With the exciting prospect of a well-needed vacation, comes the tedious task of packing. It causes more stress than is needed and most of us don’t usually enjoy it. So we’ve prepared a handy guide with helpful packing techniques to ease the burden.

We are not suggesting that this is the right way to pack your bag - all the suggestions and advice provided in this article are just general guidelines to help make your next trip easier so feel free to make adjustments to your own packing as you see fit.

 

Selecting The Right Bag:

Choosing the right bag for your trip is essential to making your trip as comfortable and hassle free as possible. Firstly, consider the type and length of your trip. Are you travelling internationally? How long will you be away for? What kind of bag are you most comfortable holding? A handbag? A wheelie suitcase? Or do you prefer backpacks? Now you are able to judge exactly what is essential to take on the trip and what is the best way to transport it.

Alongside this, you should also check your baggage allowance. Every airline varies in terms of the weight allowances for each bag as well as the type of bag you’re allowed to bring. Some airlines may allow both checked and hand luggage for your flight and other may allow a hand luggage to board your flight and any checked luggage comes at an extra cost. Some airlines will only allow hand luggage big enough to fit under your seat, so always double check what allowances your flight has given you.

If you’re only allowed hand luggage, research which type of bags fit the allowance stipulated by the airline but also give you the benefit of space. If you suspect that you will need an extra bag or two for your trip, generally it’s cheaper to pay for extra baggage online instead of at the airport.

 

How To Arrange Your Clothes:

Generally there are two popular techniques to packing clothes - folding and rolling. The popular rolling-folding debate by travellers is that that rolling your clothes can actually save you more space than folding. Truthfully, rolling doesn’t really make much of a difference, however, it can be beneficial in other ways.

Rolling clothes can definitely help you physically see the contents of your bag, as opposed to folding them and having to go through each stacked item individually on top another. Rolling is also useful to reduce creasing, if you want to cut down on time getting ready for when you’re going out, whereas you’re guaranteed creases if you choose to fold.

Not all items are, however, are suitable for rolling. It’s best to fold clothes that are made from natural materials like cotton, linen, and wool. Cotton and linen crease and wrinkle very easily so they benefit from being folded. Knitted items are usually chunkier and are likely to take up more space if you attempt to roll them.

Organise the contents of your bag using packing cubes, to help separate each of your clothes from one another. Assign a packing cube for just your hijabs, another for your hijab accessories like under caps, magnets and scrunchies, another for maxi dress and another for abayas. It’s handy to keep your things together and you likely won’t lose your belongings on your holiday for that reason.

What Should I Bring:

When deciding what clothes to bring, it's best to plan out your outfits day by day. If you’ve already planned your holiday itinerary, this makes the process easier because you’ve already set out what you’re doing each day and night and so you can pick an outfit accordingly. If not, you will still have a good idea of how much you’ll be moving around and what activities you’re likely to take part in. Below is a brief packing list for our modest dressers alongside some suggestions. All the suggestions are based on a vacation lasting for 7-10 days.

• Hijabs - The hijabs you bring will be dependent on the outfits you choose for each day and night. If you’re travelling somewhere hot, consider packing a lightweight, breathable material like Chiffon Silk and pack the opposite, like Premium Jersey, for cooler climates. If you’re really tight on space in your luggage, it’s always a good idea to pick around 2 neutral coloured hijabs that are guaranteed to match every outfit you bring.

• Under Caps - Bring enough under caps for the length of your trip. Under caps should be cleaned and changed frequently, however, chances are you won’t have time to hand wash your items and doing laundry at hotels usually comes at an extra price.

• Hijab Magnets - Pack your usual pair and always pack an extra in a separate pouch in the case you lose them. It might also be worth packing an extra box of pins, in case you want to try out new styles or perhaps you need to pin your clothes for extra coverage.

• Printed Maxi Dresses - Pack a mixture of printed maxi dresses that are suitable for both day and evening wear. It’s likely that you will get the most wear out of your maxi dresses on holiday

• Plain Abayas - In comparison to maxi dresses its likely you won’t be packing too many abayas on your trip, unless you’re someone who wears them regularly. Make sure to choose lighter colours and looser fits for your abayas and stay away from anything that may cause the material to absorb heat whilst you’re out and about.

• Plain Jumpsuits - A jumpsuit will certainly give variety to the outfits you’re bringing and can probably be saved for a special occasion whilst you’re away.

• Swimwear - Generally you will only need one swimsuit for your trip but make sure to note down all the pieces of your modest swimwear on your list so that you don’t accidentally leave a piece behind. You may want to include your swimwear top, leggings and hijab as part of your packing list.

• Midi Tops - For more casual dressing and trips between airports and hotels, midis are an efficient option if you’re travelling around a lot during your trip. Pack a selection of midis, as they are likely to get dirty and collect dust due to all the travelling.

• Trousers - Make sure to pack matching trousers to be worn with your midis and do similarly to midis where you pack extra if you know that you will be travelling around frequently on your trip.

 

 

 

By: Shayma Abdirizak