don’t forget your toothbrush (by Gill, June 2024)

Here’s a simple toiletry packing hack. No more will you have to wait until the very last moment that you’ve used everything you need to before you can pack it (… helping to ensure that you don’t forget your toothbrush!)

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I have a set of toiletry bags at the ready. Why? Because it makes those last-minute dramas, and not actually feeling like you’re packed and ready, disappear… replaced instead with calm and excitement.

Spending time away in hotels, just the 1 or 2 nights away most weekdays for work, sometimes travelling by car, and sometimes by plane, means I have to pack, wait, finally pack the rest (go / return), unpack, re-pack, wait, and finally pack the rest, A LOT. When flying, I always have the opportunity to take a hold bag with me due to taking my work kit consisting of safety shoes, a warm jacket and a hi vis vest. This was good, as it meant I didn’t have to worry about any volume restrictions.

After moving to the East Midlands in 2013, I found that when I visit my friends and family “down south”, in order to stay the night, I would pack, wait… then finally pack the rest.

Luke and I started to holiday 3-4 times a year. Sometimes long weekends, sometimes 2-week holidays… pack, wait… and finally pack the rest.

The almost trauma of having to check that I had everything I needed each time I went away, and needing to wait to pack my final bits until I’d used them that one last time before being able to pack them, started to drain away the excitement of actually going away. I had to do it so often. I needed to think of way to reduce the pain of those last-minute packing dramas.

So I started to think about my packing lists (these can be seen here). What do I take on a work trip? What do I take for a weekend away? What do I take when I go on holiday? I’m not talking clothes, shoes and accessories. Apart from perhaps 14 pairs of knickers for a 2-week holiday, I have what I need to pack in that department well in advance (so long as it still fits, which seems to be an increasing challenge, but that’s another blog, for another time maybe).

I’m talking toiletries, skin care, and don’t forget your toothbrush! I found that anytime I went away, I would leave a space in my chosen bag or suitcase for my last little bits. These may be different for each person, but for me these were my toothbrush (and paste), shampoo & conditioner, body wash, comb, facial wash, eye cream, serum, moisturiser, and deodorant. And it didn’t seem to matter whether I was leaving the house in the morning, noon or night. I was still hanging on, waiting to pack these items, after their very… last… use.

There are also a couple of pinch points for me when packing at this stage. I’m thinking, I’ll probably finish something while I’m away and not have anything to use when I come home, and that all my heavier items, which may also be a bit more delicate and susceptible to being squished are now somewhere near the top of my chosen bag or suitcase.

I became determined to get better at planning. Take control of my last-minute packing dramas and buy a 2nd of each item which I always needed. Meaning that I can have all my toiletry and skin care items in a toiletry bag (or 3), ready… to… go! It’s easy to remember to top it up with anything that I’d finished while I was away, so that I can just “grab and pack” for the next time I’m away.

These are my favourite toiletry bags. They’re waterproof, have handy hanging handles, come in a set of 3 different sizes, and have frosted fronts and backs so that you can see where your item is easily without having to hunt around.

Let’s face it, I’ll have to buy another one of each item at some point, and it made my life feel far easier and under control. I can pack everything I need, for my night away, or longer, well in advance, with all my other bits and bobs, in a safe spot in my chosen bag or suitcase. And know that I can still clean my teeth before I leave the house.