That woman's touch

A recent survey by global travel search site Skyscanner has found that less than half of all men (44 per cent) pack their own suitcases, with a shocking 6 per cent admitting they have Never packed their own bag to go on holiday. Even when it comes to business trips, a massive 27 per cent of men say their partner still packs their bag for them.

And the reason? While over a third (35 per cent) say it is because their partners know they will forget things otherwise, one in ten admits it’s because they are too lazy and a further 10 per cent say it is because they ask them to.

However, it appears that women may not be packing for their partners completely altruistically. A third of the women who pack for their partners said it was because they believe they are better at it, and almost a fifth said they like doing it. Ten per cent admitted it is because they like to control what their partner wears and 13 per cent said they want to smuggle their own belongings into their partner’s case.

And it appears they have good reason to want to steal some of their partner’s luggage space with 56 per cent of women surveyed admitting they pack more than their partner and just 12 per cent stating their partner packs more than them. When sharing a suitcase, 45 per cent of women said they get more space than their partners, compared to just 6 per cent of men.

This extra luggage may be one of the reasons why women start packing much sooner than men: 35 per cent of women start packing a few days or more in advance of their trip compared to 20 per cent of men, while a whopping 44 per cent of men are last minute packers, packing their bags the night before or just a few hours before the holiday (compared to 30 per cent of women).

“Thai travellers make the most of luggage space because many like to buy local souvenirs and snacks to share with family, friends, and colleagues. And based on chats with a wide cross section of friends, Thai women seem to be more skilled, smart, and patient, when it comes to using all available space in a suitcase,” says Grace Pobpabha Areerat, Skyscanner Market Development Manager for Thailand.