How to Pack for a Holiday Without Taking Half the House With You

There is a very particular moment in holiday packing when a perfectly sensible collection of clothes, shoes and toiletries somehow becomes enough luggage to relocate permanently.

You started with good intentions.

A few outfits. Something nice for dinner. Comfortable shoes. The essentials.

Then you remembered you might need a cardigan.

And another pair of shoes.

And something in case it rains.

And perhaps that dress you've owned for three years and never actually worn, but which could finally become the dress you wear while wandering through a little Mediterranean village.

Before you know it, you're sitting on the suitcase trying to persuade the zip that everything is absolutely fine.

So, before we resort to paying for another suitcase, here are a few ways to make holiday packing considerably easier.

Start with outfits, not individual clothes

One of the easiest ways to overpack is to choose clothes individually.

You like that top, so in it goes. Then another. And another.

Instead, think about what you're actually going to wear together.

A pair of trousers that works with three different tops earns its place in the suitcase far more readily than something that only works with one very specific outfit.

Lay everything out before you pack it and look for pieces that can be mixed and matched.

And yes, you are allowed one wildly impractical holiday outfit simply because you love it. We're packing efficiently, not removing all joy from the proceedings.

Shoes are suitcase thieves

Shoes occupy an outrageous amount of space for something that spends most of its life on the floor.

Try to travel in your bulkiest pair and pack the smallest or lightest options.

The space inside shoes can also be useful for socks and other small items — preferably tucked inside a clean bag first, unless you're feeling particularly adventurous.

Give everything a home

This might be the biggest difference between a suitcase that stays reasonably organised and one that resembles an archaeological dig by day three.

Packing cubes are brilliant for clothing, but smaller items benefit from having their own dedicated place too.

Chargers in one pouch. Jewellery somewhere safe. Underwear together.

And toiletries?

Definitely contained.

Toiletries deserve their own little suitcase

There are few things more irritating than arriving somewhere, opening your suitcase and discovering that your shampoo has decided to moisturise your entire holiday wardrobe.

Even when nothing actually leaks, loose toiletries have an extraordinary ability to migrate.

You put your moisturiser beside your shampoo. Somehow, six hours later, the moisturiser is underneath a shoe, the toothpaste has vanished completely and your hairbrush appears to have moved into a trouser leg.

This is where a hanging toiletry organiser becomes one of those deceptively simple travel things that makes an enormous difference.

Rather than having bottles and tubes scattered throughout your luggage, everything can travel together in separate compartments.

Then, when you arrive, instead of unpacking it all onto a tiny hotel bathroom shelf, you simply open the organiser and hang it up.

Your toiletries stay visible, accessible and — importantly — contained.

It's particularly useful in small bathrooms, caravans, cruise cabins and anywhere else where counter space seems to have been considered an unnecessary luxury.

Our LoveLouMae hanging travel organisers were chosen with exactly this sort of practicality in mind: plenty of compartments, separate storage areas and a built-in hook, wrapped up in prints that are considerably more cheerful than the standard black travel bag.

Because practical doesn't have to mean boring.

Keep liquids together

Even inside an organiser, anything capable of leaking deserves a little extra attention.

Check bottle lids before packing and avoid filling containers right to the top.

If you're particularly worried about something leaking, pop it inside a small reusable waterproof pouch before putting it into your toiletry organiser.

It takes seconds and could save your favourite white dress from an unexpected encounter with shower gel.

Leave some room

This may be the hardest packing advice of all.

Don't fill the suitcase completely.

Not because you're suddenly going to become an astonishingly disciplined traveller.

Because you're probably going to buy something.

Maybe it's a little piece of pottery from a market, something beautiful for the house, a book from a tiny bookshop or a completely unnecessary object that seemed irresistible after two glasses of something cold in the sunshine.

Holiday treasures need somewhere to come home.

Pack a tiny first-night kit

There's one final trick worth trying.

Put together the handful of things you're likely to want immediately when you arrive: toothbrush, cleanser, medication, charger, sleepwear and perhaps a fresh outfit.

Keep them somewhere easy to reach.

Then, if you arrive late, tired and wondering why travelling somehow involves spending twelve hours sitting down yet leaves you completely exhausted, you don't have to unpack your entire suitcase.

Everything you need is right there.

And then... go enjoy yourself

Perfect packing isn't really the goal.

The goal is getting to wherever you're going without taking your entire bathroom cabinet with you — and being able to find the things you did bring when you need them.

A little organisation before you leave means less rummaging, fewer leaking bottles and more time doing the things holidays are actually for.

Exploring. Resting. Eating wonderful things. Reading somewhere beautiful.

And occasionally buying something you absolutely do not have room for in your suitcase.

Which is precisely why we told you to leave that little bit of space. 🌿