From Sunday morning (ridiculously) early to Saturday night on the road, we can count that as a full week. And that with only hand luggage. I did it this week. After about three panic attacks and quite a bit of despair in between, I succeeded. How? Here are my tips, make the most of it.

1. Go to the drugstore and put everything in minis. Your foundation in a small jar, your tonic in a small spray, and your sunscreen in a mini bottle.

2. Buy on location what you can buy on location. It saves scarce space. That bottle of shower gel and aftersun, just leave it there.

3. Roll it up as much as you can. All your clothes take up less space when rolled. Then, stuff your socks into your shoes and feel where there is still space by pressing down on your suitcase. There is always room for a rolled-up top in between.

4. Think ahead about outfits. See which sneakers and flip-flops match everything, so you can switch. That one blouse is casual over your top and shorts and can later be tied up again in jeans.

5. Wear the heaviest things while traveling. A denim jacket over your sweater and those cowboy boots? By the way, you can also take a bag the size of a laptop in addition to your hand luggage suitcase, there’s still plenty of room in there.

6. Let the heaviest person in your house sit on the suitcase to zip it up and pray that it doesn’t have to be opened during the check.