Expert packing tips for stress-free travel

This is a small sampling of the many useful tips you can find in Starts at 60’s FREE Great Outdoors eGuide. Download your copy here.

To help take the stress out of packing, we teamed up with the folks at Travel at 60 — our dedicated travel agency for baby boomers — to share their tried and tested tips.

“The secret is packing some ‘one-way clothes’,” says Wendy Harch, CEO of Travel at 60.

“Although this tip requires an explanation, most people think it’s a great concept!

“The idea is to do a wardrobe clean-up just before you go on a holiday and then wear clothes that were destined for the second-hand store on your outbound flight, as pyjamas or underclothes in the first few days that you’re away.

“You can then leave the dirty clothes behind as you go, making room in your suitcase for things like shopping. And when you return home, your wardrobe is ready for any new things you purchased while you were away! This also works incredibly well as layering of underclothes when heading to cooler destinations.”

We asked the well-travelled team at Travel at 60 for the other tips they swear by:

Having spent many years working in airlines, Lysanda reminds us to “wear the heaviest item on the plane if you’re worried about excess baggage to reduce check-in luggage weight”.

Brianna recommends planning your outfits on the bed prior to packing. “This will ensure you have items that readily mix and match and prevent overpacking.”

Theresa gets ready well in advance. “Save up samples of beauty products to use when you’re travelling. They take up less room and you’ll feel like you’re treating yourself with good products while you’re on holiday.”

The age-old debate of roll versus fold is ignited by Lysanda, with her tip to “roll up shirts and stuff them in small areas. If you roll your clothes, ideally by type, less space is used and there is no need for ironing at the other end.”

The inside of Jenny’s suitcase must look pretty neat as she recommends “individual little bags to separate undies, shirts, trousers etc to make it easy to find things and keep clean separate from dirty”.

There’s nothing worse than arriving at your destination to find a shampoo bottle has leaked in your bag. Theresa gives us a practical tip to “enclose bottles that might leak into zip lock bags and stuff them into your shoes”.

Looking for more advice? Join our Travel at 60 Facebook group — a thriving community of nearly 100,000 Aussie travel lovers — for daily tips and inspiration!