Signs that you’re a bad packer on your holidays and how to avoid them

Do you find yourself paying excess baggage charges more often than not on your travels? Do you come back from a trip and find that there are a host of folded clothes that you never wore? You might love to pack, but you get so engrossed in the entire task that you don’t know when you cross to the other side and become an over-packer and packs their entire home into their bag. If you’re someone who just doesn’t know how to keep things light, we’ve got just what you need to take the burden off your shoulders. 

But before we get there, we delve into the telling signs that indicate you are a bad packer and tips to get rid of them. 

You hardly use the things you pack

There's no sense in packing a sweater and a couple of layers for a place that's blazing hot. Or shorts at a place where you'll feel the chills. Why should you carry toiletries and towels when you're going to be staying in a luxurious hotel that'll take care of everything. Or a travel pillow for your flight when you've got a business or first-class ticket. There's no point in carrying a compression bag as while the condensed clothes will lead to you fitting more, the weight of your bag won't decrease (leaving you with more clothes that you won't wear). You don't need to compress stuff, what you need to do is pack less.

Some people choose to do their laundry while on their travels instead of carrying more clothes. That's all good, but there's no need to go overboard. What we mean to say here is that your laundry supplies shouldn't take up the space that all the clothes you could have bought if you weren't doing the laundry. Furthermore, the joke's on you if you end up spending more money on laundry then just getting your clothes cleaned by the hotel. 

Instead of packing backup outfits, do the smart thing and wear outfits with neutral shades that you can pair with bottoms. An important travel hack that many follow is a capsule wardrobe that allows one to create more outfits out of fewer pieces and avoid overpacking during vacation. Packing coordinating colour schemes allow you to mix and match different pieces that go well together. For example, you can wear blue jeans with a green shirt on one day and a yellow shirt with another. If your holiday is for a week, three pairs of pants and four shirts are perfect. Also, pack more tops than bottoms because a top offers more variety. 

Coming to footwear, i​​​​Instead of packing too many shoes, consider what shoes you have that can be worn with multiple outfits. A sandal that looks good when you’re dressed up as well as when to opt to go casual is great or a pair of shoes that you can wear with a pair of denims or with a dress. It’ll save you loads of space. 

Something that people often forget is that there’s a good chance that they’ll pick up stuff from their travels. You won’t be able to fit all those things you shopped for if you’re packing more than you should. Along with thinking about what you need to take for your trip, think about the extra things that you’re going to bring back from where you’re going. 

You’re a last-minute packer

People procrastinate about a lot of things, packing included. Things that are time-consuming and challenging are always kept low on the priority chart. When the time to pack arrives, you end up panicking and stockpiling everything and anything that you can get your hands on. A way to avoid this situation is by keeping things simple and planning your packing. Do not wait right until the night or the morning of your trip to start packing.

Putting the clothes on your bed will give you an idea of what looks good while designating an outfit for each event will give your packing more structure and organisation. Take pictures of them so that you know exactly what’s to be worn on which day and what time when you’re holidaying. 

Lead image credits: Pexels

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