If you’re anything like us, it doesn’t matter how long the holiday is, we ALWAYS over-pack! Knowing how best to fit all your beautiful outfits and accessories into your luggage is the best way to make sure you can bring everything you want, so here’s our handy packing tips!
Baggage Allowance
When booking your TUI holiday with us, your baggage allowance is already included in the price which is great news! But, did you know, if you think you’ll need a few extra kgs then you can add these onto your booking? Depending on the holiday package you choose, you can take up to 25kg of luggage*, which is perfect for the over-packers among us. *You will need to contact the customer team to make these changes.
Extra luggage allowance also means you can shop guilt-free during your holiday and there’s plenty of space and weight for you to bring all your goodies back with you! Who doesn’t love a guilft-free shopping trip?
One thing to remember is that when travelling, you’re restricted by baggage weight not the number of bags you have. So if you’ve got 20kg baggage allowance, but you’ll find it easier to carry smaler cases, you could split this across two 10kg cases. Simiarlrly, if you’re travelling as a family, the little ones are inlikely to be dragging a 20kg case around, so you could do two much bigger bags, then two smaller – as long as you don’t exceed the total baggage allowance (e.g., usually 25kg per person).
Packing Cubes
Packing hack number two is packing cubes! Packing cubes are a pretty new trend when it comes to holiday luggage but they are so handy and definitely worth considering if you like your suitcase to be super organised. You can buy these online or in places like Primark, and they often come in a variety of sizes which then zip up and close once you’ve filled them. You can organise your items into the cubes, undies in one, dresses in another, swimwear in another etc. Once you get to your hotel, it’s a quick fix to pop everything into the wardrobe or, you can even keep everything inside the cubes so it’s all in one place for when you get dressed each morning!
Though you can find the cubes from many retailers, you can get some great, affordable ones from Amazon, and you can choose which coolour you like!
This packing hack is extra useful when you’re travelling with hand luggage – the cubes can slide into your smaller bag much easier and your clothes can still be kept seperate from your snacks and headphones.
That’s How We Roll
Maybe an obvious, but essential packing tip is to learn how to fold! Thanks to Netflix sensation Marie Kondo, condensing the size of your clothes when tidying them away has become very popular! Whether you’re looking to fit more items into your drawers at home or want to maximise the number of items you can bring on holiday with you, rolling your clothes or trying the Marie Kondo method is a great way to reduce the size of each item.
To fold trousers like a pro, follow these steps:
- Fold the legs in half
- Fold the legs upward toward the waistband — and leave a gap at the edge
- Fold in half or thirds
- Stand the trousers upright
For handy video clips, or tips on how to fold other items, head to https://konmari.com/how-to-fold-clothes/.
Indeed, for hand luggage learning how to fold your clothes properly will be essential, afterall, it’s not much space to work with!
Plan Ahead
Packing is all about organisation, so another great packing hack is to plan your outfits. There’s method to the madness though – if you know which top looks good with which shorts, it means you don’t need to throw in those extra items ‘just in case’.
When grabbing your clothes from your wardrobe, take the time to pair things together if needed and make a note on a piece of paper or in your phone so that when it comes to wearing them, you know what you had in mind when packing! You can even take it to the next level by snapping a picture of each outfit laid out so when you get on holiday you can just grab and go. This even means once you’re on holiday there’s no stress of creating an outfit, you already know what you’re going to wear!
This is an essential packing hack for hand luggage as there really is no room for ‘extras’!
Hide Your Smalls
To get the most out of your luggage space it’s really important to use all the nooks and crannies available. That’s why it’s a good idea to save your undies, socks and other small items until last so that you can stuff them in the empty spaces! One great place to put them that you may not have thought of before is to stuff them inside your shoes. This is usually dead space in your case but it’s a great place to put smaller items and it keeps them all compact too. It’s a great packing tip, but it also helps prevent your undies flying everywhere if your suitcase were to unexpectedly open – or, if you go to pull your book out your hand luggage but then send your underwear flying!
One For Me, One For You
Luggage going missing can unfortunately happen sometimes, and though airlines, airports and baggage handling companies do their utmost to try and prevent this from happening, sometimes it still does. While some bags show up pretty soon, and can be delivered to your hotel in no time, others take a little while to reappear. To ensure you’re not stuck in your arrival clothes for a week if the worst were to happen, it can be a great idea to split your items across two suitcases – or more, if there’s more of you.
For example, if you’re travelling with your partner, half of your swimsuit options can go in one suitcase and the other in the second suitcase, same for daytime outfits or underwear. Do the same for your partner’s luggage and if for any reason a case goes walkabout, you each still have plenty of clothes to get you through a couple of days.
This packing hack can still apply to packing for hand luggage if you get worried, but you’re much less likely to misplace your own hand luggage bag!
Where’s My Bag?
Speaking of lost luggage, there’s a few things you can do to make your luggage more identifiable and to reduce the chance of it going missing. These are:
- Pick your case carefully – bright colours are ideal, even have large initials or stickers on the exterior to make it easily identifiable
- Take a picture of your suitcase so that if it doesn’t show up on the baggage carousel, you can show the picture to a member of staff at the airport. This also helps if there’s any language barriers
- Put an AirTag inside your case – you’ll be able to see the case’s journey from the plane to the baggage carousel and if for any reason it goes astray, you’ll be able to see the bag’s location thanks to the tag
Watch the Toiletries
A packing tip that’s usually overlooked, especially when packing for long haul holidays, is to not overpack your toiletries. We all know how it goes, as you’re packing you just pick up this and pick up that and throw it in the case thinking you need it – but can you condense it? Maybe your shampoo and conditioner could go in smaller bottles, or, that huge perfume, maybe you have a smaller one? If you’re travelling with friends you could share certain things like toothpaste or shower gel, this way you can save on your weight allowance as well as space.
Remember in most places you’ll be able to pick up essentials once you’re there.
When packing for hand luggage, remember that your liquids need to be in a clear bag and often not more than 100ml in total – but be sure to check the liquid allowances for your chosen airport as they can differ.
Ready To Go!
You’ve now found out all our favourite packing hacks so you’re ready to get packed and get on that plane!
If you haven’t actually booked your holiday yet but all this talk of packing has got you craving a break, then why not explore our fantastic holiday deals?! We’ve got something for all travellers and with our exclusive Holiday Hypermarket discounts you’re sure to get a bargain.
Facebook
Twitter
Email 
