So it’s time to head off on holiday at last. You’ve been cooped up at home or work for what seems like forever and finally you can get away. Now comes the daunting part. What to Pack? What bags do we have? How do I pack?

This post will cover off on all of those points. I should however make some disclaimers right up front. I am a man. I’m comfortable with that. But it means that I pack like a man. Practical, straight forward, and what works. If you’re wondering whats the best way to pack bras so that they retain their shape. I can’t help you. I’m 54 years old and I still think they’re a bugger to get off. Other people that is. I’ve never tried to get them off myself.

I am also a fashion blind spot. Wherever fashion is looking at the moment, is likely to be 180 degrees different to my view. So if you’re hoping for tips to keep wrinkles out your latest designer clothes, then you’re out of luck. My clothes come from K Mart, Target and Big W.

Principles Of Packing

There are 2 basic principles of packing. Firstly, take all the stuff you need. Secondly, take absolutely nothing you don’t need. Now that might sound obvious, but the key word there was need. Far too many people take things that they think could come in handy. Leave it at home. The nice to have stuff that you may or may not use would be better being purchased at your destination.

I am however going to add a couple of pieces that go against this advice. Prescription glasses. If your main set get lost or broken, then you’re going to need that spare set. Unless you are on a really long holiday in one location, you won’t be able to get a new set. This could seriously affect your holiday, and if you need them for driving, your safety.

The second item is a small first aid kit. I use a small tupperware style container and put a few favourites in. I normally add some Fixomul or similar for blisters, some bandaids and some over the counter medications that we are familiar with. Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Mylanta etc.

Now we could probably get similar items at our destination, but if we don’t know the brand, or can’t read the label, it can leave you in a dicey situation. A couple of years ago our son was feeling unwell on holiday in Bali and went to get some painkillers. He got some alright. He was in a daze for ages after that as the medication was so much stronger than he expected.

How Long Are You Going For?

The short answer here is. It doesn’t matter. Generally speaking you pack the same way regardless of whether you’re going for 3 days or 3 months. The only possible consideration here is whether you will be staying through different seasons. Bathers and shorts for summer, long woolen clothes for winter. That can add a few bits to the packing list. For the most part I try to pack light and plan to do laundry every few days.

There are few things to rival the misery that comes from trying to lug an overweight set of bags through an unfamiliar country, and not knowing how much further you have to go. For that reason we try to keep our luggage weight below 10kg (22lbs) total, and quite often it comes in closer to 8kg(17lbs).

This sort of weight makes it much easier to get on or off public transport. It also helps if you’re using a car with other travelers and have to get all the bags in. At least at this weight you can carry it on your lap for a short trip. And then of course there’s London. I can’t remember ever going there and having all of the escalators working. If you have to carry your bags up those you’ll know all about it. They are so deep I half expect to meet Satan on his daily commute.

What To Carry It All In

You have several different choices when it comes to luggage and it really depends on what kind of holiday you are planning, and what the destination is. For example wheeled luggage is great when you are being transported directly to your hotel from the airport, however if you have to walk any distance over cobblestones or dusty tracks then you will rethink this option. Lets have a look at some of the options available.

Suitcase

These were the old favourite, and they served their purpose well. In this category I am basically looking at a hard shell case with or without wheels. A lot of people favor these because they give good protection for their belongings. To a certain extent that’s true. However, for most people the contents of their bag is clothes, rather than family heirloom crystal.

To be fair we did try to bring back a lovely little plaster street scene from the Greek islands in a backpack. It made it through about 6 airports and docks unscathed. The 7th however, turned it to powder. Maybe it would have fared better in a hard shell case.

The downsides to these cases is the hard shell. They can be difficult to pack into the trunk or a car if you’re on a family holiday. They’re just not pliable enough to pack in well. In a hotel, they can be difficult to slide under a bed, or into a cupboard to save some room.

Roller Bag

These are duffel bags with a collapsible handle and a pair of wheels. I like these as they are reasonably robust, just a bit more pliable than suitcases to get into a car. When at the hotel, if you put your clothes into the cupboard, the bag will fold down enough to slide under the bed.

My wife and I use these types of bags when we’re going on SCUBA diving holidays. They can handle the extra weight that we throw at them for these trips, and still pack in well with other bags.

Backpack

This is our luggage of choice for the bigger European holidays. My wife and I have used Black Wolf 65 litre bags for about the last 10 years. Our kids have them as well now. Having the bag on your back, encourages you to pack light. The scenario I mentioned about the escalators in London has happened to us numerous times. It is so much easier to have the pack on your back and both hands are free to grab the handrail.

These packs are a bit of a hybrid. The old backpacks used to load from a small hole in the top, and whatever was at the bottom, stayed there. These new generation packs are more like a soft suitcase with backpack straps. As an added bonus the straps can be zipped away to make it look more like a standard bag. Zipped onto the front is a small day pack of about 12 litres. Just enough for day trips in a city.

These bags pack down well when empty, and I know that I have been able to fit 8 of them into all of the hire cars we’ve had for our holidays.

How To Pack It In

There are several schools of thought on this and to be honest, all of them have some validity. The first consideration is fold or roll. Folding is the method that was used for years as a standard. To be honest, I still use this method if I am heading for a long stay at a single location. This would work for example on a cruise ship, where you can just unpack and put your things away.

The second method is to roll your clothes. You can either roll them individually or make a larger bundle by laying the clothes on top of each other and rolling them together. Many people claim that this reduces wrinkles as there are no sharp folded edges to hold a crease.

