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Packing tips and advice from other travellers

- Invest in earplugs - they will be a lifesaver for blocking out crying babies, snoring, and buzzing mozzies. Toria Letts

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- Use Gaffer Tape. Wonderful stuff. Put over the top of suncream/shampoos, etc, whilst travelling - I have never had a leakage so far. Also handy for breakages and preventing blisters. Vicki Crabb

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- Do not underestimate the importance of toilet paper. Cat Barrow

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- Pack and then reduce your luggage by half. Then repeat exercise until you have removed hair curlers, pot of Marmite, and any other random ‘just in case’ items - you can always buy/wash stuff when you get there... Laura Chapman

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- A camera is the most precious equipment when travelling. - Don't take anything that is sentimental or of great value, you will end up losing it. Shane Hodges

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- Always take a book! Livi Ruffle

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- Don’t take too many guidebooks as there will be a danger of over planning and also they are bloody heavy! - Tie a coloured ribbon around your rucksack so as to identify which bag is yours, as many look very similar. Suzanne Leeson

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- Take an alarm clock. You never know when you need to rely on it! Tori Oram

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- Put things in mini bags: easy to find in rucksack and makes life much simpler! Dana Carpano

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- Don’t take anything expensive unless you know a martial art. Leilani Jordan

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- Plastic bags. Don’t suffer the wrath of a burst sun-cream bottle in the middle of a backpack, like me. Especially nifty are those sealable, keep-your-lunch-fresh ones that your mum’s bound to have - also great for keeping papers, camera films, etc, clean. - A wonderous invention by Lifeventure, a dinky bottle of travel wash that can safely yet effectively be used on hair, face, body, clothes, and even fruit and veg. Rachel Ricks

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- Doing the hip belt up tightly on your backpack will make it feel lighter. Jenny Claxton

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- Don’t leave packing ‘til the last minute. Grace Avarne

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- Take film cases for decanting shower gel/shampoo, etc. into - also for plugging sink plugholes - yeah, that old chestnut! Louisa Hill

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- Take dental floss; a length makes a great washing line, it’s strong enough to hold together your rucksack should it break (also good for wetsuits), buy the minty stuff and it can work as a breath mint (or rather breath floss), it works as a cheese cutter (vital for when your travelling) and if you’re desperate it can also be good for dental hygiene. Matt Scott

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- You can never have too many baby wipes ... or rolls of gaffer tape! - Stash a pot of 400mg ibuprofen in your first aid kit for pain emergencies. Rich Sheane

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- Backpackers: THE HEAVY STUFF GOES AT THE TOP OF THE RUCKSACK. Otherwise Mr Spine gets very upset. Stef Marianski

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- Have a universal sink plug with you at all times... you will kiss it many times when it 'comes in handy'. Tom Griffiths

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- Travel towels are a disaster! They seem to smell (a lot) after one use so it may be that the space sacrifice made by bringing a proper towel is well worth it. Sarah Normanton

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Click here >> if you've got any packing and kit tips and post them on the messageboard. We're always on the look-out for travel tip gems - it's great to learn from the wisdom of others.