12 Mar 9 Awesome Tips for Packing a Suitcase

Packing your suitcase before a holiday is definitely up there with buying travel insurance, in terms of tediousness (hey, at least we’re honest!). There seems to be something inside all of us that just can’t resist the urge to overpack. So in this blog post we’re going to share some tips on how to best pack a suitcase.

Before we delve into today’s post, read up on our advice on airline baggage rules if you’re unsure on these. Or explore the rest of our Sherpa Diary posts, which are full of useful travel tips and destination guides.

1. Roll up your clothes instead of folding them

Rolling up your clothes has become one of those classic life hacks for organising your things. But you should apply the same principle to your packing your suitcase. Rolled clothes take up less space than folded clothes and are easier to arrange. It also makes living out of your suitcase much easier, as you can see everything at a glance.

This is also a great method for protecting items like hairdryers, strengtheners and portable speakers, as you can place them within your clothes when you fold them.

2. Vacuum pack your clothes

If you’re really struggling for space, buy some vacuum compression bags, put your clothes in them, then squeeze the air out and place them in your suitcase.

Some travellers take this method to an extreme level, by placing each day’s outfit that they plan to wear into a separate compression bag. Then each day they can just unzip their chosen outfit. Although we feel this could be taking things a little too far.

3. Borrow some binder clips from the office

That’s right; we’re talking about those small black clips with sliver handles that lock it into place. If you work in an office, you’ve probably got half a dozen of them gathering dust in your desk drawer.

They serve plenty of uses when packing and travelling. You can use them to protect the heads of razor blades, to hold together rolled up headphones and charger cables, or to keep jewellery and accessories together.

4. Borrow some binder clips from the office

Are you fed up with crushing your shirt collars in your suitcase? Well kill two birds with one stone with this travel hack. Roll your belts into your shirt collars, that way you’ll stop them from getting creased, as well as finding a useful home for your belts.

5. Use a hotel shower cap to cover your shoes

If you can’t find a plastic bag to cover your shoes before packing them in your suitcase, use a hotel shower cap. The elasticated edge makes them perfect for this.

6. Put in some potpourri to keep clothes fresh

If you’re on a long trip, stop your clothes from turning musty with this tip. Put a bag of potpourri or scented drawer liners in amongst your clothes for a fresh scent.

7. Stop makeup from cracking with cotton wool

You can easily prevent makeup such as eye shadow from cracking during the journey. Simply place a cotton wool pad between the makeup and the lid, to create a snug fit.

8. Make your bottles leak proof with cling film

Prevent your shampoo or shower gel from leaking all over your other toiletries with this simple travel hack. Unscrew the lids, place a piece of cling film over the top, and then reattach the lids. Easy!

9. Protect jewellery with cling film

Stop necklaces, earrings or bracelets from getting tangled with this other cling film related travel hack. Lay out your jewellery on some cling film, and then roll it up tight. You can then place it in a suitcase pocket, safe in the knowledge it won’t tangled.

Buy travel insurance for your luggage and yourself 

If you’ve got a holiday planned, then don’t forget the importance of travel insurance. All Coverontrip travel insurance policies come with comprehensive cover for lost or stolen baggage and money.

All our policies also provide cover for medical emergencies, cancellation, cutting short your trip personal liability, plus lots more. Our prices start from just £2.53 for 3 days of European cover for a 25 year old. Get a quote today from Coverontrip and see how much you could save.

So by using these suitcase packing tips and buying the right travel insurance, you can ensure your holiday starts off as smoothly as possible. Happy travelling!