Travel Checklist

With the long awaited summer holidays round the corner (yay!) it’s time to start thinking about the one task that many people hate…the dreaded packing. Many of us can spend days packing our bags and then end up bringing back a suitcase full of unworn stuff!

So do you want to know how you can avoid lugging all that extra weight around the world and having to pay an extortionate amount for your overweight baggage? The answer...just pack the bare necessities!

Our travel experts have compiled a list of the top holiday suitcase must-haves so you can have a great time without having to carry the whole house around with you.

• Feeling hot hot hot- by simply using a search engine to look at the weather in your holiday destination will give you an indication of what kind of clothes to pack. You can get up-to-date forecasts of the weather and temperature of where you are going. This allows you to avoid any nasty weather surprises. If its warm and sunny then its t-shirts all the way but if it’s cooler than perhaps pack a few jumpers.

• Go easy on the shoes- it goes without saying that shoes will way you down! Relax, you’re going on holiday, you don’t need a pair of shoes to match each outfit. About 3 pairs of shoes is plenty- a pair of flip flops, walking shoes and a nice pair for dressing up for your evening meals.

• Don’t throw the towel in- Towels become heavy and smelly once wet, which can weigh your bag down (and make everything else wet too!). Instead use the hotel ones which are normally free or buy a cheap towel when you get to your destination.

• Toiletries galore- carrying all that shampoo, soap, body lotion, sun block, hair spray, hair gel, shaving cream and everything else in between will definitely weigh you down. Try to cut down by just packing the essentials or better still buy mini versions of what you need. Most shops offer mini versions of virtually everything you will ever need, leaving your bag feeling much lighter.

• Say cheese- Pictures say a thousand words so don’t forget your camera or video camera. This way you can treasure and cherish your holiday memories forever as well as show them to everyone when you get back. Remember to take any charging devices, batteries, memory cards and travel adapters etc so you can keep clicking from start to end.

And for those who haven’t booked their next holiday yet, take a look at our latest holiday deals where you can find your perfect 2011 holiday.