It's the night before you leave, all travel documents are tucked securely in an envelope; your booking in a hotel somewhere in the Maldives is confirmed; and everything is virtually set – except your luggage! You have carefully planned your trip for months but failed somehow failed to pack your bags.

Imagine this situation happening to you. The trip hasn't started yet but you have already bumped into a problem. What a way to start your vacation! Well, you will probably solve this seemingly simple problem. After all, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but not after several hours of worrying and looking for the items you should bring that should have been prepared days before. The point is clear, put emphasis on everything, including the things that will fill your bag.

Here are some tips to remember when packing for a vacation:

Travel light – not because it is easier to carry a lighter bag but because carrying too much weight can be a real problem at the airport. Airline carriers have allowable weight limit to both check-in and carryon baggage - you need to pay for any excess weight you carry. You should also consider the size of your bag. You may not be carrying too much weight but if your bag is larger than the set size, you may have to buy a new one right at the airport or leave with nothing at all.

Different airline carriers have different policies about the allowable weight and size of you baggage. Be sure to check on it before you leave.

Pack wisely – For men, this is not a problem at all as they can exist with just an extra pair of shorts and shirts. But for women, packing for a holiday is totally different story. It is almost weird that women love to carry everything that can fit in their bags. And if there is no more room for other stuffs, they will take another bag and try to fill it to its limits. But regardless of gender, simple rules apply: bring only the things you need and leave everything that's unnecessary. You are going on a beach resort so leave your formal dress in your closet, forget your high-heel shoes and leave your blower behind.

Roll instead of folding your clothes – it saves you space and reduces unwanted wrinkles.

Identify what stuff goes to which bag – If you are traveling, you probably have at least 1 check-in luggage and 1 carryon bag. Take note: important travel documents, a set of clean clothes, vital medicines and other items you can't live without should be packed on your carryon bag. The rest of your stuff goes to your check-in luggage. Why? Bags can get lost while inside the terminal, on its way to the plane; so you have to make sure that the most important things are right beside you.

Create a checklist – There is no shame admitting that you can forget things. Who doesn't? To ensure that you have all the things you need are already prepared, use a checklist. After all, you cannot blame anyone for not remembering the things you should have brought along with you. Moreover, using a checklist will help you eliminate items that you really don't need in case everything doesn't fit inside your bag.

Use your checklist before you leave the resort at the end of your vacation.