Whether we are planning to eat our way through the street markets of Thailand or explore the rainforests of South America, we can always make our trip hassle-free if we learn how to travel light. Taking a lot of stuff in our suitcase for ‘just in case’ situations will make our trip stressful and awkward. But it isn’t easy to determine which item should take priority in our backpack and packing light is indeed a challenge for most of the people. Some people always pay for excess baggage at the airport. In this article, we talk about various tips to travel light.
To travel light, start with a smaller suitcase
If we have a small suitcase then it’s obvious that we won’t tempt to take more things just because we have space. If we are buying a suitcase or backpack for the trip then we should always go for a lightweight product. If we are looking for a good daypack, we must make sure that the pack is theft-proof, sturdy and lightweight. Not just because it’s easier to carry but also because of different airlines’ weight limits on carry-on bags. The pack should have a lot of pockets it will allow us to store more things, such as a camera to take some nice pictures while traveling, some snacks for the journey, necessary documents and other necessary accessories.
Taking a smaller suitcase or backpack means taking a limited number of things. And these things are those which we will need throughout the trip we cannot afford to take the wrong things with us. It’s difficult to decide on things that we should carry but if we make proper decisions then it will lead to a sorted trip.
Use compression cubes, folders, sacks and take proper clothes
Packing cubes make our clothes take less space and create a natural limit on how many things we can pack. Packing folders keep the clothes wrinkle-free and organized in categories. All these things give us extra space in the pack which will tempt us to take more clothes and that would be useful. We should always carry things in three like three pairs of pants, jeans, t-shirts, socks, underwear, etc. for a trip shorter than two-week. We should follow, ‘wear one, wash one, dry one. We should pack clothes which can be worn with anything in our wardrobe. It will help us eliminate a lot of unnecessary clothes.
Even if we are visiting winter destinations, we shouldn’t pack thick and heavy clothes. A couple of thin layers can warm us as much as clothes made of thick materials. However, if we are planning to bring thick layer clothes we should take multi-pocket jackets. We can use the jacket to pack some items and save space in our bags. We should always wear the bulkiest item on the flight. If we minimize the number of bulky clothes in our luggage it will reduce the chances of paying baggage fees.
Every bit of space is important
We shouldn’t take any just-in-case items; we should fill in empty spaces with tiny items like socks and underwear and use rubber bands. This makes our clothes look more organized and take less space. We shouldn’t take shoes for every occasion. Shoes are the bulkiest items to be packed and they take their own space as they can’t be folded or adjusted in any way. If it’s summer we should take flip-flops or sandals. If it’s winters we should wear our bulky boots to the flight and pack a lightweight pair of a boot in our packs.
These are a few tips to travel light and right regardless of where we are traveling. Following these tips will make our things organized and trip sorted.
Written By