I stopped packing for Instagram and started packing for the holiday I actually take; my tips to travel more compact

My suitcase finally reflects how I actually travel: comfortable outfits, versatile footwear, fewer gadgets and only the essentials I genuinely use. (canva.com)

For years, I packed for holidays that existed mostly in my imagination. A beach holiday meant three swimsuits because I might want to change. A five-day break somehow needed enough clothes for ten different versions of myself. Then there was the tech! Laptop, iPad, Kindle, phone, Meta sunglasses and enough charging accessories to make my suitcase feel like a portable office. The funny part is that I barely used half of it.

My biggest packing problem was never the suitcase. It was the amount of overthinking that happened before I even opened it. I would look at travel photos online, imagine all the places I might visit, plan my days down to the last detail and then pack for every possible version of that holiday.

So I have finally changed the way I approach packing. I plan the holiday first and the suitcase second. My rule now is simple. The number of travel days by 1.5 to get the total number of outfits I am willing to pack. It is not a scientific formula, but it works surprisingly well for me.

I was packing for Instagram, not for the holiday

Travel content has made packing more complicated than it needs to be. You see beautiful photographs of people changing outfits at breakfast, by the pool, at lunch, during sightseeing and again at dinner, and somewhere along the way it becomes easy to assume that your own holiday needs the same wardrobe.

I have done exactly that.

If I am going to a beach destination, my old instinct would be to pack several swimsuits, multiple cover-ups and enough options to create a new look every few hours. But I am actually much happier spending most of the day in one comfortable outfit. If I have dinner planned somewhere nice, I will change into something dressier. If I don’t, I really don’t see the point.

The same goes for activities. If I am spending the day at a resort, I do not need a separate outfit for breakfast, another for walking around the property and a third for sitting by the pool. One comfortable outfit can easily do all three.

So before I pack anything now, I look at what I am actually going to do.

If you are the sort of traveller who likes a carefully planned itinerary, use it to work out exactly what you need. If you prefer slow mornings and unplanned afternoons, your suitcase should reflect that too. There is no point packing five outfits for activities you may never get around to doing.

My 1.5 outfits per day rule has changed my wardrobe

This is probably the biggest change I have made.

For a five-day holiday, I will pack roughly seven or eight outfits. That does not mean seven or eight completely different looks. It means enough pieces to give me options while still allowing me to repeat things.

I have also stopped looking at clothes as individual outfits. Instead, I think about how many combinations I can create from the same pieces. A pair of trousers can work with several tops, shorts can be paired with a shirt during the day and a dressier top at night, and a comfortable dress can move from breakfast to sightseeing with a change of footwear.

The rule is simple. If I cannot see myself wearing something at least twice, I question why it is coming with me.

That has also made me much more comfortable with repeating clothes. Nobody is keeping track of how many times I wore the same pair of trousers on holiday. I would much rather carry fewer clothes that I genuinely like wearing than fill my suitcase with pieces chosen purely for variety.

I do carry a portable cloth steamer now, because repeating clothes is much easier when they look fresh. A fabric freshener also earns its place in my suitcase, particularly on longer trips.

And when I travel with my twins, packing cubes make the whole system considerably easier. I use different colours for different people, so everyone’s clothes stay together. It means I am not rummaging through multiple suitcases looking for one T-shirt, and packing everything back up at the end of a trip is far less chaotic and confusing.

For me, the value of packing cubes is not about cramming more into the suitcase. It is about knowing where everything is. That is also how travel organisers and packing experts commonly recommend using them. To separate categories, simplify access and keep the suitcase organised.

The three things I have stopped overpacking. Shoes, toiletries and tech

Shoes were another category where I used to lose all common sense.

I wanted a different pair for every kind of outfit, which sounds reasonable until you realise how much space shoes occupy. Now I usually stick to three categories, and I adjust them according to the trip.

• Sneakers: I wear these while travelling because they are usually the heaviest pair and they can work with almost everything.

• Flats: These are for long breakfasts, walks around the property and days when I want something a little more polished without sacrificing comfort.

• Heels or dressier shoes: Only if I have a dinner or occasion where I genuinely want them.

The important part is finding a sneaker that works with your wardrobe rather than treating it as purely functional footwear. A good-looking pair can work with trousers, shorts and dresses, which makes it far more useful than carrying several pairs for individual outfits.

Toiletries have gone through a similar edit. I used to transfer almost everything into tiny travel bottles. Now I only decant products where it makes sense, such as my face wash, and I have started using solid options such as shampoo bars and body wash bars.

If I am staying at a five-star hotel, I also ask myself what I really need to bring. I do not need to carry an extra shampoo, conditioner and body wash simply because they are part of my normal bathroom routine at home. I would rather take the few personal products I genuinely use, such as my hair serum.

Then there is my biggest work in progress. Tech.

My old travel tech list included my phone, laptop, iPad, Kindle and Meta sunglasses. In reality, my phone is the device I use most, my Kindle is useful while travelling, and the laptop is only necessary when I actually have work to do. So I have started making myself choose.

If I am carrying the laptop, I usually leave the iPad at home. If I only need occasional access to work, the iPad can do the job and the laptop stays behind. If I am carrying a physical book, the Kindle does not need to come too.

The Meta sunglasses are still a bit of a question mark for me. They need charging and connectivity; I find them heavier around my eyes and ears than I would like for long periods, and I am not particularly keen on wearing them at a beach or amusement park where I could easily lose or damage them.

The larger lesson is one I am still learning. One device that does the job is better than carrying three devices that might do the job.

My hand luggage has become much more intentional too

I have also realised that the suitcase is only one part of the packing equation. If I am travelling with my laptop, I prefer carrying it in a laptop suitcase. I then pack a smaller everyday bag inside it, which I can use once I reach my destination instead of carrying a larger laptop bag everywhere.

For the actual travel day, I usually have a sling bag with the basics, including sanitiser, a book and the small things I want within easy reach. For walking around a city, a small or medium backpack is generally all I need.

There are also a few things I rarely leave home without now.

• A thermal water bottle
• A travel coffee mug
• A passport case with my passport, cards and extra cash together
• A small everyday bag for use at the destination
• A sling bag for the travel day

None of these items is particularly exciting, but they make travelling easier because I know exactly where my essentials are. That passport case, in particular, has saved me from the familiar airport ritual of checking three different pockets for my passport and cards.

What I wish I had learnt about packing years ago

I wish I had understood earlier that you do not need everything to have a good holiday.

You need the essentials, clothes you are comfortable wearing and a realistic idea of what you are actually going to do.

If you want to travel like an influencer and create a different look for every photograph, then yes, you will probably need a more elaborate wardrobe plan. But if your priority is to enjoy the destination, be a tourist, eat well, walk around and spend time with the people you are travelling with, you probably need far less than you think.

You do not need thirty outfits for five days! You do not need ten pairs of shoes! You do not need every piece of tech you own! You need a few things that work to give you a simplified comfort.

For me, that now means planning the holiday first, keeping my total outfits to roughly 1.5 times the number of travel days, repeating clothes without guilt, choosing footwear that can work across several occasions and being far more selective about tech.

I still want to look good on holiday. I still want the occasional great photograph. I still like dressing up for dinner. I just do not want to carry a suitcase full of imaginary plans to get there.

My packing rule now is simple. Plan the holiday you are actually taking, not the one you keep seeing on Instagram.

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