After a busy period at work, there’s nothing more relaxing than a summer holiday: simply the thought that you have one coming up can sustain you through difficult times at work – or at home. Plans to see local landmarks, museums and galleries can carry you through periods of stress, and picking up sunscreen and shades can add some anticipatory pleasure to a boring weekly shop.

The one thing that can be a real challenge is packing. Fitting everything you need into a single suitcase – and keeping it inside the weight and size allowance you have available.

Today we’re here to help you pack for your summer break and ensure you’re not going to throw your back out carrying a heavy back through the airport!

The Essentials

The first things you need to add to your packing list are the things you simply cannot travel without: it’s surprising how much this eliminates: forgetting all of your clothes would be a disaster, but you could still get on the plane, train or ferry and find cheap replacements when you arrive. What you need to pack first, and above all else are the things that would prevent you from traveling, or present a risk if you forgot them.

Make sure you have your travel documents – your passport, tickets, and any visas or visa waivers you need. Even if your permission to travel is entirely digital and associated with your passport number, having the documentation to back it up can be helpful.

As well as that remember to pack any medication you need, whether you take it every day for an ongoing health condition, or it’s something you may have to take for a condition that strikes irregularly – like migraine tablets.

Clothes

Try to break down exactly what you’ll need for this break: if you’re lounging by the pool, you only need to include some t shirts and men’s or women’s sliders and every eventuality will be covered.

If you’re going to be walking a lot, dining out, and can’t guarantee the weather will be fine all day, every day, you might need to pack more extensively. Break down your trip day by day and pack exactly what you need: when you’re not packing for every eventuality, the weight of your bags drop dramatically.

Other Necessities

When the bare essentials are backed, you can start looking at over necessities to add: if you’re taking a break in the sun, then not bringing sunblock with you is an oversight and potentially a dangerous one. If your bag is feeling light then adding a guidebook will give you a resource for information that won’t run out of power or cause roaming charges.