How to pack clothes in backpack without wrinkles

Delayed planes, lost luggage, misplaced passports, long security lines, wrinkled clothing. These are the not-so-glamorous parts of travel that rarely end up on your Instagram feed. While it's hard to circumvent most of these unfortunate instances, there is a secret to at least avoid one of these inconveniences: wrinkled outfits.

Let's face it. No one wants to be stuck ironing on vacation. Sure, you could make a case for bringing a travel steamer along for the ride, but that just takes up precious suitcase space. Don't worry. You don't need either. It all comes down to the proper way to pack your bags. And we promise it's one of the simplest hacks to follow.

You know the large plastic bags you come home with from the dry cleaner? Instead of stuffing them in your trash or recycling can, save them. When packing for your next adventure, put your more delicate items inside the dry cleaning bags, including your cotton and linen pieces. Don't worry about fabrics like silk, wool, denim, and cashmere, as they are less likely to wrinkle.

You'll fold each piece of clothing as usual and place it inside a separate bag before placing it in your suitcase or duffel bag. This tactic works because the bags will slide against each other, meaning your cotton t-shirts and breezy linen pants won't get stuck and inevitably cause deep creases and messy wrinkles while in transit.

No dry cleaning bags? No sweat. Trash bags or liners work too — just make sure they aren't scented. You want to avoid a suitcase that smells like fresh pine or lemon zest.

Unfortunately, this travel secret isn't fool-proof (a few wrinkles may pop up), but it will reduce the number and severity of creases.

What if you don't have any plastic to spare? Layering your clothes with tissue paper can be helpful, too. Loosely rolling your delicate clothes is also preferable to folding; just place them on the top or outer portions of your bag, where there will be less pressure.

One final anti-wrinkle packing tip for those travelers who tend to procrastinate: Unpack as soon as you arrive. Yes, it's tempting to drop your suitcase off and head straight to the hotel pool, but you'll spend more time getting rid of those wrinkles later on. Take five minutes, hang up your most delicate clothes, and then enjoy a wrinkle-free vacation.

Lydia Mansel is a travel writer and founder of Just Packed, a stylish traveler's resource for packing lists and product recommendations.

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It's time for that long-awaited summer holiday, but while you may be dreaming of your city adventure or tropical getaway, we doubt you're jumping up and down and the thought of packing your suitcase.

Holiday prep can be stressful, and if there's no iron where you're going to be staying, you'll want to make sure that everything you take with you still looks fabulous when you're out and about at your destination. This guide will break down how to pack wrinkle-free — and stress-free!

1. Be fussy with fabric

For wrinkle-free holiday outfits, you've got to choose the right material. Your new dress may be gorgeous, but if it's made of linen, for example, folding might reduce it to a crumpled-looking mess. Synthetic clothing such as lycra, nylon and polyester tends to travel better, and knits are a good wrinkle-free option for chillier evenings.

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2. Pack light

Try to be selective about what you pack, because the more you try to stuff into your suitcase, the more scrunched up and creased your clothes will be. It's easy to be indecisive as you want to have options on holiday, but it's better to plan and have fewer outfits that look good than a huge pile of unwearable, wrinkled clothes.

Instead of tearing through your wardrobe, consider the activities you'll be doing and make a list of what you actually need. If you're only going swimming once, do you really need two swimming costumes? Considering your packing choices more carefully will give the items you do bring space to breathe.

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3. Roll your clothes

Start with an organiser pouch or an umbrella (something decently solid and fairly even in shape), and begin rolling clothes around it. Pack the clothes with the most wrinkle potential around the outside of the case. The clothes that are least likely to wrinkle — like jackets and jumpers — go in the middle. By doing this, you give the wrinkle-prone clothes a larger surface area, which reduces the chance of creases. Think of it as a sushi roll of summer clothes.

Linen and cotton clothes belong around the outside of the case as they crease very easily.

GHI Tip: Hang as many garments as possible as soon as you arrive. Some creases may fall out if you hang them in a steamy bathroom, some you may be able to remove with a hairdryer.

You can pop the rolled garments into packing cubes after if you prefer. If you can't roll some items, try to fold them along the seams to avoid crease marks.

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4. Use your shoes

Pack shoes at the bottom of your case, stuffed with underwear, socks and belts. This way they won't crush and crease your clothes, and small items won't get lost and tangled.