Don’t want to spend unnecessary hours waiting around for your hold luggage to come round the carousel at the airport? Want to get straight onto the bus or train and get to your hotel? Learning to pack for a weekend break can save time, space and money – leaving you free to start enjoying yourself as soon as the undercarriage hits the ground.
Don’t take toiletries
Loads of hotels provide complimentary toothpaste, shampoo and shower gel – so why bother taking your own? If it’s over the magic millilitre level you’ll have to stow it in the hold, and if it’s under it just ends up occupying valuable space in your cabin luggage. If you don’t like the thought of relying on hotel toiletries, simply pop to the nearest store and buy what you need for the weekend when you arrive. The time you save at the airport is probably worth the extra expenditure.
Roll don’t fold
Fed up of arriving at your destination with all your party frocks irrevocably creased? Avoid spending an extra hour waiting for the hotel iron to heat up by carefully rolling your clothes and stowing them side by side at the bottom of your case. You can get more into the same space by avoiding folding, and most clothing will arrive pretty much crease free. If you have business shirts or special evening wear to content with, invest in a special shirt/dress transporter – a solid case that either fits into your cabin bag, or is taken as a second item of hand luggage.
Go low on shoes
You need two pairs of shoes maximum for a weekend break – one for the day and one for going out at night. Any more is just overkill. Pick your outfits before you go and you won’t have to deliberate in the hotel room either. Accessorise two evening outfits with the same shoes, and wear your day shoes on the plane. The problem of space for footwear is solved instantly!
Take a separate bag for vital items
Keep your passports, money and tickets in a small lockable bag that never leaves you (except of course when it goes through the scanner). No matter what happens to the rest of your luggage, if you have passports and the means to buy anything you lose or forget, you’ll be fine. A weekend break is too short a trip to spend trying to get back the bag that ended up on the wrong plane.
Avoid hold luggage
If you can manage it, try to pack everything in a sensible piece of cabin baggage. You’ll need one that just fits under the size limit, and you’ll have to watch its weight carefully too. You can buy portable luggage scales to prevent nasty surprises at check in, and most modern cabin baggage is cleverly compartmented to give you an easy way to organise everything you need for the weekend. Global Luggage can help you choose the case that works for you – whether it’s fun and funky or severely business oriented.
The Author is a professional travel writer, whose blogs appear on hundreds of high profile websites and home pages. His articles are routinely syndicated by mail servers and travel agency sites, and his own network of travel blogs now attracts more than three quarters of a million unique visitors on a daily basis.