Some years ago, I had the chance to do a certain amount of travelling. The trips were all long haul and always involved a silly o’clock pick up time which ruled out any faffing about time prior to the taxi arriving. Consequently, I came up with a few tips I always employed to make the packing go as smoothly as possible. And although I no longer travel that much, I still use these tips – they’re just as handy for a couple of nights away as they are for longer holidays!
- Make a list of Must Not Forgets
Passports, medications, favourite toys – put all of the things that you cannot afford to forget on a list, and check each item off only when it is safely packed in your hand luggage. - Have a ready packed, duplicate toiletries bag
Inevitably we need to use items from this at the last minute, and then have to try and stuff it into the case. Having a bag of duplicate items means you can just grab and go with no fuss! - Make up outfitsEver come back with piles of stuff you didn’t wear? You really don’t need a dress/shirt for every day, plus a change for dinner. Believe me, you won’t wear it all! Make up outfits using items you can mix and match. If you only wore a shirt for an hour or two at dinner, then barring any spillage incidents, give it a good airing and it will be ready for another evening.
- Prepare for creasesI’ve read and tried plenty of tips on how not to get creases in your clothes when packing and frankly, none of them work. Some techniques might help lessen them but if you have a fabric prone to creasing, then whatever you do, it’s going to happen. Basically. you have two choices: just accept that you may look a little more rumpled than usual for the duration and roll with it. If you hang stuff up as soon as you can upon arrival, a lot of the worst creases will drop out. If you really can’t then pack a travel iron for the nicer stuff – but remember, you’re on holiday and a few creases in your beach t shirt really doesn’t matter.
- Most importantly – Books!
One of the bits I do like about packing is deciding what to take to read, but books can soon add to the weight limit, especially if you’re planning on kicking back and getting a lot read! (Aah, bliss!) This is really when e-readers come into their own. It’s often an idea to load up with any new books you’re after at home because some wifi, especially free, can be very slow and a bit patchy. But don’t forget your charger and any adapter plug you may need for the country you’re visiting! And, of course, don’t forget to download The Christmas Holiday!
Happy travels!
Thank you so much Maxine for this great set of Holiday packing tips. At the time of preparing this post, I was only 10% of the way through The Christmas Holiday, and wow I can tell already I'm in for a big treat. Really looking forward to reading the rest of the book.
Fall in love this winter on a romantic trip around the world ending in a
fairy-tale winter wedding!
As winter
comes to London, journalist Mia Walker is desperately hoping for her big break
as a travel writer, dreaming of exotic locations and sun-soaked beaches. When
she’s invited to write a romantic travel piece that ends in a huge winter
wedding in Scotland, she jumps at the chance. The only trouble is, the
photographer is renowned adventure-junkie Hunter Scott, who Mia last saw five
years ago when she ended their engagement.
It’s
the opportunity of a lifetime, and Mia knows she’d be mad to say no – even if
it does mean spending weeks traveling round the world with the one man she
never wanted to see again! But as the wedding approaches, and the magic of
Christmas begins to take hold, Mia can’t help looking out for mistletoe – and
wishing she hadn’t cancelled her own engagement after all…
Links:
Author
bio:
Maxine has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember and wrote her first (very short) book for school when she was ten. Coming in first, she won a handful of book tokens - perfect for a bookworm!
As years went by, she continued to write, but 'normal' work often got in the way. She has written articles on a variety of subjects, aswell as a book on Brighton for a Local History publisher. However, novels are what she loves writing the most. After self publishing her first novel when a contract fell through, thanks to the recession, she continued to look for opportunities.
In August 2015, she won Harper Collins/Carina UK's 'Write Christmas' competition with her romantic comedy, 'Winter's Fairytale'.
Maxine lives on the south coast of England, and when not wrangling with words, can be found tackling her To Be Read pile, sewing, listening to podcasts, and walking.
Maxine has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember and wrote her first (very short) book for school when she was ten. Coming in first, she won a handful of book tokens - perfect for a bookworm!
As years went by, she continued to write, but 'normal' work often got in the way. She has written articles on a variety of subjects, aswell as a book on Brighton for a Local History publisher. However, novels are what she loves writing the most. After self publishing her first novel when a contract fell through, thanks to the recession, she continued to look for opportunities.
In August 2015, she won Harper Collins/Carina UK's 'Write Christmas' competition with her romantic comedy, 'Winter's Fairytale'.
Maxine lives on the south coast of England, and when not wrangling with words, can be found tackling her To Be Read pile, sewing, listening to podcasts, and walking.
Twitter @Scribbler_Maxi
Instagram @scribbler_maxi
Facebook www.Facebook.com/MaxineMorreyAuthor
Pinterest ScribblerMaxi
Website www.scribblermaxi.co.uk
The Christmas Holiday Weekend Blitz Giveaway
Prizes:
Signed copy of The Christmas Project
The Christmas Holiday notebook
Galaxy chocolate bar
Chocolate penguins and snowballs
Elephant keyring
UK ONLY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you like the sound of Maxine Morrey's The Christmas Holiday, then you are in for a treat as she also has a second Christmas book coming out this year - The Best Little Christmas Shop.
In order to help her celebrate publication day for that in November, please lend your support to this Daycause campaign, and let's see if we can get Maxine to trend.
If you like the sound of Maxine Morrey's The Christmas Holiday, then you are in for a treat as she also has a second Christmas book coming out this year - The Best Little Christmas Shop.
In order to help her celebrate publication day for that in November, please lend your support to this Daycause campaign, and let's see if we can get Maxine to trend.
Thanks so much for taking part in this blog tour, Rachel!
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