Packing for a trip, and what people forget

Why bags get heavy

Things packed 'just in case' end up filling half the bag. That case rarely arrives, and when it does, the item is usually available locally. One rule simplifies it: if it is easy and cheap to buy there, leave it behind.

Three days of clothes is enough

Even for a week, three or four days of clothing works. Do one wash midway; without a machine, underwear and socks hand-wash easily. Keeping colours coordinated multiplies the combinations and cuts the count. Wearing your bulkiest layer on the plane lightens the bag noticeably.

• More tops than bottoms; two pairs of trousers is plenty
• Stick to colours that work together
• Wear the bulky items in transit
• A laundry bag and a little detergent make washing easy

The things you really cannot forget

Clothes can be bought there; these cannot easily. Chargers and plug adapters, your regular medication, a copy of your passport. Prescription medicine in particular is hard to match abroad, and an English-language prescription makes customs conversations simpler.

What goes in the cabin

Anything whose loss would end the trip goes with you. Passport, cards and cash, medication, electronics, one change of underwear. Checked bags arriving a day late is not rare, so whatever you need on day one must be in the cabin. Liquids in the cabin are limited to 100ml per container.

Leave room for the way back

Keep space for souvenirs and whatever you buy there. A full bag on the way out means excess baggage fees on the way home. Packing one foldable bag is an easy fix.