Packing Tips

I find it is possible to take three pairs of knickers and just wash one pair out every night in my room - I usually have a balcony where I can dry them overnight. I roll clothes after ironing, which helps to keep them from getting too badly creased, but I do have a very light travelling steam iron. I am told that hanging clothes in the bathroom and getting it very steamy makes creases drop out.
I have several vacuum bags which doesn't help with weight but gives you a lot more room. As I return to NZ each year, I have taken to leaving a few things each time - I now have trainers, a dressing gown and two walking poles out there.

Put everything you want to take out on the bed and then halve it- I always take too much.

GG that's what I do too. I also take a note of what I haven't used after a trip and leave them out the next time! It's amazing how few items are actually used even on a long trip. I also leave various bits and pieces at my frequent destinations (3 daughters) - heavy pots of cream, nightwear, toothbrush etc....

Decide on a very limited colour palette - everything must mix and match; and be able to be layered for changes in temp. Max 3 pairs of shoes (travel in the heaviest). And my kindle has been wonderful in reducing the need for half a case full of books.

You have no idea how useful this thread is. On our last cruise holiday we took 12 suitcases.

Next month, when we have a five centre rail holiday - and have to lift and carry our own luggage - I imagine we'll have to travel very light or risk slipping our discs.

More tips please ...

Get a soft suitcase on wheels ...mine is like a large gym bag. It immediately reduces the weight you are lugging around. In aircrafts they seem to put them on the top of the piles too!

Visit the beauty counters of your local department store and get as many free samples of skin care products as possible! (If you're worried about possible allergic reactions,go to a store where you're not known and get samples of products that you know suit you!)

....and your dentist will have free small sample tubes of toothpaste which he/she should happily give you

And some supermarkets sell small sampler offers for a £1 ...all helps to reduce the weight!!

I find I am getting better at packing these days ie not taking every garment I possess . Well you have to with them cutting the baggage allowance to 23kg unless you want to pay extra, which I don"t . It is surprising though how much you can do without , and after all if you are travelling around which we do some of the time no-one is going to think oh same old stuff , that is if they could be bothered to think

We've just come back from a five-day city break to Rome. We took only hand luggage on the grounds that we didn't want a) to pay the fee for checking luggage in, and b) to have to lug heavy cases through Rome. It was amazing how liberating it was! We wore our heaviest clothes to travel in, and took a small number of t shirts, daily change of undies, an additional pair of jeans and one smartish outfit for posh restaurant. We took small bottles of toiletries, and it all worked brilliantly. I intend to adopt a similarly frugal approach to our main summer holiday later in the year. We'll see!

Some great ideas - thanks. We are going away again at the end of the month so I will try them out. I have some 'pockets' designed to fit suitcases and they are useful for touring. I packed trousers in one, tops in another. It saves rummaging and makes re-packing easy. We have bought some very lightweight cases from Matalan ( so not expensive) and these are a great boon. We've given our expensive, hard wearing, heavier suitcases to the GC.

We travel a lot, and much of it is long haul, so I've had to learn to be sensible. Well, I'm still learning! Sometimes, when we have to take formal clothes, evening clothes and everyday wear, we have to give in and pay extra, but usually one suitcase, lightweight, M&S, and one wheelie hand luggage bag each does us fine. We do travel Premium Economy for very long flights, for comfort, and that, of course, solves the problem, because you have a bigger allowance.

But I have to confess that I always pack a fold up bag, just in case.....

I am very impressed by your brilliant packing techniques but I really am panicking. We took 12 suitcases on a two week cruise last year! Yes. Twelve. Now we are advised to take only one small suitcase each on a two week rail holiday visiting four different European cities.

Other concern. DH does not want to take credit or debit cards except for emergency use but quite likes the idea of prepaid currency card. He is keenest of all on cash. What do other gransnetters do?

I take some cash and a debit card and a credit card. I'm impressedby 12 suitcases on a cruise . Ionlytook 4!

Don't forget (jeni and jack will know) you can't take an iron on a cruise. They will launder and press clothes for you, but costs mount up - better to pack carefully and take lots of crease-resistent clothes.

There is a laundrette on board Cunard and Princess ships with irons. You aren't supposed to take a nettle either, but they provide 24hr room service!

My cruise was on Royal Carribean and on the ship I was on there wasn't a laundrette. No kettle, but room service is so great, who wants to lift a finger to do anything? Love cruising!

jeni - a 'NETTLE' !!

I used to pack just about everything I had as I was sure I would need it all! Of course I invaribly came back without using half of it, but I have now learned to take a lot less. We used to travel to Spain quite a lot and only took hand luggage also on my last trip to Australia I took 1 suitcase and a small carry on bag. I have learned to colour match and wear my heaviest clothes to travel.

One thing I can't cut down on is knickers! If I am going away for 14 days, I take at least 28 pairs. I have an absolute phobia about running out of clean knickers. One year we went to Hawaii and I was determined to break this habit, so I took less and washed them in the room and left them on the balcony to dry overnight. Unfortunately, there was a strong wind during the night and when I woke up I looked over the balcony to see my knickers festooning a tree! Needless to say I didn't try to reclaim them - just went out and bought some more!

Well,you all know my iPad cant spell! It's not me! Honest gov

I hate packing! Am completely disorganised. Turned up in San Francisco without my phone charger and had to buy one at a far greater price than I'd pay here. now I have two chargers each for phone and Kindle, one of which is permanently in the suitcase. I should - but don't - have a check list. This time it was my asthma preventer inhaler and I had one of my very rare attacks. Luckily my sister had one - an inhaler, I mean, not an attack. She had a set of packing pods which I think I have seen in Lakeland. Anyone got these?

??????????!

Just checked the packing squares on Lakeland web site. Unnecessarily pricey, I think and have found something similar on good old Ebay. I wonder if this would make me more organised?