While holidays are mostly relaxing and rejuvenating, there's one unavoidable part of travel that always causes stress: packing . From figuring out the clothes to pack to getting it all crammed inside your suitcase , it's never a fun time. Thankfully, there's one thing you can do to make packing (and finding things in your bag) a lot easier.
.. all you need is masking tape.
READ MORE: The best train journeys in the world - and there's an Aussie icon among them Travel editor Caroline Morse Teel at Smarter Travel compiled a list of must-know packing tips. Her top idea is packing cubes, something you're probably already well aware of. But she goes a step further, recommending you use a bit of tape and a marker to label each cube with what's inside.
This is a godsend when you're trying to find a specific shirt without wanting to tear apart your entire suitcase. She also recommends finding packing cubes which have an extra zip for compression, making it easier to pack more into a smaller case. Depending on her trip, Caroline packs her cubes in one of two ways.
She will either pack each cube for a particular day, keeping one outfit all together. Or, she will pack each cube containing all the same items, so all t-shirts are together, all pants are together, etc. READ MORE: The best places in the world for island hopping Caroline also recommends that frequent travellers have 'go-bags' prepared, to make packing easier.
She keeps two small bags ready to go: one with toiletries, which she tops up after every trip, and one for on the plane, with headphones, chargers, lip balm, tissues and hand sanitiser. "When it's time to hit the road again," she says, "it feels like my packing is already halfway done." Ask any traveller about whether they fold or roll their clothes, and you'll find that people have strong opinions.
But Caroline sits right in the middle. "The best way to pack a suitcase is to combine both strategies." She says she's found the best thing to do is to fold thicker, heavy-weight items like jumpers and jeans, which you lay on the bottom of the suitcase.
Then lighter items - like tshirts and shorts - can be rolled up and layered on top. Then any spaces can be filled with miscellaneous items like socks, swimsuits, and underwear. READ MORE: The 'aesthetic tray' airport trend you shouldn't be doing Recently luggage expert Athan Didaskalou, co-founder of July, told 9Travel that the most important thing you can do when packing is to keep some essentials in your carry-on luggage.
"Always carry at least a day's worth of clothes, essential toiletries, and medications in your carry-on, along with tech products and chargers," Athan shares. "Then you'll stress less if the airline loses your luggage (but fingers crossed that doesn't happen).".
