The summer holidays are here and it’s the perfect time to travel! Whilst some of us will be flying abroad for a sunny beach holiday others will be packing up the car, attaching extra luggage to the roof bars and searching for history. Whether you’re about to venture out to the best road trip of your life or packing your suitcase to jet off to the other side of the world we could all use some guidance with packing – there’s nothing worse than arriving at your destination and opening your luggage to find that you’ve forgotten something or that dress you needed to wear on the first night is creased beyond repair.

Put shoes inside plastic bags, or if you forget at home then use shower caps, you never want the dirt from your shoes to make its way onto your clothes and separating them will stop that from happening, and the great thing is that if there is any dirt on the shoes that dislodges in transit it will be kept inside the bag you’ve put them in. The smell from inside your shoes can also transfer to your clothes if you don’t take this necessary precaution.

Top tip: Packing dryer sheets in your luggage keeps your clothes smelling fresh and like they’ve just come straight out of the wash!

“Roll don’t fold” is a rule to live by, not only does it stop your clothes from creasing but it also makes the whole packing fiasco go much quicker, it maximises the space available in your suitcase or bag, the only item you need to reserve for folding are silks and the more delicate fabrics.

Top tip: If your clothes do get creased on your journey hanging them up inside a bathroom whilst taking a shower helps those wrinkles to just fall out in the heat!

If you’re anything like most of us when going on holiday you probably have a tendency to over pack when going on holiday because you want to be prepared for every possible situation.

Unfortunately this tip is just for the road trippers, but if you’re going on a long drive, why not liven up the journey with a planned stop off at a beach or attraction along the way? Even a picnic in a park will do. If you freeze drinks, make sandwiches and bring chilled snacks then a freezer bag will help to keep them cool until you’re ready to stop and enjoy the scenery. This is a fun way to get out of the car and have a much needed stretch whilst incorporating another fun activity into the road trip. The freezer bag is also useful for keeping those much needed bottles of water cool, staying hydrated when driving long distances is important. Another one just for our families away on their travels via car is to make sure you utilise the car roof when packing, it’s the one place that is often overlooked when packing any extra items you might need but not have space for in the car; you can get roof boxes and roof bars that can help to make organisation of those essential items better; but for inside the car it can be hard to keep gadgets and belongings safe throughout the long journey using a seat organiser to make sure no one loses anything that could cause a fuss on the road.

The food on planes can be ridiculously overpriced and stopping at service stations can be the exact same. Packing a selection of snacks can ensure that no one gets hungry on the journey and helps to keep to a schedule if you have one.

Always have a stash of coins on you, this one is important whether you’re driving or flying, passing through a foreign country on the way to your holiday and realising you don’t have any money in the local currency can be frustrating and will cost you if you have to use your bank card. And if you’re on a road trip change is extremely useful to have in the car for any toll roads you may unwillingly find yourself on.

Make sure you know where you’re going, this is just as important for a flying holiday as it is for a road trip, even if the idea is to roam around and see what you find, having a rough idea of hotels in locations you are going to be in will help a lot with organisation and ensuring that you stay safe whilst still be able to fit everything you intended to do in. A fun way to do this is to put a map inside of a plastic protector and mark your route or destinations on the map, this will keep track and make for a brilliant keepsake to remember the journey by when it is over.

Using your phone to take pictures is more common than cameras are these days, but using a disposable camera is such fun for the children and is a mystery until you get the photos developed. Digital cameras are great because they can often be cheap but still produce great picture quality and it means that your mobile battery will last for longer if not being used for pictures.

Top tip: bring portable chargers or car chargers with you for that extra bit of juice when you’re out and about!

A checklist could be argued to be THE most important thing on this list, make sure you create it at least a week before leaving and jot down everything you need to buy, pack and take. This gives you enough time to buy any of things you will need before leaving and make sure to use it when packing and check everything of the list. Lists can be difficult to stick to, but as long as there is one it gives an idea of what needs to be packed.