Women take longer to pack than men, whether it’s for a work trip or a two-week holiday.
A study of 2,000 adults found females spend 31 minutes packing their case for a weekend break, while men take just 23 minutes.
When it comes to business trips, women spend 34 minutes organising the clothes to take with them, compared to men who take 28 minutes.
And a single night away sees females packing for 25 minutes, and men for just 19 minutes.
Similarly, a fortnight away sees women spend just under an hour packing (51 minutes) – while men take 10 minutes less, a total of 41 minutes.
But two-thirds of people said that what they wear has changed since the start of the pandemic, with 46 percent believing work wear is now more casual.
The research, by Premier Inn, found a third find it stressful trying to work out if they have enough outfits when packing, while 46 percent try to take versatile items.
And 33 percent choose things which can be dressed up or down.
It also emerged more than a third of women tend to pack a few days in advance of a trip, while 41 percent of men leave it until the day before they go away.
Following the findings, organisation gurus the Style Sisters have teamed up with Premier Inn to reveal their top 25 packing tips.
These include writing a list, checking ahead to see what essentials hotels already have, and packing delicate items in your shoes.
The handy “how-to” style video features Charlotte Lilly and Charlotte Reddington offering advice on how to pack efficiently.
The Style Sisters said: “It’s always useful to plan ahead when travelling for work or leisure, to check what hotels provide. This can avoid you having to squeeze in the likes of toiletries or hairdryers.
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“We typically pack in order of shoes, clothes and then toiletries, and also advise putting water-resistant materials around the edge of a case, such as a waterproof coat, to protect against any spillages.
“You’ll never regret writing a list and packing in advance – we’d prep a week before for a two-week holiday.
“When it comes to travelling for business, there has definitely been a shift in work attire and we’re typically more casual now – it’s ideal to buy key staple pieces to dress up or down.”
They also suggest packing cases from the corners inwards, starting with shoes and finishing with toiletries, and putting outfits together to make unpacking easier.
The girls swear by the “fold and roll” method, and revealed their key items to pack for a business trip are a laptop, pyjamas, sleep mask, toothbrush and clothes.
The research also found the most popular way to pack clothes is to fold them (59 percent), while 22 percent swear by rolling and 10 percent simply lay items flat.
But despite the varying approaches to packing, almost half (47 percent) typically arrive somewhere with creased clothes.
The trickiest items to pack were found to be jackets and coats (29 percent), boots (25 percent) and trainers (20 percent).
It also emerged more than a quarter find packing a “chore” – and 43 percent get frustrated if they can’t fit everything into a case.
While more than a third of men have let their partner pack for them, compared to just one in five women.
Of those polled, via OnePoll, 27 percent also travel for work, with 43 percent of them packing the same clothes for work and leisure.
Premier Inn’s spokesman said: “Bleisure style travel is on the rise – mixing business and leisure – and it’s great to see how the packing hacks make it easier to be prepared for both.
“Workwear has become more casual in the past couple of years, with one in five people dressing differently now – mainly down to the pandemic and working from home.
“Less formal looks are now acceptable for work, which can be easily transformed to leisure outfits.
“We understand how tricky it can be working out what to pack, but hopefully this switch in trends makes it easier to choose key items to suit both work and life.”
TOP 25 PACKING HACKS:
- Wear your heaviest clothes
- Place shoes in shower caps
- Pack cases from the corners inwards
- Put toiletry bottles inside socks
- Put water-resistant materials near the edge of the case e.g. raincoats, flip-flops
- Use the “fold and roll” technique when packing
- Don't leave packing until the day of travelling
- Pack shoes first
- Pack toiletries last
- Put underwear or laptops in the zipped section of a case
- Write a list before packing
- Check if the hotel has an iron and wardrobe facilities
- Decant toiletries into small reusable bottles
- Use packing cubes
- Take chargers for everything that needs one
- Packing outfits together makes unpacking easier
- Fill hollow spaces with underwear
- Put breakables in shoes e.g. electric razor
- Use shampoo bars instead of toiletries
- Pack clothes in hand luggage
- Pack half and half in each case if you're travelling with a partner
- Check ahead to see what toiletries the hotel provides
- Check ahead to see if the hotel includes towels
- Open the front compartment of a case to release extra space
- Take fewer clothes and use laundry services when you're away
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