“WE WRAP THESE THINGS UP WITHOUT EVER NEEDING THEM”

The same thing every year: summer vacation is just around the corner and the suitcase has to be packed. For many of you, the whole thing looks like that 30 outfits, 5 pairs of shoes and half a bathroom cabinet go into your suitcase – 25 kg for a week is not uncommon.

But wait! If you are honest , you always take too much with you and sometimes utensils end up in your suitcase that you don’t need on site. This is over now, because I’ll tell you what you can and should leave at home with a clear conscience!

Medication for any incident

Healthy people don’t really need a lot of medication on vacation. Then why do you often pack 100 ibuprofen, 50 Imodium acute, sore throat tablets, wound and burn ointment and Voltaren pain gel? If you are not traveling somewhere in Africa to the smallest hamlet in the country, let me tell you that there are pharmacies almost everywhere where you can buy anything in an emergency. So only take with you what you really need. Tip: My first-  aid kit checklist helps you pack only the most necessary and sensible medication.

Hair dryer, straightening iron & curling iron

Most hotel rooms now have a hairdryer in the bathroom. If not, you can always ask at reception. There are always hairdryers to borrow there .

Guru tip:

There is a practical checklist for vacation in my travel magazine . So you always pack the most important things and don’t forget anything!

Even better: in the warm summer air, the hair dries very quickly by itself and this method is guaranteed to be much healthier than the hot air with a blow dryer. Even if it’s just a small travel blow dryer … it’s best to leave it at home and save the extra weight for nice souvenirs and clothes! The same usually applies to straighteners and curling irons, because the nice thing about vacation is that you can just relax without worrying about your hair all day.

Outfits for every weather and every occasion

We all kind of know this point, don’t we? We can’t make up our minds about clothing and just pack up all the T-shirts, tops, pants and dresses that we have somehow stashed in our closets. When we are on vacation, we notice that half of the clothes would have been enough and that we packed way too much again.

So my tip : Put your favorite outfits when packing your suitcase and pack just this and two or three other tops in your suitcase! Three to four complete outfits are usually enough for a week, because most of the time we are on the beach in bikini, swim shorts and short dresses anyway.

Who needs two jeans, a leather jacket, three belts and and and? You should also limit the selection of swimwear to two to three bikinis or bathing trunks. After all, these are easy to wash, let dry and put on again.

Too many shoes

Flip flops, sandals, high heels, wedges, hiking shoes, running shoes and the whole thing in two versions, really no vacationer needs! After all, you go on vacation and do not emigrate. A pair of flip flops for the pool and the beach, a pair of thin sandals and a pair of closed shoes, such as sneakers, are enough to be prepared for all eventualities and excursions. In an “emergency” you can buy beautiful new sandals at your holiday destination. So you have a souvenir that reminds you of your vacation.

Care and cosmetic products

Limit yourself to the most important things like suits, custom beach towels, necessary clothing, cameras etc etc and do not take your entire range of care products and make-up with you on vacation! In the classic holiday destinations for summer holidays, it is usually much too warm anyway for heavy make-up and oily creams that are washed off when bathing anyway.

It is important that you have a good sunscreen, a nourishing after-sun body lotion and a strengthening conditioner for damaged hair with you in order to optimally care for your body after (sun) bathing. Shampoos and soaps are usually even available in the hotel. Tip : Buy care products that you don’t need in large quantities in travel sizes or repack them in small containers so that you don’t have to lug around the large bottles and jars.

Krimskrams & Technik

Several handbags, hats and sunglasses, way too much jewelry, three books, five magazines, tablet, laptop, headphones, MP3 player, camera, charging cable, power bank – all of this flies around in our suitcase for many of us.

 It is so much better to travel light 

Make your life easier and either leave some things at home or do it smarter. Instead of magazines and thick books, a thin Kindle goes in the luggage and the smartphone replaces cameras, MP3 players and tablets. After all, you don’t need every technical gadget on vacation! 😉 A charging cable can usually be used to charge several devices and if you are honest, sunglasses with a matching handbag are sufficient! In this case, less is more!

I hope I was able to assist you with packing for your next trip with words and deeds. Or have you already developed your own strategy? What do you really have to take with you on every holiday, and what can you safely stay at home? I look forward to your ideas!