12 handy tips for packing a suitcase (just in case you’ve forgotten how!)

First things first, make a list and take it away with you; this way you make sure you bring everything back.

• Choose travel-friendly fabrics or pack a travel iron or handheld clothes steamer. You can also hang your clothes in the bathroom at your destination and the steam will reduce the wrinkles when you shower.
• Roll your clothing instead of folding - it takes less space and means fewer wrinkles. 
• Use shower caps to cover soles of shoes to prevent them transferring any dirt.
• Take a laundry bag to store dirty clothes so they’re not getting mixed up with your clean ones.
• To save space and avoid spills, opt for a shampoo bar and a bar of soap rather than liquids.  
• Take a photo of everything you pack. This way if your luggage gets lost or stolen and you need to make an insurance claim, you will remember what you had.  
• Roll up socks and pack inside shoes to save on space and go digital with reading material to save even more space.
• Practise pulling along your suitcase to make sure you can manoeuvre it by yourself. And if it’s going to take a forklift truck to lift it, it’s too heavy!  
• Keep important medications in your hand luggage and in their original containers with your name printed on the packaging to confirm they are yours.
• If you’re travelling with your family, pack clothes across all suitcases rather than having one each; if one suitcase gets lost, as least everyone will have something to wear.  
• Tie a distinctive belt around your suitcase. It will add extra security and make it easy to find on the airport carousel. 
• Store digital copies of your passport, tickets and itinerary on your phone and keep the originals with you in your hand luggage.  

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