How to Pack
10 uncommon tips
“You do not travel if you are afraid of the unknown, you travel for the unknown, that reveals you to yourself.”
— Ella Maillart
I lived full time out of a suitcase for, oh, decades. That suitcase was often a cabin case because (a) I hate waiting around at airports, (b) I like to move fast, and (c) I don’t like losing stuff. Here are some things that have really helped me:
A little strip of white tack (or blue tack). This is a soft sticky putty popularly used to hang up posters on college dorm walls without damaging surfaces. I use it to cover all the tiny (yet shockingly bright) LED lights that come at me in dark rooms – TV on standby, AC, chargers. It’s quick and easy to cover at night and remove in the morning; it won’t damage anything; and it helps make a room completely dark (essential for a good night’s sleep). I also use it to cover my laptop’s camera when I’m not a video call. Packs tiny, weighs nothing – just put it somewhere where you can find it easily and keep it in a tiny ziplock or folded in a piece of paper.
When I remove my jewellery/watch at night, I store everything in my purse, and never on the bedside table or in the bathroom. That way, if I forget to put them back on, they’re still with me.
I purchase roaming data before I leave. How many times have I landed somewhere, expecting to find free airport WiFi but it doesn’t work (I’m looking at you, London Gatwick; and while I’m at it: Istanbul Airport, change your preposterous requirements – queues, passport scanning – to get access to free WiFi!). Now that I don’t travel as much, I get data for each country by using eSIMs from an app called Airalo. I choose the country, the duration (3, 7, 30 days), and the amount of data I need. It’s slightly tricky to do it the first time, though the instructions are simple. You don’t get a local number, only data, which works for me.
More hotels, trains and airports now offer USB-C ports as well as the older (bulkier) USB-A ports for charging electronics. For planes that don’t offer both, I carry a USB-C to USB-A adaptor.
A crossbody bag is best for keeping passport, wallet, phone, train tickets, etc within easy reach and safely visible without a lot of rummaging (I hate rummaging). London, for example, needs tapping on both ends of a train/underground journey and you don’t want to be the person who’s fumbling at the gates, looking for the ticket.
Packing cubes make sense if you’re moving a lot or travelling for a long time. I don’t bother for short trips now, but I adored them when I spent years on the road. They have a compression effect so you can squeeze more in (I loved the magic-trick-effect of pulling out 10 tops from a teeny cube to the amazement of friends). I used colour-coded – red for underthings, blue for tops, black for electronics, etc. If you’re the kind of person who likes things organised then packing cubes are your friend. If you’re the kind of person that doesn’t mind upending a whole suitcase looking for a missing sock then by all means throw everything in with abandon.
Flying west is easier – the day simply becomes extra long; I sleep early and wake up early and it all feels perfectly manageable. Flying east for me is hell. My body clock goes nuts and I find myself awake at 2am and bleary-eyed during the day. I plan accordingly – never an important meeting within 48 hours of arriving.
Muji makes the best hanging toiletries bag; I’ve been using the same one for at least 14 years. It’s compact but unless you have an 11-step skincare routine, it should hold everything you need, and it has a hook to hang from a hook or rail. I put makeup in the top mesh pocket; hair accessories, solid perfume and tweezers go in the small zip; tooth care, deodorant, face cream in the main pocket; while Q-tips (or a more environmentally friendly muslin cloth to clean ears and tidy up makeup that can be thrown in the wash) in the front mesh, away from other things. A back pocket (that I only discovered was there six years ago) holds a shower cap and hairband. On the Camino, where I didn’t carry makeup, I used an ultralight hanging bag from Osprey.
When my suitcase was my home, I got into using dry versions of everything because water was an unnecessary (and spillable) weight I didn’t want to carry:
Solid perfume. I like Diptyque’s perfumes that come in a refillable solid case, but there are recipes online for converting your favourite liquid to a solid.
Solid shampoo and conditioner. I tried so many, including from Lush who were the first ones to popularise this. It was really tricky finding one that worked for me. The best one I found was from L’occitane. Now I do the decanting thing and carry my favourite (liquid) versions in travel containers, but I’d take a solid shampoo for the next Camino.
To this day, despite now living full-time in Italy, I still prefer to use tooth powder (I’ve found a decent local one, but my favourite is an American one, in anise). Tooth powder tablets (recently discovered) are good for long travel days when you feel gnarly – pop one or two in your mouth, chew, then rinse out, no brush needed.
My liquids bag is taken up with: waterproof ink (double ziplocked) for my fountain pen, eye drops, makeup remover and Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse (recommended before – good for face, body and hair, smells lovely; I carry the 50ml for travel).
Clothes: now that I’m not moving all the time, I don’t have to calculate what I have to get rid of if I want to buy something new – the decadence. Here’s my basic formula for one week in warm weather: 2 (max 3) bottoms, 6 tops, 1 layer for rain/plane. Yes, that’s it. One of each of which I’m already wearing. Plus underthings. Sandals (I wear the walking shoes onto the plane).
Bonus: red lipstick brightens up a jet lagged face.
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
— Henry Miller
Recommendations
novel
My darling friend Anne sent this to me a few days ago and I read it in 48 hours, including on the plane: Still Life by Sarah Winman. Going between Florence and London, over several decades, a motley crew create a family and set up a new home and a new life in a new country (as Anne and I have both done several times over!). With sharply observed characters who easily come to life, and glorious, elegant insights about art. Perfect travel reading. Thank you, Anne!
film
After decades of marriage, a couple – played by Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston – are finally going on their honeymoon to Europe. After an invitation to a glamorous yacht and an untimely death, our amateur sleuths are on the run. Murder Mystery is a fun, silly and enjoyable comedy caper on Netflix.
graphic novels
I was devastated to hear about Marjane Satrapi’s untimely death (from “sadness” she’d noted beforehand, having lost her husband a year ago). Her graphic novels – Persepolis, Chicken With Plums, Embroideries – and her curation of Women Life Freedom are all worthy of revisiting.