Packing for travel

I am not the most organised of people when it comes to packing for travel. The idea of ‘packing light’ baffles me and I am in awe of those who seem to do it effortlessly. A friend of mine moved to Melbourne recently and I got the chance to take a peak at her packing before she left via her ‘moving out’ photos on Facebook. It was amazing to say the least. Each suitcase was meticulously packed and organised, and she even had a great system for using ziplock bags for things like t-shirts and underwear. This I was really impressed with, and will try and remember next time I go away as would save me from emptying the contents of my suitcase onto the floor every day to find a pair of socks!

I have several friends who preach the virtues of being organised and packing light when travelling, and who always raving about the latest gadget to make things easier. The terms capsule wardrobes, rolling not folding, suitcase or backpack and packing cells are floated around. All of these ideas in theory sound and look awesome but for some reason mine always goes to pot at the last minute. It might be due to the fact that I do leave packing mostly to the last minute and don’t have a packing list, so therefore am jamming anything and everything I can into my suitcase two minutes before I have to leave the house – you never know when you’re going to get invited to a ball and might need that posh dress and extra 3 pairs of heels after all!

The thing that crops up the most when looking at articles and discussions about travel packing is pre-planning. The main consensus is make sure you pack a few days in advance and make a list before starting, of what you want to take with you – AND STICK TO IT (this is the bit I have trouble with!). Don’t pack too far in advance – usually a day or two beforehand is good. This gives you time to think of the ‘oh I forgot to pack that’ items without having to unpack things that you need to use before you leave. I know someone that packed 2 weeks before a holiday once and then forgot a ton of stuff as it was in the washing machine after they’s unpacked it and worn it!

So in an attempt to become better at this packing when I travel lark, I am going to review products that I already have and why I love or hate them. I will also ask all of my travel friends about their travel accessories and why they would or would not recommend them.

I am also going to do some research into tips and hints on how to pack smart for travel and find some hot tips for creating the perfect travel packing list. Then hopefully one day I, and you too if you’re not already, can be one of those amazing people that pack effortlessly and arrive at the airport cool, calm and collected, rather than in a scrabbling mess of stuff flying out of the taxi!

If anyone out there would like me to review any product for them I will be happy to do so, but I will give an honest and unbiased review based on my own experiences with the product in question.

Let me know if you would be interested in seeing a review about anything in particular. And of course I am always keen to hear about the must have packing accessory or thing to remember on your travel packing list too.