How to Pack Clothes for Your Next Holiday!

With Corona currently ruining our holiday plans it can be hard to picture when you'll next have to be packing for your travels - however this is the perfect time to start getting organised when it comes to packing! I'm sure that everytime you are about to pack for the airport (usually at 2am the morning before you leave) you have to Google 'essentials to pack for your holiday' just incase you're forgetting something that is a life or death level of importance... well at least I know I do that.

But sometimes in the stress of forgetting life's most important things, we forget to think about all the other stuff - one of those being clothes! Depending on who you are - they could be the most important part of your holiday, or quite frankly the least. So, coming from the perspective of a fashion student, I want to give you a few tips on how to pack perfectly for your next break that I have learnt over many years of packing horribly and then regretting it the entire trip.

We all probably know that the number one thing you should do is to make a list - it's quite self-explanatory (for this reason I wont add this into the tips section). If you have one list that you use for each holiday - then you won't ever have to panic the night before again. If you make a spreadsheet on Excel and keep it on all your main forms of technology then you'll never loose it and it can be easily updated and copied in order to make it holiday specific!

I think addressing over-packing is a good starting point - as it is definitely the number one crime we are all guilty of doing. You do NOT need 14 pairs of underwear for a 5 day trip... you just don't. I know that every single one of you reading this has taken too many pairs of underwear compared to the days in their trip, and you don't need to.

We often over-pack because we think 'but what if I decide I don't like the outfit when I put it on and then I'm stuck in it'. In order to aviod this happening I urge you to try on all of your outfits before you leave so you get a good idea of everything you will be wearing. I know it will take way more time, but it's worth it! If it saves you the £40 charge for your luggage being overweight, I think you can spare an hour or so to try on your outfits before you pack them.

Now for some tips. Take 1 pair of interchangable neutral bottoms for every 2/3 days of your trip. You do not need a new pair of trousers every day of the week - as long as the pieces you bring are varied and can be mix'n'matched with the tops and accessories you bring then you are sorted!

The same goes for only bringing 1 pair - what happens if you spill some ice cream on your skirt and you then have to go around wearing it for the rest of the trip - not cool. If you are going on a 7 day break - bring 7 tops and 3 bottoms. Also a bonus for this - if you don't like one particular outfit on a certain day, you don't have to wear it - because all of your items are interchangable you can do whatever suits you.

If you're going somewhere cold - the key is layers. Now some people might find this questionable but you do not have to wash your jumper if you wear a t-shirt underneath it! Which means you do not have to pack 7 bulky jumpers, you only have to pack maybe 2 bulky jumpers and 7 small t-shirts to layer underneath.

This will also help with keeping warm as the layer right next to your skin will trap in the heat. Also, keep coats to a minimum. Find 1 coat that you absolutely love and wear it everyday, seriously no one is going to judge you, I wore one coat almost the entirety of winter last year (and I do fashion).

Style any new pieces you've bought before you pack them. One big mistake you can make is when you buy a new dress or shirt for your holiday and you don't try it on before you pack it. You should always try it on and style it to make it fit your personal preferences, otherwise when you get to your holiday and go to put it on, it may not live up to your expectations or not fit at all and therefore you'll be short on clothes! I know I have done this before and been completely dissapointed - so make sure to check before you leave that you are happy with your purchases.

Bring tote bags instead of normal bags - my favourite way to save space. Tote bags are amazing for travelling, you can still bring multiple so you don't have to wear the same bag everyday however they can be squished down into any spaces you have left in your luggage. When bringing a handbag or satchel, if they aren't big enough to use as your hand luggage they are just so awkward to try and fit and they really are not worth the effort! So switch to totes, and if they get ruined or sandy then it doesn't even matter because you can just chuck them in the wash when you get home!

My final tip is to always always bring a change of clothes in your hand luggage. This also means including swimming stuff if you're going on a beach holiday! The absolute worst thing to have happen on your holiday is arriving and your suitcase never getting there and then on top of that you DON'T have a change of clothing and something to wear the next day while you desperately wait for your airline to contact you. So leave some room for extra stuff that will save you stressing if this were to happen - trust me I've seen it happen to family members and it does not look fun at all. So always be prepared for everything and you'll be okay.

Thank you for reading my little list of tips and I hope you can take even one thing away from it and learn how to pack smarter! <3