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You’ve boarded the plane, made yourself comfortable in your seat, and are rubbing your hands with delight at the fun you’ll be having on your holiday. But just then, the metaphorical bird of bad luck flutters down, makes a pretty perch of your shoulder, and whispers in your ear that you’ve forgotten your favourite lipstick or smartphone charger behind you.

Now, if you’ve panic packed five minutes before boarding time, then it serves you right. But if you’ve spent a whole day making lists, carefully folding your clothes, and hauling heavyweight luggage to the airport, then a forgotten item smacks of an unfair (and unhappy) ending.

The thing is that in both cases, you’ve committed fatal mistakes. First, even if you’re off on a weekend break, you cannot pack in five minutes. And secondly, to enjoy your holiday, you must travel light – there’s no fun to be had in packing, unpacking and then having to pack again a ton of clothes, gadgets and gifts. But to be able to travel light, you must learn how to pack smartly.

What to wear

When packing your holiday clothes, go for versatile items that you can wear in different ways. Also, make sure that one item can be worn with at least two others. The trick here is to maximise your holiday wardrobe and create various outfits using as few items as possible. As for shoes, go for neutrals that can complement different outfits.

On a roll

When packing your clothes, roll instead of fold. This has two main advantages. First, rolled clothes take up less space than folded ones. Moreover, you can protect delicate items like silk shirts from accidental spillages by rolling them in hardier items such as jeans.

Putting the ‘craft’ in ‘aircraft’

To lessen the load of clothes you have to pack, wear bulky items on your flight, especially if travelling to somewhere cold. Of course, the chances are that you will feel hot and bothered, but you can always shed layers once you’ve boarded the plane.

Book it

Reading while on holiday is a great joy. But then, the 402 pages of Khaled Hosseini’s And the Mountains Echoed will weigh you down, as will magazines and guidebooks. To save weight, load your favourite novels, magazines and guidebooks onto your e-reader or tablet and leave the actual copies at home. Just don’t forget to pack the necessary chargers and adaptors.

Liquid assets

Don’t check in full-size perfumes and cosmetics – after all, you will not be using them all. Instead, go for travel-sized items which you can pack in just one small bag or spread around the luggage as fillers.

Last-minute packing

Panic packing increases your chances of leaving essential items behind you. With packing, procrastinating doesn’t work. Set aside a couple of hours, choose your items carefully, and lay them out on your bed. Then shortlist all your items and only pack these.

Essentially yours

Don’t pack items that you might just wear or use. If there’s a chance that you will not be using an item, then don’t pack it. This also applies to items that you can do without. It’s always best to underpack.

Less is more

Never pack for the worst-case scenario – rather, pack for the best-case scenario. If you run out of something, you can always buy it. You know, toothpaste isn’t only available in Malta.

Forget-me-nots

Leaving a favourite pair of jeans behind you is one thing – but forgetting your visa document is another. Dedicate one bag to essential documents and items like your passport, adaptors and driving licence – this will save you time trying to find that elusive item, and makes it less likely that you will forget anything.

The resistance

So you’ve managed to pack lightly. But now comes the hard part – resisting those last-minute urges to pack extras. Don’t take the bait. Rather, go the opposite way and take an item out of your luggage. Just make sure it’s not your passport.