Saving you time and money is really important to us – which is why we’ve put together some packing tips for ski, sun and city holidays. From important essentials to items that will get your holiday off to a flying start – we hope these tips cut down your packing time and save you spending money on forgotten items abroad.

We also got chatting to some top travel bloggers, who kindly shared their packing tips for specific destinations. We hope you find them as useful as we did!

Spain

Sun cream and mozzie repellent. Both tend to be cheaper in the UK so if you can, stock up before you go. Also remember to pack your glad rags – you can walk around during the day in shorts and a t-shirt, but if you’re going out for a fancy meal along the seafront, it pays to dress up nicely!”

Jemma from Jemma Eat World
@JemmaEatWorld

India

Ladies – don’t shop for t-shirts and tops before you visit India. Wait until you are there and enjoy the shopping. You’ll find plenty of inexpensive, colourful and cool kurta tops that will help you blend in like a local. If you don’t think you’ll wear them back home, just give them away at the end of your trip to someone who needs them.”

Heather from Heather On Her Travels
@Heathercowper

Austria

“A GoPro video camera. Ok, so this isn’t necessarily going to save you time or money, but they are so much fun while skiing as you can capture crazy shots of jumps, ski lifts, slow runs, fast runs… With a few simple editing skills you can make some amazing videos to remember your skiing adventure. See mine here: http://shegetsaround.co.uk/skiing-in-austria/

“Also make sure to pack sweets, chocolates and snacks. Everyone knows eating on the slopes is expensive and Austria is no exception. Skiing is hungry work! Mars bars, nuts, sweets – fill that suitcase to keep you going all week.”

Jen from She Gets Around
@Jlowthrop

For the Beach

Baby powder. It might sound silly but sand gets stuck everywhere – baby powder helps it come off easier. It helps ensure you don’t track it all over your hotel room or worse, into bed! Ick!”

Katie Goldstein from Traveling Panties
@TravelPanties

Amsterdam

Pack a colour copy of your passport. Police often stop tourists and ask for identification. Since you don’t want to carry your passport around town while partying at night you can bring a driver’s licence and a copy of your passport as security.”

Katie Goldstein from Traveling Panties
@TravelPanties

Paris

Dental floss. It’s not always available and when it is, it’s over-priced.

“Ballet flats. Walking around Paris all day in heels is so fatiguing that even Parisians don’t do it! And a pair of repettos isn’t cheap.

“Aspirin and over the counter meds for stomach or throat problems are worth packing so you don’t have to decipher French on foreign pain relief packaging.”

Melissa Ladd from Prete-Moi Paris
@PreteMoiParis

If you’re planning for a night out in Paris, always go black. It can be hard to feel stylish when living out of a suitcase, but keep it basic with a Little Black Dress. It will help you blend in with the locals without taking up valuable packing space.”

Ashley & Carolyn from The Lazy Travelers
@lazytravelers

Vietnam

When heading to Vietnam, do not even think about checking in for your flight without an extra large lightweight scarf. It’s perfect for keeping you warm on buses or trains where the AC is blasting, as well as meeting dress requirements for temple hopping. It also doubles as a sarong should you head to the beach.”

Ashley & Carolyn from The Lazy Travelers
@lazytravelers

Malaysia

If you’re going to be travelling for a while and are worried about the contents of your backpack turning into an utter mess, use packing cubes! These will help you sort your clothes into shirts, pants, dresses, undergarments and any other miscellaneous items you may have. Plus it will make finding an outfit in the morning so much easier.”

Audrey Bergner from That Backpacker
@thatbackpacker

Indonesia

Pack a sarong. Indonesia is a primarily Muslim country, so modesty is greatly appreciated. Female travellers can use a sarong to cover their shoulders or wrap it around their waist to add a bit of length to their attire. This is especially important when visiting mosques. You can also use a sarong as a beach towel, blanket, impromptu laundry satchel, or whenever inspiration strikes!”

Dan & Casey from A Cruising Couple
@ACruisingCouple

Brazil

Don’t even bother bringing sun cream if it’s less than SPF 30. I learned this the hard way.

“For the girls – bring the teeniest weeniest bikini you can find. I thought I had a cute bikini for my trip but the Brazilians were just telling me how huge it was! Why? Because the bottoms covered my butt. They almost all wear thong bikinis!”

Colleen from Colleen Brynn Travels
@ColleenBrynn

New York

A swimming costume. For when you take a dip in a rooftop pool, like the one open all year-round on the top floor of the Meatpacking District’s Gansevoort Hotel.”

Isabel from Hostel Bookers
@Isabel_Clift

 

Thanks to all the bloggers who contributed their time and tips for this post.

Got your own travel tip? Help someone out – share it below.

Image credit: kthread via Flickr