Q&A: The importance of packing your bags right

August 2017

Packing your holiday bags is not as simple picking sets of clothing for each day you’re on vacation. You need to plan what goes into your bags - depending on destination, holiday season and what your resort guide recommends. Most of the time we don’t really look at the “guideline” mails sent to us by customer assistance, because we just don’t have the time. But that’s where things can go wrong.

A beach side location for instance would call for shorts, tees, Bermudas and flip flops as your move around clothes. A jungle lodges location on the other hand would call for something that’s trendy but close to army camouflage clothing, if you want to call it that. Of course what season you have in mind would also be a prime consideration. A summer vacation would call for something summery, and a winter vacation would likewise get you pulling out some woollies.

We asked some experienced regulars to share some of their experiences, and placed their responses in some kind of logical order. Hope this helps you get closer to packing the right gear for your vacation.

Sunita Reddy – interior designer

I just love planning a holiday around a beach location. My day-dreaming often takes me to romantic sunsets and the gentle lapping of waves along the shore line, as you spread out your beach towel and take in the sun.

So if it is a beach holiday, I would plan an appropriate swim suit – depending on how private the location can be, and all the other accessories to go with it. Which includes a large beach towel, large (almost cover-my-face) sunglasses, and all the potions and lotions that I might need. I guess your beach gear is fine for that river cruise as well – unless your want to carry along a couple of light and colorful tops so that you don’t attract too much attention. Other than this I would carry two pairs of jeans and some tees - in addition to my everyday essentials.

Pavan Kumar – investment banker

Last year we went to a resort that was next to a game sanctuary and I hadn’t paid much attention to planning my vacation gear. I think I had only taken shorts and tees with me. During our treks into the forest nearby with our guide, I experienced a lot of discomfort with the mosquitoes and other insects buzzing around. I think the customer relations people did send me some guidelines via email that I may have ignored.

So if you have forest treks and jungle safaris on your itinerary, I would suggest that you take something that provides adequate cover and yet gives you the freedom to move around easily. And like the sunscreen example, you would need insect repellant creams – that’s really useful to carry along.

Deepa Nayak – graphic designer

I used to be pretty much a last-minute person – flinging whatever came my way into my holiday bags. I think travelers of my generation are like that. I remember my grandmother would often offer to help me pack, making appropriate noises and helpful suggestions – which I would stupidly ignore. (Only to say, “Why didn’t I listen to Grandma!!!”)

I remember once taking some nice & dressy but heavy clothing on a holiday - which was in the middle of a monsoon season. And this proved to be a disaster because I did not always have a change of clothes with me, and my thick clothing took ages to dry.

Come to think of it, it’s pretty logical if you actually sit down with pen and pencil and make some notes, depending on where you’re going, what time of the year it is (season) and maybe what you already have, and what you need to buy.

Prafulla Shenoy – customer support

I’m glad to see that people are beginning to see the need to carefully plan what goes into their vacation bags. Phones, cameras, notebooks and mp3 players are usually top of mind when we start packing, but there’s a whole lot you need to think of when it comes to making that list.

We do send out mails to members with guidelines on holiday clothing and most certainly, a “do-not-forget” list which could include things you absolutely must bring along. Our guidelines go beyond appropriate clothing to things like special medication that you might be used to. A lot of our customers seem to forget the most basic thing that they might need – the inhaler for instance. (Incidentally, the inhaler is also the most left-behind item at the end of a vacation - often left behind in drawers of bedside cabinets.)

So the next time a vacation is around the corner, please read the mails sent to you by your resort, on guidelines, tips, and other useful information.

From our side (that’s the content team) you also need to think of the kind of bags you will need. Sometimes your listing of vacation wear might not fit into the bags you currently have.

You need to think inside the box.