Ever find yourself packing the night before a trip wishing you had spent less time on your fake tan and more time on your packing strategy – herein called pack-strat – well no fear our globetrotting friend – we are here to help you for your next trip with our tried and tested methods to ensure maximum wardrobe-flex and minimum stress #pinkypromise.

Some travellers can happily jam two weeks’ worth of gear into their bags for a long weekend whilst others pack a bit too lightly and forget all important things like passports or sunglasses but seasoned and savvy travelers strike the perfect balance and bring just what they need – with a little help from our list of road-tested packing tips, of course!

When packing your clothes, you don’t want to neatly fold them individually – here are a few alternatives:

Rolling Clothes: Backpackers absolutely swear by this method. Rolling works well with skirts, trousers, shirts and jumpers and well I guess pretty much anything. Simply lay the item face down, fold back sleeves where applicable and then roll from the bottom up. Voila! clothes are wrinkle free and suitcase ship shape!

Folding Clothes Together: Take two or more garments, for example trousers, and lay half of one pair on top of the other. Fold the one on the bottom over the pair on the top. Then take the other and fold it on the top. This gives each pair some cushion where you’ve folded it so it’s less likely to crease or wrinkle in the folds.

Tissue Paper: For delicate items like going out dresses, try adding some tissue paper in the mix. Lay the item face down and place tissue paper on top. Fold it up with the tissue paper inside. Use additional layers of paper as you fold the garment so it is completely wrapped in and around paper. This is easy enough the first time you pack, but becomes a pain if you have to keep repacking for example on a multi sit break. We only use this approach for evening clothes that we don’t want to crush.

You may not pack liquid or gel substances in your carry-on unless they are in individual containers of 100 ml less and enclosed in one clear, plastic, zip-top bag per passenger.

Any larger containers of liquids and gels must be packed in your checked in luggage.

Baggage

Be aware of restrictions on the size and number of bags you may bring onto your flight. Many airlines now charge a fee for every checked bag or have lowered the maximum permitted weight limits for checked luggage.

Never overpack your bag. Screeners will have a difficult time closing your luggage if selected for inspection, which will only lead to wrinkles and the potential for lost articles.

Place any packed belongings you don’t feel comfortable with security handling in clear plastic bags.

Do not stack books and other documents on top of each other; instead, spread them out throughout your bag.

C’est voila! Strat Pack complete!

Now pass the margarita.