Packing is a necessary evil of holidays — like sunburn, early mornings and Ryanair — but it can be made more manageable if you follow a few key tips.

Sean Davoren is head butler at the Lanesborough, on London’s Hyde Park Corner, the only fully butlered hotel in the country. So experienced is Sean in the fine art of butlering, he trains valets for Buckingham Palace. Pay attention.

10 TOP TIPS

1 First things first: the case. I prefer a hard case — rectangular, not square — with internal elasticated bands that hold your clothes in place.

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2 Be strict. Think of your trip as a set of events — the pub lunch, the beach day, the city sights — and remember what you wore last time to these places. You know what you really wear and what you don’t — if you pack an extra four shirts “just in case”, you’ll only make your case heavier and have to iron the clothes again on your return.

3 Make a list of these items and check them off as you go. It takes a couple of minutes and you can use the same list again — zip it into the front pocket of your case. It also means you won’t forget anything — socks for a certain pair of boots, for example, or a bra that is essential for an evening dress. Often, when you forget crucial items like these, the garment itself becomes redundant.

4 Open up your case and start with trousers. Hold each pair separately by the waistband and lie them flat along the length of the case, with the remaining part (knee to ankle) hanging out of the side. Repeat with the next pair, but this time place the waistband at the other end, so that the pairs mirror each other. And so on.

5 Next, put your folded jumpers, shirts and T-shirts on top of the trousers. (The ends are still hanging outside.) Fold shirts at the “natural” creases — elbows, shoulders. You have the length of the case to work with, so don’t fold them in half. I put tissue within each item — sounds OTT, but it makes a world of difference.

6 Now fold in the flaps of the trousers. If you are packing a laptop, place it in now; here it will be safest. On top go skirts, dresses and jackets. Hold skirts and dresses at the top and “drop” them each slowly into the case, so that they fold back and forth along the length — putting in a layer of tissue with each fold. For smart jackets, stuff the arms with balls of paper, then cross the arms over the front. Fold the jacket lengthways (along the buttons) and lay it on top of everything.

7 Ties: lay them flat along the length of the case. Belts: roll them into a coil and pack into the empty side slots you’ve created by packing clothes in a rectangle shape. Converters and chargers: pack into corners. Shoes: wrap in plastic bags (one per shoe) and tuck into the sides. As for dirty clothes on your return: keep them all in a bag and pack last or — ideally — in a separate zipped pocket.

8 Strap it all in place with the elasticated bands (with a piece of paper between the bands and the top garment) — then the baggage handlers can do what they want! Your clothes should stay put.

9 There is a new system I’ve yet to try that hails from America, based on the ancient method of bundle wrapping (onebag.com/pack.html). You use a central “pouch” — this might be your underwear in a soft bag — around which you wrap your clothes. Gradually, your bundle becomes larger and larger, filling your case. Personally, I think it sounds tricky, and it would be impossible to find something in your case if you needed it mid-journey. As for rolling clothes, as touted by so many travel “experts” — don’t! It leaves them in a mess and takes up more room anyway.

10 Last thing: never overpack. There’s no way a single item will be wear­able on your return. Instead, bite the bullet and buy a second (cheap) case.

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