Lyn Taylor knows travel – after 18 years experience, she knows what it takes to have a great trip, and this is testified to by those who have traveled with her on our Adventure Travels around the world.

Here Lyn offers some great packing tips for women. Most of us know that usually we end up taking to much, and it definately affects our enjoyment of our travels, when we are lugging two great suitcases up a steep flight of stairs.
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In the past there have been many articles on travel and “what to pack” especially for women. Let’s face it, men only need to pack the bare essentials, even though compared to us their body weight can be between 5-10kgs more, and be approximately 11cm taller! Many of my clients say that working out what to wear on the flight stresses them out. As someone who hops on and off planes quite often, I have figured out exactly what my needs are.

Here are a few of my ‘go to’ essentials:

On the Plane

Be free of tight fitting clothes, loose fitting is the way to go
Have nothing tight around the waist
Opt for a loose fitting top so you can even go without a bra, with either a jacket or shawl to help cover the saggy look (Let’s face it girls, when you are on the plane no one is going to notice that you have saggy boobs, when you need to go to the bathroom, just grab the flight blanket or shawl, and place it over your shoulders!)
A pashmina or shawl can be just what you need to get an extra level of warmth and to dress up.
I also wear loose fitting trousers or a long skirt, and flat shoes. I always wear the same outfit on departure as arrival, as I know is the most comfortable outfit, and it saves packing another!

Hand Luggage

Bra and knickers
Warm socks to wear during the flight
Wet wipes!
Facial cleanser
Moisturising day/night cream, and spray mist to rehydrate my skin
Ear plugs and iPod
Eye mask
Empty water bottle (on boarding I ask the flight attendant to fill my bottle)
And don’t forget your toothpaste/brush – they’re perfect for feeling refreshed before you land
Medication

So now that we have the essentials for ‘in flight’ packing and comfort lets move on to the big stuff…

I still find that after 20 years of travel I have not quite got my luggage packing down to a fine art. I am a perfectionist when it comes to the actual ‘packing’ of the case. You know, make sure the underwear is separate from shoes, tightly roll all the clothes, de canter all fluids etc. Yet each trip I find my bag seems to be bulging at the zip! Where is the space for the gifts and personal indulgences? 🙂

Many of my client’s say that working out what to wear on a trip stresses them out, so they leave it to the last minute to pack, and then when they arrive at their destination they might realised they have packed outfits for summer when its winter! This would be a disaster for a woman, so on my last trip I decided to take the advice of a professional. The advice was that I needed a “what-to-pack checklist”.

Did you know that there is a free app called ‘Evernote’? It syncs to all of your devices and you can add/amend your list each trip until you have it to perfection. This saves all the worry of forgetting something.

Another great tip, (although it can be time consuming) is to lay out each outfit day/evening on the bed, including jewellery and shoes, then take a photo on your phone, this way you can refer to the photo when you are ready to go out! It can also save time and stress of rummaging through your suitcase not knowing what piece of clothing you are looking to wear

When packing your outfits, consider whether or not you need a jacket, cardigan, shawl AND coat!

All of these items together can be bulky. Work out what you need then work out what would work best with multiple outfits. Similarly, shoes are a nightmare and the heaviest to pack. So choose outfits that you can wear with the same couple of shoes, there is nothing worse than having a lovely outfit, and all you have are trekking boots or sandals that don’t match! Choose suitable jewelry that you can wear with several outfits, pack each piece in a zip lock bag and store together with your outfits.

Here are some more tips to save time (and precious room!)

Toiletries can be heavy, so decanter liquids such as shampoo/conditioner
Face creams usually come in a big tub so decanter these into small containers
Forget the makeup case, put your make up in zip lock bag (it saves on space, weight and protects your clothes from accidental spills)
Check out your accommodation by either checking on line or calling the hotel to ask if they have a hairdryer
Vitamins jars can take up space and you only require the amount needed for the time away, so count the vitamins required for the whole trip and place them in the same jar. Always pack your medication in your hand luggage, as you never know if your main luggage may go astray
Roll all of your clothes instead of folding, it alleviates the crushed look!
If you are going out the night you arrive at your destination pack those clothes on top including accessories.
When packing, separate your clothes into see through zip lock bags, take plenty of extras for dirty washing, wet costume or leaking liquids and creams.
It’s also a charming to pack a small scented candle so that when you arrive at your accommodation you can light the candle and take a nice hot bath, to calm your nerves and collect your thoughts after the big trip!

I hope these have helped you and sparked some ideas; I know they have saved me a lot of time and allowed more room for gifts to take home! The main thing is to feel comfortable and calm, so pack wise and pack well and you’ll have a wonderful trip.