Packing light when going on holiday

Only the most disciplined of us is good at packing light.

How do you fit everything in and remain under the weight limit for your airline?!

Packing light can make your trip go smoother and keeping under weight restrictions will save you money.

The general rule of laying out everything you want to take and then halving it is not very helpful. Here are a couple of hints to help ensure you have everything you need and stay within the allowed weight.

Check your bags

Make sure that you know how big your bags are allowed to be and what the weight allowance is well in advance of your trip.

This will avoid unpleasant surprises at the airport.

Write a checklist

Create a checklist before you pack to ensure you actually have everything you need but also don't double up on items.

For example if you are only travelling for a few days work out what you might wear on each day and be strict with yourself about taking too many of the same item. If you have to carry a lot of paperwork, make photocopies in a smaller format.

Take your manual razor instead of an electric one. Leave your electric tooth brush at home too. If you travel often it makes sense to have travel sizes (100ml) bottles of shampoo, conditioner etc.