Go Travel’s triple packing cubes prove that suitcase salvation doesn’t cost the earth, while Patagonia’s aptly named, Tardis-like black hole cube is sturdy, stylish and scores highly in the sustainability stakes. With airline luggage restrictions limiting your bag size, a set like this can give you the edge, allowing you to fit all your possessions into a single case. With ten separate pieces, including five packing cubes, three drawstring bags and two smaller zipped bags, this set should be enough to accommodate even the most excessive of packers. This cube has less rigidity than others in this round-up, but we found this to be a huge bonus – its squishiness came in incredibly useful when squashing in extra items of clothing (we’re notorious over-packers). Then there are cubes that don’t require a vacuum cleaner and can instead be compressed with a very strong zip, or by rolling them out, which in turn expells the air inside.

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In most situations, I'll take the risk and use whatever shampoo, conditioner, and body wash that's provided at my destination (providing it's not individually wrapped products). They all serve a purpose in their own way and two in particular stand out when it comes to travel: the collapsible Stojo and Corkcicle tumbler. The material is water-resistant which means you shouldn’t have to worry about soggy clothes on a rain-filled trip, but perhaps go for another option if you know you’ll be getting drenched.There's even a special waterproof pocket for toiletries, which eliminates any worry of a broken bottle leaking all over your clothes. It can be a struggle to pack everything you need while adhering to travel regulations without leaving a trail of waste behind you; although there are some tips and tricks that make it easier. On road trips, I feel a little rude listening to podcasts or audiobooks, however, on noisy trains and flights, earphones are a lifesaver for avoiding the chaos around you. I purchased a J Pillow when I took a trip to Japan; desperate to avoid jet lag, I needed to sleep on the plane for the entire 14 hour flight, and the J Pillow helped me to exactly that.

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Avoid the trauma of laundry loss by simply placing items in one of these quick-drying bags before putting the entire shebang in the washing machine.

You may want to avoid bringing anything that will get wrinkled easily, unless you’re bringing a portable iron or garment steamer.

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I've saved tiny pots to scoop cleanser and moisturiser into; for hair care, I've opted for MUJI Travel Bottles that are lightweight yet can hold enough product for a week or two away (if I eek it out). It might sound like organisational overkill, but compacting your possessions into the best packing cubes you can find will save you so much hassle in the long run. Internal dividers proved invaluable during a longer-than-average holiday, which left us needing to separate our dirty laundry. Being collapsible, the Stojo Cup is more travel-friendly than most other cups and makes itself useful on trips with limited space; but the silicone makes your drink taste a little rubbery. The snap loop is useful for pinning it to your bag but the pillow itself is an awkward shape and quite bulky so I only pack this for long journeys when I know I'll need to sleep.

I've accumulated a little selection of reusable cups through gifts from friends, ones I've purchased, and press samples. This will make the suitcase more stable and you won’t need to remove the biggest cube to reach items at the bottom. It doesn’t feel as tough as cubes with larger areas of mesh or opaque material, but there are definite bonuses to using transparent plastic rather than mesh.

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Full disclosure – initially, we didn’t really see the point of adding handles to packing cubes, until we realised they’re a godsend when it comes to extricating said packing cubes from our (usually overpacked) suitcase. In a crowded market of travel cases and toiletry bags, you’d be hard-pressed to find something better. Durability seems to be on par with the quality, too; after three weeks of continuous travel, the case looked brand new.

This colourful set from Tripped features a different design on each cube, meaning that tactical packers can organise their belongings based on colour, making it even easier to retrieve something quickly. The Ion8 Flask is smaller with a capacity of only 450ml but it's an insulated flask meaning hot drinks and soup can be kept hot for up to 12 hours and drinks cold for 24. Start by deciding how you would like to categorise each packing cube – will you have a different cube for tops and trousers, say, or for each day or member of the family?