Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Holiday happy – packing tips for your family vacation!
With many families making the most of September travel deals and the last few weeks of the school holidays, new research into packing habits has revealed Brits are officially a nation of over-packers, costing over half a billion pounds* in excess baggage charges.
Shockingly, 83% don’t even use the items they’ve paid extra for whilst on holiday and could save money by packing more efficiently.
When it comes to the top five items which families pack and never use, The study, conducted by discount voucher website MyVoucherCodes finds that the top five is as follows – surprisingly board and card games come third!
- Toiletries - 36%
- Books - 27%
- Board/card games - 21%
- After sun - 20%
- Shoes/trainers - 18%
To help you get the most out of your holiday and avoid any extra fees we have put together some top tips for packing perfection:
- Write a quick list before packing – according to our survey, over 80% admit they pack too many items to use on holiday. A simple way around this, to save money on excess baggage charges and to make sure you don’t forget anything essential, is to write a good old-fashioned list.
- Roll your clothes tightly – spending your holiday with a suitcase full of creased clothes won’t do any favours for the inevitable Instagram uploads. To look your freshly-ironed best and also save space, you’re better off tightly rolling your clothes rather than folding them.
- Pack a canvas bag – a trusty canvas bag may not be your first thought when considering travel hacks, yet they make for excellent spare hand luggage capable of carrying shopping, beachwear or even dirty laundry – ideal for discretion when the cleaner comes around.
- Do a “Joey” and wear your bulky items – even if you check the forecast in advance, we feel better packing a jumper or waterproof coat in case the weather turns. The trouble is bulky items like that take up way too much room. Instead, embody everyone’s favourite Friend (don’t tell Phoebe) and wear as much as you can on the plane.
- Wrap your toiletries in cling film – you may think attacking your toiletries with cling film is a waste of valuable packing time, but consider how long it takes to clean clothes covered in erupted shampoo, face wash and sun cream. It may smell amazing, but you’ll be left having to spend money replacing items you need – not ideal for relaxing!
- Leave no space un-filled – this classic tip usually involves stuffing your shoes with socks to make the most of that empty space. However, we’ll go a step further and tell you to also stuff your socks with fragile items like glass perfume bottles. The result? A Russian doll of packing efficiency.