2019-10-01 Wanderlust

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Labellove:Removeoldlabels

from your suitcase before you

ly. Fix one neatly-written tag to the

outside of your case, detailing your

name, contact number, destination

address and tour operator. Inside the

bag, put a printed copy of your itinerary.

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Time it right: Checking in early

will help ensure your bag travels

on the correct plane. If changing

lights, your chances of lost luggage

increase – especially if time is tight. 

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Take a photo: Before waving

goodbye to your checked-in bag,

take a photo – if it goes AWOL,

you’ll have a record of what it looks like.

Savvy travellers personalise bags with

colourful ribbons or straps. 

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Keep your luggage receipt:

When you check in your bag,

you’ll be handed a sticky label or paper

slip with its details. Keep this safe, and

take a photo of it too. If your bag gets

lost, this receipt is vital for its safe return. 

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Get social: Customer complaints

on Twitter can bring a lot of press

to the airline – and not the good kind. Fire

o… a tweet to the company, who will try to

resolve your issue privately. A nifty tool. 

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Have a back-up plan: Keep your

essentials (pillspaperwork

phone charger,

spare pants) in your

hand luggage – and

always ensure you h

adequate travel insu

166 wanderlust.co.ukOctober 2019

DISCOVER ADVICE

Dreamstime

How to

PACK

LIKE A PRO

Nomorelostluggage

DIDYOU

KNOW

Ifspaceisata

premium,socks

andundiescanbe

stu‰edintoyour

shoes.Decant

toiletriesintotiny

bottlesandpots.

Therightluggageislikeagreat

travelbuddy:dependable,

durable,andeasytogetalong

with – no matter how rocky the

road. But packing doesn’t always

go quite so smoothly...

Even a seasoned traveller can battle

with packing – but squeezing

everything into your case is only the

beginning. From leaking shampoo

to crumbled clothes, a poorly-

stu  ed bag has pitfalls aplenty.

Firstly, know your baggage

allowance if ­lying. The cost if you

bust the limit is usually incentive

enough to travel light, but regular

­lyers might want to invest in

luggage scales (Boots Digital

Scales, £15; boots.com).

Now, make a list: if you’re

travelling with a tour operator,

they often provide one. Include

clothes, medicines, toiletries and

gadgets – not forgetting chargers

• and put everything in one place.
  Remove all packaging from new
  purchases: you’ll save space, and
  you can recycle any plastic.
  Keep anything you’ll need quick
  access to when you reach your
  destination to one side (put these
  on top at the end), then tightly roll
  up soft clothing. These items go
  in the base of your bag, so pop
  them in like sardines until the

layer is even. Next, stack shoes on

one side – and on the other, lay

items that need to be folded.

A toiletry bag can nestle on the

clothes, and put undies over the

shoes. Gadgets and chargers can

go here too, in a waterproof bag.

Compression cubes are ideal for

dirty laundry (Eagle Creek Pack-It

Sac, from £13; eaglecreek.eu),

and a multi-way USB adaptor can

stream-line your chargers (Go

Travel Worldwide USB Charger,

from £24.99; johnlewis.com).

Add a TSA-approved luggage lock

and you’re ready to go!

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