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Do you find yourself constantly forgetting to pack things or sitting on top of your suitcase to slam it shut? Femina staffers give you tips on packing right

Sathya Saran:
If possible, keep a toilet bag with travel size essentials — a spare comb, a toothbrush, toothpaste on the ready. Then all you have to do is dump it in. Replace the used stuff on your return.
Pack your suitcase in the order you will unpack it. Week long or shorter trips should give you a fair idea of what’s on when, and you can actually layer the clothes in reverse order — last day at the bottom, etc.
Carry a tote brolly.
An extra handbag helps — you don’t need to carry your travel handbag everywhere.
If I’m going to a meeting on the day I land at the destination, that outfit comes with me as hand luggage.
The editor is known to travel very light, sometimes to the extent that she forgets that she is to travel that day!

Madhavi Purohit:
Distribute monies/valuables in different bags — handbag, purse, suitcase — to minimise damages in the event of baggage loss or pickpocketing.
Do not break in new footwear on your trip. Can make for some embarrassing disasters!
We believe that Madhavi was born to an era before footwear.

Primrose Monteiro-D’souza:
Fill little screwtop bottles with your regular shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser. Liquid soap is a good bet over bars.
I would go with one colour scheme -- white and black, or black and grey, with colour in the accessories. Add accessories that will multitask with different outfits.
Now lay out shoes -- one pair for the journey (it will make sense to make this a casual\walking pair), one formal\dancing pair, and one pair of slippers for the room.
Make a packet of photocopied documents that you will put into your checked-in luggage. This must include passport pages, ticket pages, hotel reservation receipts, and address details. This will help both if you lose your documents but NOT your suitcase, and if your suitcase is misplaced, and some good samaritan wants to return it to you.
Do not ever carry anything that you cannot bear to lose.
Primrose lives up to her reputation of being painfully over-organised.

Madhuri Kirtikar:
If you absolutely must carry eatables, I suggest sealed foil boxes. They are compact and don’t take up too much room.
If you are carrying electronic items, put them right at the top, so if you are required to open your bag at customs, you don’t have to take everything out.
I carry one pair of clothes in my handbag just in case my suitcase decides not to follow me to my destination.
Forget food in foil boxes; Madhuri carried five litres of mineral water to Singapore. We rest our case.

Ruchira Bose:
Put all toiletries in a hard cased box so if anything leaks, it will leak into the box and not all over your clothes. Especially if you are taking shampoo bottles — they always, always leak due to the air pressure.
If you have loads to carry, soft-sided suitcases work better than hard-sided.
Don’t put your shoes right at the top, they tend to get squashed, the shoes might get damaged. Roll them up and place them at the bottom.
The much-travelled Ms Bose does not like talking about her packing escapades.

Usha Mani:
I never forget that chapter in ‘Three men in a boat’, called Packing — Pack the toothbrush last. Else, you might have to unpack and rummage through your neatly piled clothes in your bag to find that elusive thing!
Lay out the clothes neatly and cushion them with the towels, napkins, socks and handkerchiefs (that you would anyway need for your trip), around them. They won’t budge from their place and will remain well folded.
Avoid carrying food. We don’t want oil-stained or fruit flavoured clothes.
Usha likes towels, and carries her own, so as not to be seduced by hotel ones — towels, we mean.

P S Bhavana:
Roll and push all the non-crushable things on the sides, it saves space.
Layer the clothes that bleed (leave colour) with tissue paper and always store all the whites together.
Always try to use suitcases and bags with compartments.
Have your little first-aid kit handy and stock with the essential pain relievers, balms and digestive tablets.
Bhavana’s fashion background is well packed into her suitcase.

Sejal Mehta:
Make a checklist of everything you will need. I know it sounds like too much trouble, but take it from someone who knows just how much fun it is to upturn the entire contents of your bag just to check if you packed your comb!
I never leave for a trip without a good book. (I carried the fifth Harry Potter on my last trip. Threw the whole ‘travel light’ rule right out the window!
Sejal, who suffers from listmania, and obviously hates to pack, says this one will come in quite handy.

Minal Khona:
Always carry sanitary napkins. You never know.
Carry extra T-shirts to mix and match with your trousers.
Leave enough space in your bag to bring back some serious shopping.
As you read this, Minal will have packed her bags from Femina.

Jerry Pinto:
Always carry more underwear than you think you will need.
Do not dip your hands into Jerry’s pockets – his suitcase is not the only place he stashes his undies!

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