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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Milo Boyd

A Place in the Sun host says she's mastered packing to stick to hand luggage

A Place in the Sun presenter Jean Johansson has explained how she has got packing for a holiday down 'to a fine art'.

The Scottish broadcaster has been the face of the Channel 4 institution since 2018, and now spends 20 weeks of the year filming the show in various sun-drenched locations.

Jean also splits some of her personal time between the UK and Scandinavia, where husband and Finnish footballer Jonatan is from.

As the mum-of-one spends a lot of time on the road and moving through airports, packing light is essential.

Jean Johansson with husband Jonatan and son (Daily Record)

"I have got that down to a fine art," she told The Mirror. "When I first started I travelled with massive suitcases, now I'm a hand luggage girl. I'm a micro packer. I've gotten really good at it."

Her key to light-packing success is thinking ahead to your trip and thinking what situations you're likely to be in.

For a four-week shoot in Cyprus Jean recently brought two summer dresses, a bikini, and a pair of flip flops, and then did her washing in the hotel room and dried it on the balcony.

It's particularly easy for Jean to pack light as she has to wear the same dress for five days in a row.

While A Place in the Sun looks like it is filmed all on one day, it is actually shot across five, meaning the hosts and people appearing on it need to re-wear their outfits for the full run.

Jean says she is a "micro-packer" (Daily Record)
Jean explained that each episode is filmed over five days (PA)

Jean went on to express her enormous admiration for the show's guests and their willingness to move across the Continent and start a new life.

She said many of them share an "openness to living in another country" and a "sense of adventure."

She added: "The minute you apply for A Place in the Sun you sign up to a rollercoaster ride.

"To share that search and that experience. That taking a risk. I really respect and admire that. They don't realise how brave they are."

Of the many guests who she continues to speak to after they "become like part of the crew" during the shoot, Paul and Bev are possibly closest to Jean's heart.

"I go and have dinner with Paul and Bev in Spain when I'm there," Jean said of the couple, who move to Torrevieja together 18 years after meeting online.

"They have become fluent Spanish speakers. That's just gorgeous. I always encourage them to learn the language.

"I'd never have thought they'd be fluent in Spanish, but now he is part of the community. How much he's immersed himself in Spanish life has inspired me."

Jean added: "All our house hunters are very normal people."

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