• A third of British families' over-pack, using less than half of their luggage when on holiday
• Less than one in 10 use everything they pack for a holiday
• Packing tips for travelling with a family from Karen Edwards of Travel Mad Mum
• How to pack 200 items for a family of four into one piece of hold luggage under 20kg

As millions of British families prepare to jet off to their favourite holiday destination, a survey conducted by On the Beach, the UK's leading beach holiday specialist, has revealed a nation of over-packers, with almost a third (29%) of British families admitting to using less than half of the contents in their holiday suitcases.

The survey of 1,000 British families, revealed that only 1 in every 14 use 100% of their luggage whilst holidaying in the sun.  In comparison, almost a third (29%) say that more than half of what they pack simply sits in their suitcase for the duration of the holiday, travelling back with the family without ever being used.

On average, families from the UK use just 64% of their suitcase contents for their beach holiday.

How to pack 200 items for a family of four in just one suitcase - with Travel Mad Mum

To help families pack more efficiently, On the Beach enlisted the help of Karen Edwards, aka Travel Mad Mum (travelmadmum.com) to share her family holiday packing tips. Karen - a nurse, mum of two and travel fanatic, has twice used her maternity leave to travel the world with her husband and young children, travelling with just two backpacks for the entire family of four on a ten-month trip.   

On the Beach set Karen a luggage-busting challenge to pack for a week-long beach holiday for a family of four in a single suitcase, to help British families pack more efficiently. The video shows that with a bit of planning and by using some of Karen's helpful packing tips, holidaymakers can pack for an entire family in a single piece of hold luggage, making family travel easier, less stressful and cheaper.

Packing tips from Karen Edwards

Here are just a few of Karen's unique and helpful holiday packing tips, which she uses as she travels the world with her family:

1. Use packing cubes: Not only do this help squash clothes down more but they are a great visual guide that stops you from overpacking. Only having one cube per person makes you more focused about what can be left behind.
2. Roll your clothes: Rolling your clothes minimises the gaps in between them and rolls out any air that might be taking up room in your case. Along with packing cubes, this is the best way of fitting in as much as possible into your case without wasting space.
3. Stuff your shoes: Use the space inside your packed shoes for things like socks, headphones, phone chargers and anything else small enough to stuff inside.
4. Wear layers onto the plane: Aeroplanes can often be chilly anyway, so this is a great opportunity to sneak an extra outfit or accessories to your destination without being penalised for the extra weight.
5. Vacuum bags: For bulkier items like jackets or baby blankets, simply pop them in a vacuum bag and watch as it shrinks down by sucking the air out. Layer them on top of each other for easy stack-packing.

Alan Harding, Marketing Director at On the Beach comments:

“Our survey suggests that many people are packing items into their suitcase which they don't use, so it's worth putting some time aside to really think about what you need for your beach break.”

“Our video shows that, by using Karen's unique packing tips, a family of four can pack up to 200 items in a single suitcase, which will make family holidays easier and stress free.”

The video, which shows just how a family of four can pack for a one-week holiday in the sun with just one suitcase van be found here

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For further information, please contact Jamie Wortley at:  jamie@jpwcommunications.com, or call 07877 589910

About On the Beach

Founded in 2004 and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2015, On the Beach is the UK's leading beach holiday specialist.  With more than 60 million website visitors this year, over 1.5 million customers found, booked and enjoyed their perfect On the Beach holiday. Book online at www.onthebeach.co.uk, or by calling the UK call centre on 0871 474.

About Karen Edwards, aka Travel Mad Mum

Karen Edwards aims to inspire like-minded parents. Today she writes her top tips, product reviews and destination guides on www.Travelmadmum.com to help other travel-loving families to realise they do not need to stop exploring when they become parents. With over 170,000 social media followers and multiple awards, 'Travel Mad Mum' is a 'go-to' name for family travel advice.