Today, I’d like to talk about packing for travel and give you some tips on how to pack the perfect suitcase.

First, the choice of luggage

Some people prefer bags, while others prefer soft or hard cases.

All have their advantages and disadvantages, but it all depends on the trip you’re taking, where you’re going and how long you’re staying.

• For an itinerant trip, trek or hike, the ideal solution is of course a backpack.
Advantages: easy to carry.
Disadvantages: impractical access to gear.

• For a self-tour or guided tour, a rigid or flexible wheeled suitcase is the most practical.
Advantages: everything within easy reach.
Disadvantages: heavy to carry if you can’t roll it.

For destinations where you’ll have to take different planes, wheels are recommended, as airports can be very long to get through!

Cabin baggage should be light and easy to handle, but above all, it should allow you to keep your essentials with you for a few days in case your hold baggage is lost or misplaced.

What should I pack in my suitcase?

That’s the first question to ask yourself. Do I really need 5 T-shirts for 15 days? Will my fleece from my last trip to Norway really come in handy in Costa Rica?

Not being a list freak, I had a hard time getting to grips with the packing list. But now it’s become indispensable!

As the trip approaches, I mentally prepare myself and tell myself to think about this and that, which I add to the list so that I don’t forget the essentials.

2 or 3 days before, check your dirty laundry basket if you don’t have any items you’d like to take with you.

ORGANISE AND SEPARATE

Having travelled extensively, flown frequently and spent time in transit at airports, here is a short, non-exhaustive list of essentials you shouldn’t forget. Organised pouches make it quick and easy to find each item if you have organised them by theme: toiletries, medicines, electronics, etc.

For cabin baggage:

• An inflatable neck pillow for long flights or airport layovers
• If you have trouble sleeping during the day, an eye mask
• Your bedside book
• A notebook and pen
• Wet wipes
• Your tablet or smartphone
• A small toothbrush and toothpaste
• Skin cream
• For trips outside Europe, a few dozen US dollars
• Paracetamol or ibuprofen
• Tampons or sanitary towels
• Clothes for 2 or 3 days in case your main luggage is lost

For checked baggage:

• Clothing suitable for the climate of your destination country
• Clothing in a maximum of two or three colours so that you can mix and match and avoid unnecessary baggage
• Ziploc-type plastic bags for liquids, wet items, toiletries, etc.

The toiletry bag

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Small bar of soap
• Shampoo
• Comb
• Moisturiser
• Basic make-up
• Tweezers
• Razor and shaving foam
• Cotton buds
• Make-up remover wipes
• Deodorant
• Perfume. Opt for solid perfumes or concretes rather than glass bottles.
• Tampons and sanitary towels
• Nail file

The first aid kit

• bandages
• painkillers
• anti-diarrhoea medication
• sun cream
• after-sun lotion
• single-dose eye drops
• short-term treatments + prescription if prescription medication is required

Accessories

• universal chargers
• mains adapters
• torchlights and/or headlamps
• Swiss Army knife
• batteries
• water bottle
• cotton scarf that can be used as a belt, scarf, windbreaker, sand protector, sunscreen, bag strap… in short, an essential item that can be used for everything.

Making the most of the space in your suitcase

Before throwing everything into your suitcase, check the list you made a few days earlier (see above).

Start with your cabin baggage and only pack the essentials. Keep it handy, as it will come in useful if you forget any last-minute accessories. As a precaution, put your passports and visas in it immediately. It is unlikely that you will forget your suitcase. Checked luggage must comply with maximum weight limits, so keep a bathroom scale handy and check the weight regularly as you pack.

Choose your clothes and optimise by selecting only two or three colours so that you can easily coordinate them and avoid having anything superfluous.

Then opt for the rolling method (thank you Brigitte for suggesting it to me), which I highly recommend as it has proven very effective in saving space and preventing clothes from creasing. I even found a demonstration video. First, gather all the items you want to take with you. If you’re unsure about a particular item of clothing, leave it behind – you won’t need it. Then start by rolling your T-shirts, shorts and shirts as tightly as possible after folding them in half and tucking the sleeves inside, and do the same with your jumpers. Once everything is rolled up, put your underwear and socks in each of your shoes, wrapped in plastic bags, and place them around the edges of your suitcase. Then take your trousers and put them at the bottom of the suitcase, leaving the legs sticking out on one side. Next, place your toiletries bag, also wrapped in a ziplock bag, in the middle, then fill the space around it with all your rolled-up small items of clothing. Once you’ve finished, fill in the gaps with your first aid kit, accessory bags and other items. Finally, fold the trouser legs over the top. Secure with straps. And you’re done!

The rolling method is really perfect. The key is to have the right size suitcase. In any case, I’ve become a fan, and my linen shirts and light trousers come out looking spotless, which saves me from having to deal with wrinkled clothes during my holidays.

I hope you find these tips useful. With that, have a great trip and see you soon in Costa Rica…

¡Pura Vida!