Tuesday 7 April 2015

How to ...

I'm delighted to be working with George at Asda who have released an amazing Holiday Shop collection!  I will be going to Boston and New York for work and holiday at the end of May and was looking for sleek, professional items to take with me.  One of which being a new, super lightweight carry on (gone are the days of my battered old rucksack, I must travel in style now!).

Soooooo there was a time when I couldn't go away even for a weekend without a massive suitcase I thought I needed to bring several back-up shoes and outfits.  I don't know what I thought would happen if I didn't have several extra pairs of socks, or full size toiletries but as time has gone on and I've wanted to have more adventures but don't want to pay for extra luggage I've refined my own packing style which I'm going to share with you.

The basics

First things first get a super light suitcase, I used to have one that I picked up from Amazon for £13 it did several trips and I was perfectly happy with it but it was heavy before you had even added anything to it so I went for this one from Asda for what I consider to be a bargain at £35 (if you have a cat that can investigate it's good points then even better).

Shoes need to go at the bottom of the case near the wheels (I got these during a recent shopping trip to Cardiff, a similar pair can be found here), if this was a case going in the hold I would say cram it with toiletries but as this is a carry-on we know the rules, we need the plastic bag of joy, so instead cram them to the brim with your jewellery and scarves or socks.  Don't put electronics here or anything that could get damaged you don't want everything else in the case pressing down on breakables when you wheel the case along.  

I use a towel as a buffer between the hard shoes and any delicates and other clothes (is my love of animal print shining through here?).

The fine art of rolling

(btw this is the MOST flattering swimming costume I've found in years it has made me want to head to the pool again)...

Swimming costumes are perfect for plugging the gaps between awkward items like shoes, we're going on the principle that there are NO gaps (unless we want to bring back one or two souvenirs from our adventures which will fit perfectly between our shoes).

I invested in a hair straighteners heat resistant pouch mainly for when I cycle to work and need to sort my fringe out but it has come in very useful on my travels as well.  I don't always have time to wait for my straighteners to cool before shoving them in my bag and checking out.

Folding clothes for travel is a mugs game, if like me you have to pack several striped tops (seriously things are getting ridiculous around here  - this one was A BARGAIN £8) you need to tuck the arms in a roooooll your clothes, you fit at least an extra third in (in my opinion) you case.


A note on toiletries

You never need to take full size products I PROMISE.  If you're going on holiday with a group agree who will take which products like toothpaste (those products where brand isn't ridiculously important) and share amongst the group, when your holiday is done just ditch them (extra room for presents).  

I also try a squeeze in some slippers even in the summer, there is something comforting about them but also, we have all had that horrendous experience when you open the hotel room door and things are not quite as... lovely as we had hoped.  Slippers mean you don't have to touch mangy carpet.

And finally...

The entertainment bag is something that you will find convenient and your fellow flyers will also thank you for.  Put all the things you want to entertain you during your flight in a bag towards the top of your suitcase (opposite end to the wheels as close to the zip opening as possible) when you get on the plane open your case, whip out your bag of goodies, shove your bag in the locker and sit the hell down.  EVERYONE hates those passengers that fuck about opening and closing their bag trying to find their book whilst blocking the aisle.  Don't be that person.

Ok so you probably didn't learn anything revolutionary today but maybe I have inspired you to ditch the unnecessary 'just in case' items and perhaps you'll go for a week away with just a carry on? 


No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...