Planning and packing vacation outfits is an essential part of vacation preparation, something that starts the fun for some and others see as a mountain to climb. Booking.com surveyed 21,500 travelers worldwide to uncover the art of packing. The survey reveals that two out of five travelers (41%) think packing is a fun part of the holiday, while nearly half (45%) find it one of the biggest holiday worries, along with uncertainty about the weather (55% ) and the sometimes daunting gathering of destination information (47%).
Vacation planning can also be time-consuming. Research shows that travelers worldwide spend an average of five hours putting together their holiday wardrobe. That's more than the time spent collecting destination information (4.7 hours) and finding accommodation (3.8 hours). Ironically, most packing time is spent on vacations we generally wear the least:beach vacations (39%). These are followed by city breaks (38%) and party holidays (35%); for wellness outings we take the least time to pack (8%).
What do we take with us?
Almost a third of travelers (32%) look forward to expanding their wardrobe during pre-holiday shopping sessions and over a quarter (26%) look forward to wearing clothes that show off their holiday tan. Half of travelers follow current fashion trends (50%) and 29% do research as soon as they know they are going on vacation. More than two-thirds of global travelers (69%) are inspired by friends and 60% by family, but TV programs (44%) and influencers (37%) also play an important role in holiday clothing choices.
Everyone has funny stories about packing blunders. Common mistakes include packing too much, which happens to half of travelers (50%), packing too little (12%), and forgetting an essential item (16%). Leaking shampoo bottles are by far the most irritating problem, 11% of travelers do not seal packages of liquids properly.
