Picture the scene: a holiday beckons and out comes your football pitch-sized suitcase. Do you cram it with more medical supplies than the Red Cross and more clothes than a TopShop delivery truck?

Maybe you used to be a Brownie, growing up with the motto 'Be prepared' and always carrying a 10p coin for emergency calls along with plasters and a hanky. Well, old habits die hard as new research by Holiday Inn has discovered.

Apparently, the average Brit packs around £1,571.98 worth of goods into their case for a two-week holiday. That's twice the price of the actual holiday. Plus, 76 per cent of people admit to not using/wearing everything they pack yet 46 per cent take more stuff home than the case can hold, with a third forced to buy another bag.

Mini-breakers are no better, packing at least £1,108.71 of goods even though their trip costs an average of £349.11. Chris Hale, spokesman for Holiday Inn, said: 'It's a very British thing to be prepared for anything. Maybe it's our unpredictable weather or something to do with growing up with the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides.'

So how do you pack to perfection without resorting to crinkle skirts and reversible jumpers?

Get some space

Two words: expandable suitcases. These are fabulous inventions. When you pack, make sure everything fits in comfortably before you expand it, then you'll have room for extras on the way back and it avoids last-minute case-stuffing one minute before check-out time. With wheelie cases, pack heavier items at the bottom. It's easier to wheel, items like shoes won't crush clothes and it won't topple over every two seconds.

Roll-up, air-compressing pack-mate bags are another must-have. They don't reduce weight, but dramatically reduce space. Place items flat inside and roll the bag until the air is out. They genuinely work - no vacuum cleaner necessary.

Time to get ruthless. Do you need that bath towel? Most hotels provide towels (as do grown-up friends) so check. As for medical supplies, painkillers, plasters and essentials are fine, but unless you're hiking through Saharan wilderness, do you need that Health & Safety Executive-approved first aid box?

Get practical

Transferring toiletries into tiny bottles is old news, but old is gold. Big bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion take up space and make potential spillages even more annoying. Besides, you won't even use half of it. Head to Boots, Superdrug or Muji and invest in travel storage solutions. Pack into plastic bags before they go into your fancy cosmetics case - leaking is just not cool.

Neither is a ruined dress. Shoes with sharp heels do not get on with delicate fabrics. Pack shoes in shoe bags or wrap a tee-shirt around them. To save space, arrange shoes so the heel of one aligns with toe of the other and stuff shoes with socks and the like.

Invest in a decent case. A broken zip on the carousel with your dirty knickers peeking out is not classy. No need to splurge on designer luggage, just a good quality bag.

Get selective

But how do you decide what to take? For starters, if it's 30C in the shade at your destination, packing three woollies is kinda crazy. Lay everything on your bed and coordinate.

What's the point of taking your favourite top then realising no skirt or trousers match? Jeans are a must and the 'three tops to one bottom' rule is handy. Ensuring most tops match with most bottoms gives you a bigger holiday wardrobe. And rolling clothes really does prevent creasing.

Us girls know how to accessorise so throw in a scarf, belt and inexpensive jewellery to create new looks. Kaftans are great. Wear with jeans for travelling, over a vest for layered loveliness, with a bikini for beach bar chic or with cropped trousers and funky sandals for later.

Always take a sweater, wrap or pashmina, even if you're off to a sun-filled paradise. And if you're going away with the girls, do you need a straightener and hair dryer each? Join forces.

Shoes can be tricky especially if your collection rivals that of Carrie Bradshaw's. Be brutal. One pair each of flip-flops, pumps, sexy sandals and some comfy ones for sightseeing will see you through most situations. If you're taking trainers, wear them to save suitcase space.

It's not just what you wear that needs pruning. Are you going to read seven books? Same for toiletries - six lipsticks? Really? And if your beach bag can double up as hand luggage, that's another spacesaver.

Getaway

A holiday checklist might sound excessive, but hang onto it for future trips and it's a time?saving way of making sure you've got everything - far classier than scrabbling around at the airport looking for items you have at home.

And if you've a tendency to always forget those last-minute items, stick a list inside your bag for items like toothbrush, toothpaste, face cream, lens solution, deodorant and razor. Finally, pack logically. If you're arriving late at night, pack sleepwear last but if you're heading straight to the beach, keep your sarong and swimwear on top.

And that's how perfect packing goes from myth to reality.