Pack it in, girls, it’s not needed

Women pack loads of clothing for a two-week sunshine holiday but end up wearing just over half the items, according to a survey.

On average, women take 18 tops, 12 pairs of shorts or skirts, and six bikinis on a fortnight abroad, the poll by Co-operative Insurance found.

But they only wear 12 of the tops, six pairs of shorts or skirts, and three of the bikinis.

The poll of 3,000 women also showed that females, on average, pack eight pairs of shoes for a two-week sunshine break, with 25 per cent managing to find room to take more than 10 pairs.

But 75 per cent of those surveyed said they wore only six pairs of shoes during their trip.

The poll found that the value of the clothes in a woman’s suitcase averaged £1,140.

As many as 23 per cent of women said packing left them feeling stressed and 21 per cent said assembling clothes for a holiday was more stressful than going to work.

A total of 31 per cent said they organised their summer holiday without any help from their partner, but eight per cent still relied on their parents to sort out their sunshine break.

Lee Mooney, head of home and travel insurance at Co-operative Insurance, said: “It will come as no surprise to learn that many women are packing far more than they actually need.

“Given that most people also pack high-value items such as iPods and cameras, the value of a suitcase contents can be quite staggering.

“Not only do people over-pack, but holidays are often an excuse to spend more money as people will often buy new clothes to take away with them.”