How the Butler Packs for Travel

Backpackers and students on long journeys learn how to pack only what is essential to keep the hauling weight within bounds and not impinge on travel flexibility.  It's great to be so compact and so sleek that you have only what you need and know just where to find it.  With age come other travel considerations that eat up space and pose new challenges.  Your vacation is supposed to be perfect and you want just the right outfit for each occasion, plus a joker or two in the deck.  There are meteorological uncertainties you have to factor in, and sometimes the threat of a formal or business outing that scores what you put in the back and how you pack it.  A nice jacket packed wrongly will come out of the bag looking as though it had been chewed. 

I read a suitcase review suggesting that soft-sided suitcases are every bit as maneuverable and effective as hard suitcases.  The article also suggested that hard cases, like Samsonites, are lightening rods for rough treatment by baggage handlers and so actually have a downside in terms of potential baggage mishaps.  Whether this is true or not there is something to be said for packing your clothes so they come out of the bag how you want them to look.  A British company called Luxury Explorer provides travel services for upscale clients.  Their staff includes professionals like Peter Pritchard, a former domestic employee of Buckingham Palace and head butler at the Dorchester Hotel in London, considered a pantheon of luxury.   Mr. Pritchard's advice on packing?  The key is to keep things flat and use copious tissue paper to cushion the blows of traveling.  Pack trousers first, laying them out in the full length of the suitcase and covering them with tissue paper to absorb potential creases.  Roll belts and pack shoes in corners to prevent the weight of the case from pressing these hard items into clothing. Insert long rolls of tissue paper up the arms of jackets, lie them full length in the suit case, cover with more tissue and fold the sleeves in an "X" to avoid unwanted creases in the sleeves.  Pack toiletries last so you can reach them first.