Compression Bags

Then we have to decide how to pack it away. We used to just fold or roll our clothes then put them into the bag. Now there are a couple of new options. We have used compression bags for years. These are like a bag that a sleeping bag comes in, but with straps down the sides. Once your clothes are in you pull down the straps to compress the load down. This is quite good for getting all of your clothes into a small bag.

Vacuum Bags

A similar approach is to use vacuum bags. You put your clothes into the clear bag and seal it up. Then squeeze the bag down, generally by sitting on it, and the trapped air gets removed through a one way valve. These are quite handy and can be used over and over.

Packing Cubes

The new kid on the block is packing cubes. These small, lightweight and often mesh bags, are designed to separate your various bits of clothing and keep you more organized. I have started using these for flying to and from work and they work well. You don’t get the space saving benefits, but you don’t have to wrestle a bag to get your favourite shirt. I find these better for longer stays.

What Type Of Clothes

The first rule here is clothes that are easy care. If you pick up an item of clothing and it needs ironing, donate it to charity. Even if you’re not going on holiday. You don’t need that in your life. You want clothes that you can just pull out of a bag and wear. The second point is that everything should be mix and match. Some folks limit themselves to one or two colors only. I’m not that fussy, but all of my pants will work with all of my tops. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not due to be gracing any catwalks in the near future.

The Packing List

Clothing

4 x Pants/dress                     1 x Light Raincoat

4 x Shirts/tops                      1 x Hat

1 x Jumper                            1 x Good Walking Shoes     

5 x Underwear                      1 x Reef Sandals

3 x Bras                                1 x Belt

5 x Socks

1 x Sleepwear

1 x Bathers

Toiletries

Toothbrush                     Sunscreen

Toothpaste                      Shaving Supplies

Soap                               Towel

Deodorant                       Make Up Kit

Shampoo                        First Aid Kit

Conditioner                     Medications

Brush                              Feminine Products

Nail Clippers                   Glasses/ Spare Glasses

Extras

Passport                               Hard Drive/Memory Cards

Identification                         Plug Adapter

Itinerary/Tickets                    Knife

Wallet/Cash/Cards                Spork

Travel Insurance Card           Water Bottle       

List of Medications               Bottle Opener

Mobile Phone/Charger          Ear Plugs

Camera/Charger                   International Drivers Licence

Tablet/Charger

Now this list is my standard for a 6-7 week holiday to Europe and there are a few points worth mentioning about it. It includes the clothes that I will wear to the airport. That means that I only pack 3 tops and 3 pants. I will be wearing the jumper as well, because Perth is in Winter when we head to Europe for some sun.

For a lot of people these days, mobile phone, camera and tablet are all one device. Personally I take all 3, which means I need somewhere to put all the charger cables. For this I use a small soft pencil case. It’s also a handy place to store extra memory cards.

Travel Insurance card should be kept in your wallet or purse. Additionally, make sure someone at home has a copy of it as well. If you can’t afford travel insurance, don’t travel. Medical expenses can be crippling and you shouldn’t plan on Go Fund Me as a travel insurance alternative.

Toiletries

Toiletries used to be easy. Just throw in what you need and away you go. Now there are limits in place, depending on where you’re flying to and they have to be in a clear plastic bag if they’re in your hand luggage. I just keep it simple and drop them into my hand luggage. Further to this I can’t give you any clear rules on this matter, but you should check the regulations governing the countries you’re moving between, as well as airline policy on their website.

What About My Passport?

Your passport is the most important document that you will be carrying so you need to have it with you at all times. While in transit it has it’s own zip up document case. This also stores hire car agreements, travel insurance, flight details etc. When I get to the airport I have a small pouch that can hang around my neck with the passport. It is handy because I keep a pen in there as well as boarding passes. As well as that it leaves my hands free for carrying our bags.

How Should I Take Money Overseas?

There are a few ways to access your money overseas, and I find that a mix of a couple of styles works well for me. Cash will get you out of trouble in most cases. Everyone likes cash. In fact, in the Greek islands they’re not particularly fond of anything but cash. You will find your self spending a bit of time at the ATM. Plastic money definitely works as well. Whether that is via the card associated with your back, or one of the various cashcards that you can load different currencies onto.

Travelers cheques have largely gone out the window in the same way as personal cheques. My preferred method is take the first 5 days spending money out in local cash for when I arrive. I then look to use a credit card for half of the transactions and cash for the other half. This means that the cash lasts for 10 days, and it gives me great flexibility.

How can I pack medications to take overseas?

These days it is fairly easy to have your medications sorted to take the worry out traveling and forgetting some. Certainly in Australia, most pharmacies provide a service where they will package your daily medications into blister sheets. They will be marked for the day and whether they are morning or afternoon. It is then just a simple matter cracking open the right one for the right day.

They charge a nominal fee and a lot of folks get their prescriptions sorted like this even if they aren’t going on holiday. If you have a fair few different medications it is worthwhile getting a letter from your doctor. The letter will give a brief outline of your medical history, as well as the medications your are currently prescribed.

Should you lose your medications somehow, the local doctor will be able to better assess you and provide a prescription so that you can get replacements at the local pharmacy. We had this exact situation a few years ago, when my fathers hand luggage didn’t make it onto the boat we were on in the Greek islands. It really saved us to have that letter.

So that’s about it. All that’s left now is for you to pick a destination. If it helps I have done a couple of articles about different Disney Parks. The Paris Disney you can check here. Disneyland is here, and Disneyworld is here. Hopefully this post was helpful to you and you picked up a few bits you hadn’t thought of.

Cheers and happy travels