Problem
Clothes creased. No time to iron or no iron?
Answers
1Car Hanger
If travelling by your own car or a hire car, hang a jacket on the hook you find inside many vehicles for that purpose.
2 Suitcase Hangers
Pack clothes on hangers (the flat thin sort from dry cleaners) so you can hang everything up instantly when you reach your destination. the result is fast unpacking, less time crumpled, time to check if anything needs fixing.
3 Five Star Hotel Service
On checking into your hotel immediately ask if there's an ironing service or valet unpacking service. You might find that by joining the hotel's club you can instantly upgrade to a club lounge or a suite which comes with a valet service.
Check the collection and delivery times. The hotel might offer same day service, either for an extra charge or if you send it to the laundry before a certain times, such as before 8 am, or before 6 pm. Once I was told my room was not ready. I sat around waiting in reception. By the time I checked in, I had missed the collection time for the lower priced service. When I pointed this out, the housekeeping department waived the higher charge for the express service.
4 Borrowed Iron
In some hotels the suites have irons but ordinary rooms don't. In one hotel I saw the irons and asked if I could borrow one. They gladly loaned me the iron and ironing board on condition that I returned it within the hour for guests who would be checking in to the room which was supplied with the iron.
5 Hidden Iron
At another hotel I phoned down to ask about borrowing an iron and they said it was in the wardrobe. As I was only staying for one night I had not bothered to unpack. There it was!
6 Secret Guests' Ironing and Laundry Room
At hotels in the USA and hostels in New Zealand, when I checked out and took the back exit to the car park, I passed a laundry room used by guests, with a washing machine, spin dryer, ironing board and iron.
7 Borrow A Travelling Iron
On another occasion I was telling other guests in a coach group that I wished I had an iron. Another guest was travelling with a tiny travel iron in her suitcase. She travelled light but took a travel iron wo she could wash out one of her two dressed and dry it overnight and iron it.
8 Buy A Travel Iron
Make sure you have all the adapters. Set an alarm so you are sure to cool it down.
9 Buy Drip-Dry
Invest in drip-dry shirts and dresses for all the family.
10 New Clothes
Go straight to the nearest cheap supermarket or market and buy ready-packed cheap shirt and tee-shirt pack.
11 Wash Cotton /Viscose And Flatten
Many of my clothes can be flattened by washing them in hot or cold water and hanging flat over a plastic hanger or towel rail. Just pull them in both directions. They dry flat like new.
12 Check And Label Drying Times
Wash all the clothes you are thinking of packing. Note which ones dry overnight.
If you have marker labels, or write-on labels, you can label your clothes in an inconspicuous place with 'Dries overnig't, or 'Dries 1 night', or '2 days to dry'.
You can either pack only those items which dry overnight. Or save one item which dries overnight for the last day before leaving the holiday or work destination for home.
Some people like to support the local shopkeepers and leave the tee-shirts behind for a charity shop or shelter or even low-paid staff.
13 Buy New From Home Supermarket
Instead of paying for ironing services at the destination, buy packs of tee-shirt or shirts and underwear, which comes ready neatly folded in bags. I used to buy packs of ladies' underwear, four or five to a pack, two packs for a longer trip. They were sold in supermarkets and the special offer reductions were rotated so every month or two the design and size I needed would be reduced and I stocked up. When I went on a trip I had brand new underwear. Easy to pack. Easy to find in your suitcase. Looks smart when you unpack. Made me feel good on holiday.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
Clothes creased. No time to iron or no iron?
Answers
1Car Hanger
If travelling by your own car or a hire car, hang a jacket on the hook you find inside many vehicles for that purpose.
2 Suitcase Hangers
Pack clothes on hangers (the flat thin sort from dry cleaners) so you can hang everything up instantly when you reach your destination. the result is fast unpacking, less time crumpled, time to check if anything needs fixing.
3 Five Star Hotel Service
On checking into your hotel immediately ask if there's an ironing service or valet unpacking service. You might find that by joining the hotel's club you can instantly upgrade to a club lounge or a suite which comes with a valet service.
Check the collection and delivery times. The hotel might offer same day service, either for an extra charge or if you send it to the laundry before a certain times, such as before 8 am, or before 6 pm. Once I was told my room was not ready. I sat around waiting in reception. By the time I checked in, I had missed the collection time for the lower priced service. When I pointed this out, the housekeeping department waived the higher charge for the express service.
4 Borrowed Iron
In some hotels the suites have irons but ordinary rooms don't. In one hotel I saw the irons and asked if I could borrow one. They gladly loaned me the iron and ironing board on condition that I returned it within the hour for guests who would be checking in to the room which was supplied with the iron.
5 Hidden Iron
At another hotel I phoned down to ask about borrowing an iron and they said it was in the wardrobe. As I was only staying for one night I had not bothered to unpack. There it was!
6 Secret Guests' Ironing and Laundry Room
At hotels in the USA and hostels in New Zealand, when I checked out and took the back exit to the car park, I passed a laundry room used by guests, with a washing machine, spin dryer, ironing board and iron.
7 Borrow A Travelling Iron
On another occasion I was telling other guests in a coach group that I wished I had an iron. Another guest was travelling with a tiny travel iron in her suitcase. She travelled light but took a travel iron wo she could wash out one of her two dressed and dry it overnight and iron it.
8 Buy A Travel Iron
Make sure you have all the adapters. Set an alarm so you are sure to cool it down.
9 Buy Drip-Dry
Invest in drip-dry shirts and dresses for all the family.
10 New Clothes
Go straight to the nearest cheap supermarket or market and buy ready-packed cheap shirt and tee-shirt pack.
11 Wash Cotton /Viscose And Flatten
Many of my clothes can be flattened by washing them in hot or cold water and hanging flat over a plastic hanger or towel rail. Just pull them in both directions. They dry flat like new.
12 Check And Label Drying Times
Wash all the clothes you are thinking of packing. Note which ones dry overnight.
If you have marker labels, or write-on labels, you can label your clothes in an inconspicuous place with 'Dries overnig't, or 'Dries 1 night', or '2 days to dry'.
You can either pack only those items which dry overnight. Or save one item which dries overnight for the last day before leaving the holiday or work destination for home.
Some people like to support the local shopkeepers and leave the tee-shirts behind for a charity shop or shelter or even low-paid staff.
13 Buy New From Home Supermarket
Instead of paying for ironing services at the destination, buy packs of tee-shirt or shirts and underwear, which comes ready neatly folded in bags. I used to buy packs of ladies' underwear, four or five to a pack, two packs for a longer trip. They were sold in supermarkets and the special offer reductions were rotated so every month or two the design and size I needed would be reduced and I stocked up. When I went on a trip I had brand new underwear. Easy to pack. Easy to find in your suitcase. Looks smart when you unpack. Made me feel good on holiday.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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