The 7 packing mistakes I made on my recent summer holiday

We’ve all made packing mistakes when packing for a trip. Even the frequent travellers who may consider themselves good packers. Because there’s always that underlying pressure to pack “perfectly”, and of course, the ever-present fear that you’ll leave something you need at home.

In my experience, the ‘perfect’ plan tends to fall apart as I’m putting things into my suitcase. Suddenly I find myself saying things like “Five pairs of shoes and 3 handbags isn’t a lot”, “I haven’t ever worn this, but I may get the opportunity on this holiday”, and “I may as well take four white t-shirts! They won’t take up too much space.”

And then when I get home from my trip and I haven’t worn certain items at all, I vow that I’m never going to make those packing mistakes again. I’m not going to put myself through the agony of lugging a heavy suitcase (and my hand luggage and a straw hat) up all those flights of stairs around Europe. Ever again. Sound familiar?

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But here’s the thing – packing is a little bit like the pain of childbirth and perimenopausal brain fog in that – we forget. So I thought I’d put together a little reminder for my next trip – and then hopefully I can enjoy that one even more.

Here are the 7 packing mistakes I made on my recent holiday to Europe

1. Overpacking

Okay, this is the first and most obvious one, but also the most important one. Because it underscores all else when it comes to packing.

One of the reasons I overpack is because I don’t want to be wearing the same outfit every day. And that’s where a capsule wardrobe comes into its own. Not only does it help with the mixing and matching, but if you’ve chosen your colour scheme well, you can put together many outfits without them all looking the same. Despite knowing this, I still made the mistake of packing too much clothing.

2. I didn’t leave room for new purchases

When you leave home and your suitcase only just closes, that means you’re not going to have anywhere to put anything that you buy on your trip. Not a good idea. It’s a good idea to ensure that your suitcase isn’t overstuffed and that you have a few kilograms to play with on the other side.

3. Packing too many inappropriate fabrics

Always check the weather because that’ll dictate what types of clothing will be suitable for your trip. The heatwave in Europe was especially intense in July and August this year and I regretted bringing anything that wasn’t linen or lightweight cotton. I knew not to bring jeans but I could have done with dresses that were more lightweight and versatile – to throw over swimwear or wear out to lunch or dinner.

4. Overdoing the packing cubes

Packing cubes is the trend right now and I think they have their place, but I think you can go overboard with the cubes because they take up a lot of room. The secret is to pack your cubes cleverly and possibly cut back on the number of cubes you use. Some people like to pack by outfit and some prefer by clothing type. I now think I prefer one big packing bag and a few smaller ones for various items. And then I also think it would have been a better idea to pack some items outside of a cube.

5. Not having a packing cube for dirty laundry

One thing that I wished I’d had was an empty packing cube (or similar) that I could store my dirty laundry in. Yes, I made another plan at the time, but I feel like I could have been smarter about the setup in my suitcase.

6. Packing too many of the same items (eg. 4 white T-shirts)

It depends on the type of trip that you’re going on, of course, but if you can do some laundry where you’re staying, it’s not necessary to take more than one of the same items. Again, if you’ve planned your outfits and mixed and matched your clothing well, there’s no need to overpack in this way.

7. Packing too many toiletries

There are certain skincare items that I could never do without, but toiletries are heavy and I packed too many similar creams and balms that do the same thing.

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So WHY do we overpack?

As I mentioned, I think the main reasons are that we’re afraid that we’ll forget to pack something we’ll need or regret what we’ve left behind. So we then cover all our bases to avoid that.

What’s the solution to this dilemma?

Plan outfits ahead of time and create a packing checklist.

But how?

My suggestion is to lay out an outfit for everyday and occasion on your bed, and then see how you can mix and match so that you can then remove as many items as possible.

Is it easy to travel light and only pack a carry-on suitcase?

Obviously, this would depend on where you’re going, how long you’re going away for and the airline you’re travelling on, but it’s something I’m seriously considering doing going forward. I only travelled with carry-on when we went on a four-day trip to Sydney recently and managed to have a different outfit for every day we were there.

In conclusion – How to avoid these packing mistakes

So how can we break the cycle and become brilliant packers who remember to pack everything they need, look amazing while on holiday and don’t have too much luggage?

• Keep a packing list on your phone so that you can check off everything you need for your trip – this will help you to feel confident that you haven’t forgotten anything.
• Plan outfits for every day, taking the weather and activities into consideration.
• See what you can wear with more than one outfit and cut back on clothing items.
• Take photos of each outfit and save them to a folder on your phone – so that you don’t have to think too hard about what to wear every day.
• Include clothing like button-down dresses and shirts that are versatile, for example, they could be worn to a restaurant but also over a swimsuit. Or if you’re travelling in cooler weather, choose a neutral-coloured jacket or coat that can be worn with all of your outfits.
• Remember that you don’t need more than 3 pairs of shoes. And never pack more than one of the same kind of footwear (in other words, one pair of sandals, one pair of trainers etc.).
• Invest in travel toiletry bottles so that you can decant some skincare into smaller, lighter bottles. Or purchase travel sizes of the skincare that you use and love.
• Also, you could pack products that have dual-purposes like tinted moisturisers or tinted SPFs.

And it’s worth pointing out that if you do leave anything important at home or run out of any skincare products, you can always buy whatever you need.

What is the best packing tip you use when you travel? I’d love to hear in the comments.

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