Nfter a decade in the editorial office of Reiseblatt and countless business trips, I still haven’t learned to not let the airport stress me out, to avoid queues and to show up at exactly the right time. In one discipline, however, I have achieved some mastery, namely packing my suitcase correctly. I usually only start the day before. If I start too soon, I forget what’s already in there and what’s not. A packing list goes against my honor.
For people who only go on a big trip once a year or have something really special in mind – canoeing in the Amazon, caving expeditions in Vietnam – an equipment list is of course useful. The rest can relax: almost everything that is really essential to life can be bought somewhere at the holiday destination. If something is really irreplaceable and difficult to obtain, be it contact lenses or the charger for the camera battery, it is best to pack that first. Then you mentally go through the pile again and breathe a sigh of relief: The rest is freestyle.
Bag, bag, bag
If something is left behind, it is often because you still need it in the morning and at three o’clock in the morning on the way to your holiday plane you can no longer see it. I therefore have a toiletry bag with the most important toiletries: a second nail file, spare toothbrush, comb, tweezers, a couple of headache tablets and a tube of cream are always there and never leave the bag. A certain amount of basic care is also guaranteed when I’m standing next to me in the morning. If you don’t have a direct flight and the connection is tight, the basic equipment can also be carried in your hand luggage – if your suitcase doesn’t arrive, you don’t have to neglect the toilet at your destination.
What goes in the hand luggage? Definitely a charging cable. Plus everything you need on the go: book, headphones, tablet, a small (!) tube of cream. I have already put everything I need on the plane in a separate linen bag, so hand luggage can be quickly stowed above the seat and you don’t have to rummage around forever. Anyone who rummages in the cabin stops everyone and is annoying.
You only packed the essentials in the suitcase!
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Bild: Kai Felmy
Speaking of bags: Organizing your suitcase with simple bags has a number of advantages. One for the underwear. One for the swimsuit, one for the batteries and cables. The shoes are housed in several bags: individually packed and stowed on the edge of the suitcase, they take up very little space and don’t get dirty. After each unit – are these really all your bathing suits? Slippers, swimming goggles, bikini? – you can mentally consider a chapter as closed and mentally check it off. There is also an extra bag for dirty laundry.
Better a cardigan than a blazer
It is up to you which clothes you prefer. However, it does not have to be an evening dress in the suitcase; if the occasion should become more sophisticated, a simple dress can be spiced up with a necklace or something else glittering, so that one is not out of place at the captain’s dinner on the luxury ship. A fine evening bag, a chic scarf and a piece of jewelery are therefore part of the basic equipment for women. Otherwise, I’d rather cardigans than blazers, rather than high heels a pair of strappy sandals, gentlemen go everywhere in muted colored sports shoes anyway, and linen creases elegantly and ventilates well. If it creases too much: hang in the shower and briefly turn on the hot water, the steam does wonders. The rest should be as combinable as possible, single-colored pieces are better than wildly patterned ones, and several layers replace the sweater. A foldable rain jacket fits in the smallest pocket. I roll up dresses and skirts in my suitcase, starting at the top of the collar, because rolling is better than folding.
You shouldn’t pack too much on the way there, otherwise there won’t be any more souvenirs in your suitcase. Fragile things like the usual bottle of olive oil travel well padded on all sides between shoes and clothing on the way back. In general, you shouldn’t worry too much about bottles: I haven’t broken a single one on countless trips so far. However, from three bottles of whiskey (trip to Scotland) the suitcase could scratch the weight limit and cause additional costs, but then you can drink them. And now: relax and don’t let it drive you crazy.