10 Top Tips For Packing

Travelling light; two words which sound so simple in principle but often prove more challenging when the clock is ticking, the case is out and we start finally to focus on our beach holiday wardrobe.

As a fashion retailer in the travel sector, how and what to pack when going on holiday is a live discussion at Aspiga HQ.  

Going away is often stressful as the departure date gets nearer; we’re rushing to finish our to do list, be it at work or at home, and we’re often packing for not just ourselves but the whole family. Figuring out what to take on holiday is very often done at the last minute, when, in a minor panic and without much planning for what we’ll be doing once we’re away, we throw in last year’s summer outfits along with whatever we have recently bought and hope somewhere in the mix, it will all come together.

The Aspiga team comes from all over the world and between us we have some experience in travelling light and travelling smart. So what stays and what goes? Here are our top 10 tips for keeping your baggage (and baggage fees!) light:

1. Firstly bags matter! Investing in a lightweight case can save 4-5kgs off your baggage weight. Two wheel bags are better than four. Two-wheeled bags generally have more internal storage space than  four-wheelers, so you can take more with you. Expansion bags are great for making sure you have enough space to bring home anything you pick up on your travels.

2. Embrace the bulky! Wear your bulkiest articles of clothing—jackets, sweaters, boots—on the plane, to save space in your suitcase.

3. Plan ahead! Spend a few minutes one evening before you go, thinking about what you felt good in last year and if you can remember, what shoes went with which dress/skirt etc. Drawing up a list, however long or short, is a great way to start the process and can easily be edited once you start packing. If you’re only going for a few days, you could plan your outfits around a colour theme – an easy way of packing less but having enough outfits to wear.

4. Fold it or roll it? Rolling your clothes really does save space—especially when you put them into packing cubes. These also help to show you where you have over or under – packed. Compression sacks are great for squeezing bulky items such as sweatshirts into smaller volume inside your case but they won’t help to reduce the weight of your luggage.

5. Footwear: shoes eat space in all suitcases and the consensus here is that one pair of heels is generally enough.  Espadrilles are great for the smart casual option. Two pairs of flat sandals should suffice, especially if one pair can take you from day to night. Our Elite sandalsare inspired partly by this idea