The journey there is easy. You pack what you need, your suitcase closes without anyone having to sit on the lid, and you feel like an organized person.
Then comes the return journey.
Suddenly there is a forty-centimetre ceramic rooster with you. Or a bronze donkey. Or an olive-wood chessboard you will never use. The seller said 'handmade' and you heard 'now or never'. Your suitcase was so spacious on Sunday. Now it is on the floor with you on top of it.
Why this happens every time
You pack your suitcase for the life you have at home. On holiday you buy for the life you want there. That is a perfectly good explanation, but it does not help at the baggage counter.
Three solutions
Take an extra bag that weighs nothing. A foldable travel bag folds up into a small package and fits free of charge in your suitcase. On the way back you unfold it and suddenly you have extra space. It comes in solid colours or with prints, from flamingo to panda.
Weigh your suitcase before you go to the airport. Not at the counter, where everyone is watching. With a digital luggage scale you will know at home whether the rooster can come with you.
Choose what really needs to come with you. A ceramic rooster does not fit between your shirts, but it does fit in a bag you carry yourself. Keep in mind that airlines have different limits for carry-on luggage, so check beforehand.
Let's be honest
No bag solves the problem of having bought a rooster. But it does ensure that the rooster does not have to fit in your jacket pocket.
You can find more clever travel essentials at eazipeazi.com. Free shipping from €30 in Belgium and the Netherlands, and from €40 in the rest of the EU.