This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
However next week I am flying with only cabin luggage. This is a challenge for me. Firstly all beauty products have to be 100ml. Boots are good as they have all the basic toiletries in 100ml bottles, or smaller, e.g toothpaste, deodorant etc (click here). However I like to take my favourite shampoo so I need to decant it into a small bottle and Muji have produced a perfect range with flip-top, pump or spray bottles (click here) which are absolutely perfect for the job.
Don’t forget that it all needs to be in a plastic bag for the security checks as you depart and so I put it in the bag inside a see-through wash bag. Me+Em have a great 3-set bag, which they call their Airport Filing Set, for £59. The largest one is perfect to hold the plastic bag of liquid products so that when you get to the security check you can just whip out the plastic bag for inspection.
Now to clothes – the best idea is to choose two colours plus white or cream so that everything mixes and matches. Navy, red and white is a good tri-colour choice however you are bound to want to take that favourite pink top. So I start with my very favourite summer items that I only ever wear on holiday or resortwear, as my friend calls these clothes – she labels her bag with these clothes and stores them away and she brings them out a week before packing. Good tip: try everything on before you pack it in case it no longer fits you.
No point in taking any linen as it is going to come out of my bag looking like a dishrag and I won’t be getting the iron out. Some I’m taking stuff that is loose and travels well. At the moment I cannot imagine what 28 degrees is in temperature but I need to keep reminding myself as much as I love my white stretchy trousers they may be too clingy. A simple pull on t shirt dress is so useful as it can be a day dress or, with my sparkly sandals (pictured below) could work in the evening.
Now shoes is an issue – we may be going for a walk so we need a pair of trainers. Then we also need a pair of sandals or flip flops. Luckily Grace and I are not ‘heel-girls’ so won’t be taking any of these and we won’t be out in the local nightclubs so nothing glam is needed. So can I limit myself to two pairs of shoes – trainers and sandals – or will a third pair slip in? One of my daughters advised me to wear lots of layers to travel in so you have the extra clothes that you cannot fit in your cabin luggage but that is not going to work with shoes! I have my eye on a pair of FitFlops which will give me a bit of height, are extremely comfortable and can be worn day or evening.
Two swimming costumes? Always nice to change into a dry costume but maybe I could ditch one – so one has gone into the Maybe Pile.
Sunglasses that are bi-focal so I only need to take one pair of glasses. Though it will mean reading in bed with my sunglasses on but that is fine as it means one less pair to lose.
Finally a hat. I always take my Heidi Klein visor as it unclips and I can lay it flat on the top of my case – at least I have one practical item to pack! Heidi Klein are not stocking my one this year but there is a similar one at Asos.
So let’s see how I get on with my packing and whether it works when I get the other end. Or will I take too much but leave that one item behind that would have been so useful!
NEED MORE PRE-HOLIDAY TIPS?
Never mind the packing, don’t forget this to do list – click here
BackPacking Granny is a seasoned traveller, see her packing tips here
