothes, meaning you can fit more in your luggage.
6. Fill up your pillow
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Have you noticed how airlines never seem to count travel pillows as part of your baggage allowance?
You can use this fact to your advantage by taking a travel pillowcase, filling it with clothes and sneaking a few extra outfits on board. Plus, it’ll still be comfortable to sleep on during your journey.
Read: Wrinkle-free packing tips
7. Use a baby changing bag
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An awesome idea for frequent flyers or anyone jetting off for a weekend away, baby changing bags (or diaper bags, as the Americans say) are spacious and full of handy pockets, making them perfect as carry-on luggage.
And don’t worry, these days they aren’t all pastel coloured and covered in cutesy duck prints – you can get some seriously stylish and minimalist backpacks.
Do you have a packing strategy that never fails? Why not share it in the comments section below?
– With PA
