Packing cubes delivered to Oxford

A long road to the departure gate

Oxford is a city without a main airport on its doorstep. For most flights, the trip starts with an hour or more on a coach to Heathrow or Gatwick, or a train up to Birmingham International. That changes how you should pack.

On a coach, your case goes in the hold and you cannot get at it until the airport. Anything you need on the way - a charger, a book, the passport - has to be in the bag on your lap. People who pack loosely end up rummaging through a whole suitcase on the pavement outside the terminal. Cubes stop that, because the one cube you need is the one you open.

Eight-week terms and a lot of moving

Oxford is a university city twice over, and the academic year is short and sharp. Terms run for about eight weeks, and many students clear their rooms at the end of each one. That means packing up a whole room three times a year, not once.

A cube per category turns that from a weekend job into an afternoon. Clothes go straight from drawer to cube to car, and back again. Compression cubes earn their place here, flattening duvets and winter coats so a single car load is enough.

What Oxford trips usually need

• Coach to the airport: a small cube or tech case in your hand luggage, so nothing in the hold needs opening
• End-of-term moves: compression cubes for bedding and bulky clothes
• Conference and academic travel: a hanging wash bag and two medium cubes for a three-night stay
• Weekends in London: one small set in a cabin bag, easy to carry on a busy train