These clever tips and tricks will reduce your pre-holiday stress levels, says Katie Wright.
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, suncream 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 30 outfits (because you need options, OK?), 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 TikTok packing hacks every traveller needs to know about…
1. Use suitcase dividers
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.
2. Pack outfits together
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
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.
4. Roll your clothes
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
Particularly useful for ski trips, winter holidays or city breaks when you need to pack things like puffer jackets and chunky knitwear, vacuum bags suck or roll excess air out of your clothes, meaning you can fit more in your luggage.
6. Fill up your pillow
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 comfy to sleep on during your journey.
7. Use a baby changing bag
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.
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