You open your suitcase, ready to pack for that next exciting destination, but it doesn’t take long before the panic sets in – what should you pack? What shouldn’t you pack? What if you don’t pack enough? Or pack too much and end up lugging around items you won’t ever use?
I am a self-confessed over-packer but over the years I have learnt that choosing the right travel gear (aka smart packing), means I can leave the unnecessary baggage behind me to jet off on a lightweight and carefree holiday. Here are my top tips.
Packing Cubes
While I don’t mind living out of a suitcase for a short time, I do like to know where everything is so I’m not madly tossing clothes in the air in the hope of finding ‘that’ T-shirt or ‘that’ casual evening dress. When you need to find an item in a hurry, packing cubes are worth their weight in gold
The best cubes should be light weight and made to last, unlike cheaper versions that break halfway through your holiday. Look for cubes made with breathable mesh to reduce odours, as well as label windows to identify the contents of your cube. The latest trend is for sustainable cubes made from recycled plastic bottles. I’m testing out this pack of 4 from Zoom Lite. https://www.zoomlite.com.au/
Clothing
There’s nothing worse than packing your favourite evening dress, dress shirt or T Shirt, only to pull it out of your suitcase and gaze around wondering if there’s an iron.
Some of the best clothing for travel is wrinkle free, breathable and able to be layered. Bamboo clothing is one of the most comfortable materials for travel. It can be rolled or folded, is lightweight and has great antibacterial properties. What’s more, it’s ethical and eco-friendly. I shop at Bamboo Body. https://www.bamboobody.com.au/
I also opt for silk (or other wrinkle free fabric) shirts and dresses which are also light to pack, breathable, can be handwashed and dry within the hour. Silk is great for single layering in warm climates or layered up for cooler climates.
Soft linen is another great choice – it’s wrinkled appearance is acceptable and is the nature of the fabric. It dries faster than cotton and is light to pack. My favourite to pack is a light blue linen shirt I purchased for $50 as it’s versatile in the warmer temperatures. I can wear it open over a T-shirt or buttoned up. I even wear it fishing – it protects me from the sun and if it gets wet, it’s dry before we are back on shore. Again it’s ethical and eco-friendly.
Depending on the destination, the choice of what clothing to pack can be super easy or a nightmare. If you’re jetting off to a tropical island that’s 30 degrees, you don’t need more than your favourite summer outfits, swimmers and sunnies and you’re sorted. But if you’re travelling between warm and cold destinations, layering is the way to go. A couple of long and short cardigans, along with a light-weight rain jacket and coat and you’re done.
Rolla Bottle
This Melbourne based company was launched by Founding Director Katy Reid, with a mission to help rid the world of single-use plastic bottles and to be part of the plastic pollution clean-up solution.
It’s a soft water bottle and when it’s empty you simply roll it small and it’s ready for your next refill. BOOM! You are hydrated and no bulky empty bottle to lug. Rolla Bottles are made from premium food grade silicone, naturally free from BPA, non-toxic and non-absorbent so your water will always taste fresh. Silicone is resistant to mould and bacteria, and it can withstand temps of over 200 degrees C, so no worries about leaving your bottle in the car on a warm day.
Rolla Bottle contribute a massive 10% of profits to clean ocean campaigns to remove marine plastic pollution. https://www.rollabottle.com.au
Toiletry Bag
There’s nothing worse than stepping into your hotel bathroom, only to find a teeny weeny basin with no shelving for your toiletries. Why more hotels don’t consider recessed vanity mirrors with shelving I’ll never know! I went on the hunt for a toiletry bag that would act as my own mobile shelving and found a great one called Bagsmart. While it’s compact, it has a spacious capacity (I didn’t fill it up so that’s saying something!). It fits full-sized shampoos and has elasticised compartments for face creams.
It’s designed with multiple elastic cords and mesh pockets to keep things fixed and upright during movement. It also one waterproof PVC side pocked for makeup brushes or other wet items and another for dry products. Best of all it has a 360-degree rotatable metal hook – if you find yourself with no storage, just hang it up and use it from the doorknob or coat hook. I purchased mine from https://martinandmark.com/
