The perfectly good trousers that have survived three years of office wear are apparently not right for Lisbon. The dress that looked great at dinner last month cannot possibly come to Bali. And that shirt, which has been worn approximately 47 times, suddenly feels like it has been seen by too many people. So begins the pre-holiday shopping spree.
A new dress. New sandals. New shorts. A new bag because the old one is "not really a travel bag". Before long, the suitcase is full and the bank account is considerably less happy. And the irritating part is that most of those clothes will come home and go straight back into the wardrobe.
A better travel wardrobe starts with what is already there.
The first step is to stop thinking in outfits. Think in pieces. A pair of trousers that works with a shirt in the afternoon and a nicer top at night is far more useful than two outfits that only work exactly as they were imagined. The same goes for dresses. One that can be worn with trainers during the day and sandals or jewellery at night has earned its place in the suitcase.
Colour helps too. Pick a few colours that already live in the wardrobe and build around them. If half the suitcase only works with one particular pair of shoes, something has gone wrong.
Shoes deserve particularly ruthless editing. They are heavy, they take up space and there is always a pair that looked absolutely essential at home and never leaves the suitcase. A comfortable walking pair, something slightly smarter and, depending on the trip, a sandal or other warm-weather option will usually cover more ground than a collection of shoes for hypothetical occasions.
The same principle applies to bags. One everyday bag and perhaps a smaller evening option are generally more useful than bringing something for every possible scenario. If a bag can fit a phone, wallet, sunglasses, charger and the small collection of things that mysteriously accumulate during a day out, it has already proved its worth.
Layering is another trick worth remembering. Weather forecasts are not contracts. A light shirt, cardigan, overshirt or scarf can make an existing outfit work through changing temperatures without requiring an entirely new set of clothes. This is particularly useful when travelling between cities or moving from hot streets into aggressively air-conditioned restaurants and museums.
And please try everything on before packing it.
Not just standing in front of the mirror for thirty seconds, but actually moving around in it. Sit down. Walk. Raise your arms. Imagine wearing it after a large lunch. If something is uncomfortable at home, it will not magically become more comfortable after eight hours of sightseeing.
There is also no need to pack a different look for every day. Nobody is keeping score. Most people are far too busy worrying about what they are wearing themselves to remember whether someone wore the same trousers two days ago.
The best travel wardrobe is the one where almost everything can be worn with almost everything else, where the shoes don't hurt and where there is still enough room in the suitcase to bring something home. Because that is the real test of good packing.
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