How I Pack for any Trip — My honest guide to packing efficiently
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I hate giving my clothes a free holiday, so if you come home with half your clothes unworn, this post is for you!
Whether you're heading away for a long weekend or a two- month adventure, packing light and efficiently is a skill.
And after 20 years as a full-time travel writer, I've learned some tricks — and I've stocked my Travel Store with the exact products I use, so you don't have to hunt them down.
Here's how I actually pack.
First Things First: Choose the Right Suitcase Size
This is where packing light either succeeds or fails before you've even started. The bigger your bag, the more you'll fill it.
I take a medium size suitcase whether I'm travelling for one week or one month. I also take a cabin size (matching!) suitcase if I'm heading long haul.
I've handpicked luggage across all sizes so you can choose the right one for your trip:
- Cabin/carry-on — ideal for trips for a couple of days if you pack smart. Meets Air New Zealand and most international airline size restrictions. Check out options like the top-opening and expandable Montreal range, London luggage by Verage or the Berlin by Voyager.
- Medium (around 67cm) — my sweet spot for most trips. Big enough to pack for two weeks, light enough to actually lift. I prefer top-opening hard-shell luggage as it takes up less room when open, and use the Montreal Medium. Delsey Securitime is the top of the range and a great choice, as is the Discovery Patrol at a more moderate price.
- Large — reserved for long-haul family trips, winter travel with bulky layers and shoes, or cruise packing (more on that here).
And yes, I'm a fan of hard-shell luggage — it stacks beautifully, protects your gear, and in the butterfly-style opening ranges, you can see at a glance which side has your shoes vs your clothes. But a quality soft-shell has expandable capacity which can be very handy too.
Browse the full luggage collection here.
The Game-Changer: Packing Cells
Discovering packing cells was an absolute revelation. My clothes now fit into my bag like a jigsaw puzzle — and when I arrive at the hotel I simply slide the cells into the drawer and I'm completely unpacked in about 60 seconds.
Here's how I divide them up:
- One cell for underwear and socks
- One for tops
- One for singlets
- One for pants and skirts
- One for a cardigan or light jacket
The Freedom Compression Packing Cells – set of 4 are my pick. The compression feature means you can zip them tight and squeeze more in, and the mesh top means you can see exactly what's inside without rifling through everything.
Eight reasons I'm obsessed with packing cells:
- Sort clothes by category (underwear, pants, tops) or by outfit for specific days
- See through the mesh at a glance — no more suitcase chaos
- Unpack at your hotel in under a minute by transferring cells straight to drawers
- Repack and be ready to go in under five minutes
- Use one cell for any items that might need to be declared at Customs
- Easily remove one cell at check-in if your bag is overweight
- Nothing rolls around loose in your bag
- Repacking for multi-destination trips is a breeze
Roll, Don't Fold (or, do both!)
My husband is a roller and I'm a folder. Annoyingly, he gets more into his bag than I do — so I've become a semi-roller.
Here's my method:
- Roll anything cotton: leggings, singlets, t-shirts, tops
- Fold anything bulky, dresses, linen shirts
- Squeeze socks into shoes to save space and help shoes keep their shape
- Stuff smalls into a sunhat so it holds its structure and doesn't waste space
Wear It, Don't Pack It
If I'm flying to chilly Europe via warm Asia in the middle of an Auckland winter, I wear my bulkiest items on the plane — boots and jacket every time. These are usually the most awkward things to fit in a bag and they don't count toward your carry-on weight when you're wearing them.
Toiletries: The Make-or-Break Moment
Toiletries are where most people go wrong. Big bottles take up enormous space and if they're over 100ml, they can't go in your hand luggage on international flights.
My solution: refillable silicone bottles and pouches.
I designed these shampoo and lotion bottles for the Travel Store from just $3. I decant my shampoo and conditioner into them and specifically designed the pouch-style over plastic bottles because when they're empty, they lie completely flat — unlike a bottle which takes up the same space empty as it does full. Squirt as much in as you're going to need from your products at home, and come home with them nice and flat.
Remember: anything under 100ml can travel in your hand luggage on an international flight. The pouches are perfect for this.
I also keep any hotel amenities I don't use for the next trip — nothing goes to waste.
Ditch the Makeup Wipes
A reusable makeup remover cloth is one of the best swaps you can make for travel. It takes up almost no space, saves you packing a whole pack of wipes, and is so much kinder to the environment.
I designed this large-sized Bare Face Cloth, which comes with a small waterproof bag, (or buy separately). One cloth can be used up to 1500 times — just rinse and dry overnight, and throw them into the wash about every three days. (I take a couple with me when I travel).
Wash on the Road
For any trip longer than a couple of weeks, you will do laundry. It's just a fact. I always pack a a few dissolvable laundry sheets so I can wash my smalls every couple of days. If I'm staying somewhere for two nights or more, I'll wash, roll the garments tightly in a towel to wring them out, then hang them on coat hangers with the air conditioning on. Dry by morning, every time.
A twisty travel clothesline is one of those small things that makes this so much easier — it hooks between any two points without needing hooks or nails. Find it in the Travel Store accessories.
The Final Edit:
I lay all my potential items out on the bed, and before I pack them, I ask yourself honestly: will I wear this? Every item that comes home unworn is a failure of the edit. Then I be ruthless. That extra skirt can stay home.
And if you know you're going to shop (of course you are), leave room — or pack that spare tote bag flat at the bottom.
A Quick Summary: My Packing Kit
Here's what I travel with, all available from the Travel Store:
| Product | Why I Love It |
|---|---|
| Freedom Compression Packing Cells – 4 pack | Keeps everything organised and compressed |
| Shampoo & lotion pouches | Go flat when empty, TSA-friendly |
| Bare Face Cloth | Replaces a whole pack of makeup wipes |
| Digital Luggage Scale | No surprises at the check-in counter |
| Shoe Bags | Keep clothes clean from dirty soles |
| Compression Travel Socks | Essential for long-haul flights |
| Twisty Clothesline | Drying smalls anywhere, no hooks needed |
Free shipping across New Zealand on orders over $120. Shop the full Travel Store here →
And if packing still feels like a nightmare, grab my free printable packing list — print it out and tick as you go.