4. A note on using your clothesIf clothing is your only option, jeans or thick sweaters work well for rolling around your bottles, but a sleeve or pants leg will stop a bottle from slipping out of its position. You then want to treat your bottle like an egg, and your suitcase like a nest, feathering it with your clothes so that it is perfectly padded on all sides, below, and also above. You also want the suitcase to be full to minimise any chance of movement, so if you have space, offer to take your friend’s puffy coat for them. Once you’re all sealed up, give the bag a shake, and if you don’t hear clanging, you’re probably good.
5. Consider alternative acquisitions Travelling with alcohol is always going to be risky, so if you’re not feeling up to the potential task of beer-soaked clothes or glass-shards in your suitcase, seek an alternative. If you’re at a vineyard overseas, find out if they have an Australian distributor, then you can buy it at home. It may be more expensive, but definitely less expensive than replacing your whole wardrobe because it’s now covered in red-wine stains. You could also enquire about buying and posting, either from the winery or distillery directly, or by taking it to the local post office yourself. This is not always the easiest task, particularly if you don’t speak the language, and it’s never cheap, but a possibility if you don’t feel like cleaning rum out of your shoes.
