Right chaps. You’ve got your flight booked to Crete, your passport is sorted, you’re already dreaming of sitting in the pool reading Emma Cline’s The Girls which you’ve been saving up for months….
The only thing standing between you and your delightful flight over to your destination, is packing.
The boring bit.
Seeing as you’re only taking hand luggage (dead economical, well done you), you’ve got a tricky situation on your hands. Here’s a few helpful tips on how to cram everything you need for a blissed out sun-tastic week in your teeny tiny hand luggage case.
Invest in some nerd-level organisation
Pouches are your friends when it comes to packing guys. Buy lots and lots of pouches. Get pouches to hold your jewellery (stop your necklaces getting tangled by threading them through straws) , pouches to hold your chargers, pouches to hold your underwear, swimsuits, souvenirs, tech bits and bobs, make up and whatever else you’re bringing. You’re wasting valuable time spent away from the sun by digging in the bottom of your case for your black top, all the while disrupting the semblance of organisation that was orginally your case.
Roll up, roll up. Or layer.
Guys. This is essential. Roll your clothes up. You’ll fit FAR more stuff in your little suitcase if it’s rolled up. Roll up pants and put them in your shoes, roll up socks and stuff them down the side. Roll up breakables in your t-shirts and tie belts around your bulkier items (hoodies, hello) to make them even smaller. It’your version of vacuum packing.
Some people claim 'layering' is the new rolling. I’m not convinced but if you do want to give it a try, place the middle of your garment in the bottom of your case and fold the sleeves and legs in over the top so it’s taking up almost all of the bottom of your case. Repeat with the rest of your clothes then roll up smaller things and shove them down the side.
Avoid spills
Because nothing ruins the start of your holiday than by finding out your Moroccan hair oil has exploded all over your bag. Not only are your clothes stained, you’ve also got no hair oil. What a disaster. To combat this, unscrew the lids of any suspect looking toiletries (face wash, we’re looking at you after last year’s unfortunate incident on the way to Mallorca), cover the openings with cling film and then screw the lid back on. Nothing’s getting out of that bad boy.
Be realistic
No, you don’t need three jumpers. It’s going to be 38 degrees. Heck, you don’t even need one jumper. If you must take one, then wear it on the plane. This goes for three pairs of shoes too. Forget your new fancy heels, realistically you’re going to want whatever’s comfy. Trainers and sandals. That’s the way forward.
Buy solid toiletries
Because you’re always that girl trying to go through security with an overflowing plastic Ziploc bag that you can’t quite close, it’s safe to say you’re in need of a few tips on how to cut down on liquid based toiletries. The answer is simple: ditch the liquids and go with solids. Remember those solid white poweder deodorants you used to use at school? Yep they still sell those. Ditto for solid shampoos and toothpastes. In fact, they even make solid sunscreen these days. Invest in solids and enjoy that extra space in your plastic bag for more aftersun.
*Fly direct with British Airways to Crete & Rhodes from London Gatwick. Book and discover more here and check them out on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. For a chance to win designer luggage and beach kits, travel tech packs and even a paid for trip to Greece, head here.
Follow Jess on Twitter @Jess_Commons
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.