Heading for a summer break but overwhelmed by the preparation? We’ve got the perfect guide to help you pack light for your holidays! Even if you’ve got kids, it’s possible to go on holiday without feeling like a Buckaroo-style packhorse about to collapse under the weight of your luggage at any moment. As with most things, it’s easy once you know how, so we thought we’d round up the best tips and advice we could find to help you pack light and enjoy the whole travelling experience, not just the sitting by the pool bit!
See what you think and let us know if you have any other top tips for fellow travellers – get in touch on social media @UKMums.TV.
- Plan ahead – last minute rushing guarantees an overstuffed suitcase because you can’t think clearly what you can afford to leave behind. Tape a list of absolute essentials to the door so you can do a last minute check before you leave the house.
- Know your baggage limits – It sounds obvious, but if you’re flying, don’t start packing until you know the luggage weight and dimensions you can take on the plane and then – stick to them!
Er, definitely no room for pets! Courtesy of Lonely Planet
- Capsule wardrobe – Try to abide by the “trilogy travel law”. Three pairs of socks. Three pairs of underwear. Wear one. Wash one. Dry one. Stick with mix-and-match basics and layer up for warmth rather than packing bulky jumpers/coats. If you need more than one pair of shoes, wear the heavier pair for travel, and pack the lighter pair.
- Invest in good quality low-weight luggage – Author of new book Travel with Kids, William Gray, has this great advice via travel magazine Wanderlust: “A medium-sized bag for each member of the family can be more practical than one or two colossal ones. It gives children independence, they can find their own things without turning out everyone else’s and, if you’re not sharing the same room in a hotel, it saves a lot of running back and forth along corridors.” He recommends the Trunki (£34.99, Trunki.co.uk).
Terrance Trunki Blue – also available in Rosie Trunki
- You need fewer toys than you think – Because you’re going somewhere new, the most unexpected things become interesting.
- Keep essentials in one bag – A Lonely Planet travel journalist/expert advises to have a light backpack with important stuff to hand and put everything else in your case. That means paperwork (passports, tickets, itinerary etc.), favourite toys/comforters, prescription medication and anything difficult or expensive to replace like phones and chargers.
If you need more guidance there’s loads more online, including amazing free printable checklists like the ones here. Happy holidays everyone!