Car Packing - It's An Art Form
One in four (26%) family holidays get off to a bad start because of arguments about the amount of luggage their partners take, according to research from the UK's leading leisure car hire broker, Holiday Autos.
Contrary to popular belief, men take marginally more luggage than women on a beach holiday, including board games, DVDs and games consoles.
Over ambitious packing habits lead to almost a third (29%) of men admitting that they have had to leave items behind at an airport or similar because they just can’t fit them in the car. Only 17% of women admit to the same thing.
The research reveals that the problem actually starts long before the plane takes off. When booking car hire, 82% of men are in the driving seat.
However, men are more likely to prioritise engine size and make of car over more practical matters such as luggage space and number of seats potentially creating a logistical conundrum in the airport car park on arrival.
Nearly three quarters of men assume the car packing duties when they get out to the car (70%). If an argument does arise, men are more likely to criticise the woman’s approach and take over (26% men vs 16% women).
Women tend to stay away and let the men get on with sorting it out in their own time (32% women vs 23% men).
18% of men have even headed back into the terminal and upgraded their hire car to accommodate extra baggage.
On average, people take 26 items on a week’s beach holiday. These include: three pairs of shoes, five t-shirts, three pairs of shorts, two pairs of sunglasses and two towels.
Stuart Nassos, managing director of Holiday Autos says: "The most popular car we see people booking is an economy sized car such as a Vauxhall Corsa or similar. We often find that people hiring these smaller cars for their holiday tend to own cars two or three times this size at home.
"If customers are used to the extra space of a larger car at home, they may not consider boot size and luggage space when choosing a car to drive abroad. It’s easy to see how tempers can fly over this issue - not the best way to start a holiday!
"To help customers make informed choices during the booking process, our Car Features Guide clearly indicates the baggage and passenger capacity for each car available with representative symbols. If you think you’ll require more space than the car provides, you may want to either re-think the amount of luggage you are bringing or consider getting a car with more capacity."
In order to ensure that holiday makers don't end up having to leave excess baggage on the curb side, Holiday Autos has five handy hints to help fit everything in.
Follow the rule of P
1 . Plan - write a list and ask yourself 'Do I really need this?'
2 . Pliable packaging - pack into soft holdalls, not hard-case or roll-along bags
3 . Pack it in - fill every gap, squeeze everything in
4 . Prepare for projectiles - avoid packing above the line of the back seats
5 . Pockets and pouches - maximise space in the car by using all stow compartments
Tagged in Motoring