1.Lay out all the clothes you want to take on your bed and then put half back in your wardrobe. You’ll only end up wearing one pair of shorts, one nice top, one T-shirt, one pair of jeans and one skirt. You know this. We know this. So put the rest away.

2.Limit yourself to a maximum of four pairs of shoes and wear the heaviest on the plane so you don’t waste your valuable suitcase weight allowance. Yes, four pairs: trainers, sandals OR flip-flops, ballet flats and heels.

3.Pack all your shoes in the bottom of the case in plastic bags so they don’t mark or crease your clothes. Then fill in the little gaps around them (and inside them) with your underwear, jewellery or cosmetics (also in bags).

4.Don’t put wrapped presents in your suitcase as security may unwrap them to check you’re not a smuggler.

5.Invest in a Kindle. Yeah, okay you may be a book purist but having ten books to read on one slim little Kindle versus lugging around 10kg worth of paper is an actual miracle.

Your definitive 10-step guide to holiday packing