Travel Tips: "Will Everything Even Fit?!"

Three more days till I fly off -- and I look at my luggage bag, stuffed like a fat cow.

"This is a disaster" I thought to myself. For weeks, I've been texting Syaz and Amir regarding what to wear. I've traded my packing checklist with them twice, I've removed 40% of the original amount of stuff I wanted to bring, I've even YouTubed efficient ways of folding clothes so more things can fit; but at this rate, bringing to heavy coats and with the amount of stuff I plan to buy in UK, I'll probably leave with a hefty excess baggage fee. Unacceptable. Thank god for Pinterest, I've found a few tips and tricks to pack light for the winter time!

1. V E R S A T I L E  P I E C E S

Let's put it this way, I'm not much of a colourful person when it comes to clothes. I have a lot of neutral mode pieces; black, camel, nude, brown, grey (lots, and lots of grey) which all go perfectly well together. Especially since it's the cold season, it's easier to layer up when every colour goes well together. I suggest bringing a white/blue shirt, so you can layer up with regardless of whatever coloured jumper on top alternatively and still look prim and classy. I love the whole shirt & jumper look, especially on men (hehe).

2. R O L L  ' E M  U P

One time, after one of our batch photoshoots, a friend of mine showed a way to fold clothes without it being crumpled. Of course, I didn't really pay attention to the steps, but rolling your clothes, pants especially, save a lot of luggage space. Then again, whenever I travel, the most pair of pants I'd bring is two-three; two pairs of jeans, leggings/sweatpants (I'd wear either one to board on the plane). 

3. W E A R  T H E  B U L K Y  I T E M S  O N - B O A R D

This, is another tip to save luggage space. Wear the bulky items in the plane; whether a jumper, your pair of boots, or in my case my beloved green cardigan. It's knitted and its hard to fold and roll. Bulky cardigans also make good blankets if the plane doesn't provide blankets or you're just too cold that one blanket is not enough. 

4. L I G H T W E I G H T  T H E R M A L S  &  F A B R I C S

This is one of the reasons why its very handy to have Uniqlo's Heat Tech. Their thin but works wonders as thermals. Wearing a single Heat Tech allows you layer on lighter fabrics on top. Trust me, you don't necessarily need to wear a jumper or layer a lot of clothes when you have these - you can put on a blouse, jacket and you're ready to go! This way, you don't need to pack on bulky sweaters/jumpers/hoodies. 

5. O R G A N I Z E  ' E M

I have travel bag organizers which work wonders whenever I'm packing - especially for segregating stuff like make-up, toiletries, chargers, scarves and even hair-ties. I bought mine at Daiso. I'd usually label them and put a list of things I had put in them. These not only help organize and save luggage space, but come in really handy when you're packing your stuff to go home (but let's not talk about going home - I haven't even gone yet lol).

6. "W I L L  I  W E A R  T H I S  M O R E  T H A N  O N C E ?"

It's important to question this in order to be judicious when packing. There's no need to pack stuff you'll wear only once, unless of course, you have an event. As for me, since I'm celebrating New Years and my birthday there, I've opted to just find an outfit there instead of bring something here. Focus on the basics. 

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Of course, these are just a few tips which I've learned and kept in mind when packing. Pretty sure you can find 1001 more online, though I hope it benefits some of you! Wishing everyone happy holidays and a festive end to the year! Eleven more days till 2016, I hope you make the most out of it, winks!