Travelling Tips for Packing Light
A woman with a rolling bag:
Lots of people love travelling, some might travel for business purposes and some travel to escape from the day to day stress or to spend some quality time with their friends and family and make good memories that they can treasure forever.
For some people travel can be bothersome, if things aren’t done in the right way. There are a lot of things a person might worry about while travelling like food, weather, transportation, hotel etc, but the most common people worry about is their luggage.
When making plans to travel, packing is one of the most important things you discuss, like clothes, toiletries, shoes, etc. Sometimes packing can be a challenging task and people might unknowingly pack heavy luggage.
It is always advisable to pack light. Light packing has its benefits like no excess baggage fee, no airport trolley, making your travel relatively hassle-free, you can quickly pack everything at your home and your hotel room, etc.
But the usual daunting question is ‘how’ to pack light? If you’re wondering too, then don’t worry, we have listed down some tips and suggestions for your light packing to make your travel more convenient:
Choose Your Bag Carefully
Sometimes your bag seems to be a problem whenever you want to travel light. It is always advisable to carry a small bag while travelling. Sometimes you pick up a big bag thinking you need everything just in case of emergency.
When you see limited space in your bag you automatically prioritize your things, discarding the things you don’t really need while travelling.
Prioritize Your Necessities
While packing for travelling (business or vacation), you should think about what is necessary according to your comfort & your lifestyle. Always make a note of necessary items that will be required during your travel.
For example, if you are an avid reader you can carry extra books with you but most of the places have bookshops & you can buy books from there or instead you can even carry a Kindle or other ebook device.
Make A List
Making a list before you start packing is always a good idea. Make a list of all the items that you require. It will help you to carry all the required items without worrying of forgetting or leaving anything behind. Sticking to the list will also help you to avoid carrying unnecessary items. You can also make a separate list of all the last minute items like mobile charger, wallet, ID card, passport, visa etc to avoid any frustration and have them ready for easy access.
Rolling, Instead of Folding
Sometimes packing your clothes can take up lots of space in your bag. But what can you do to minimize the volume? You can roll the clothes instead of folding them, it is the most commonly used method by regular travellers. Folding your clothes can save lots of space in your bag.
Compression Packing Cubes
You can use compression Packing cubes instead of randomly throwing your clothes in your bag. Compression packing cubes can help you to prioritize & compartmentalize the clothes you want to carry while travelling as it limits the amount of clothes you can carry. A packing cube can save a lot of space in your bag and pack other necessary items or souvenirs for your family or friends. It also avoids the mixing of items in your bag.
Carry Necessary Shoes
It’s nice to have different shoes for different occasions but when it comes to travelling, you have to restrict yourself because shoes take lots of space in your bag. Carry shoes which you can use for different purposes and which goes with your outfit. You can carry a pair of everyday shoes, flats, running shoes for outdoor activities.
Travel Size Toiletries
Avoid packing standard size bottles or tubes of shampoo, perfume, cleanser, moisturizer etc., instead, buy travel size bottles or tubes from the departmental store or you can ask for a trial pack also. You can also buy travel size toiletries from online stores. If you don’t want to buy a new bottle or tube, you can opt for an empty travel bottle kit and fill your shampoo, moisturizer etc. as per your requirements.
Avoid Heavy Clothes
Try to avoid packing thick and heavy clothes. These clothes take a lot of space in your bag and can make your luggage heavy. Pack light clothes and for cold climates, rather than packing a bulky sweater you can add a lightweight packable jacket and layer them.
Don’t Carry Laundry Items
Do not carry unnecessary laundry items while travelling. You can use local laundry shops if required. If your hotel has a laundry service you can make use of it. If you want to carry laundry items with you, you can pick a single-use pack of laundry detergent, laundry soaps or laundry leaves to save up space in your luggage.
Avoid Carrying Unnecessary Make-up
Carrying unnecessary make-up items can add up to your luggage. Always try to carry minimum and essential make-up items. You can carry one lipstick palette with 4-6 shades. It’ll consume less space with more shades option. Along with a lipstick palette, you can carry a small foundation tube to save up more space. If blush is an important part of your make-up, you can always rely on lip and cheek tint which works as lipstick as well as blush.
Mini First-Aid Kit
Keeping a quick-access small First-Aid kit with you is really important. While travelling, or staying at home, having a first-aid box is necessary. While travelling, you should keep all the necessary medicines with you along with antiseptic cream, antiseptic liquid, bandaid and cotton. If you are travelling to a hilly area, keeping medicine for motion sickness is important.
Conclusion:
You might face some confusion while packing because you have to leave a few items behind. And that’s ok. While packing, think about the items you really-need and why you need these items. Take necessary items so that you can enjoy your trip.
