How to Pack Light on Your Trip

There’s an old saying that when you travel you should take half as much as you need but double the amount of money you bring. After traveling around the world twice, I couldn’t agree with that statement more. It’s really important to pack light on your vacation. Packing light helps you avoid fees on airlines, saves space, and gives you less clothes to carry, and allows you more freedom.

It is often said that the stuff we own, ends up owning us. When we travel, we plan too much. We typically bring lots of clothes and stuff because we feel that you never know what might occur. So we leave for a two week holiday with a suitcase filled with half our wardrobe. However, the trick to travel is to pack light. We often go on a trip and only end up using half of what we brought, regretting we brought so much in the first place.

When I travel, all of my belongings fit into a tiny daypack and a large backpack or duffel bag. I have traveled for over a year without needing anything more. In fact, I often find I still bring too much!! When friends come and visit me, I am amazed that they took so much stuff. They ask me my tips on packing light. I’ll tell you what I tell them.

Here’s my secret to packing light and how you can too:

First, write a list of everything you think you might need. Everything and anything. From clothes, to toiletries, to electronics, to jackets, and everything in between. This packing list will usually ends up pretty long. But that’s ok, we’ll get it down fast.

Next, look at your list and think about it in relation to your holiday. If you are going to the beach, do you really need pants or jeans? If you are going to Amsterdam when it is warm, do you really need to pack long sleeve shirts?

Now, you should have cut your packing list down a lot by eliminating those items that didn’t really have anything to do with your trip. Now, let’s take a look at your toiletry list. Why are you packing so much? In this age of over caution, people tend to pack every medicine known to man just in case. Let’s be realistic- do you ever use most of them? Can’t you buy them at your destination? So go minimal. If you do get sick, you can always by Tylenol or diarrhea medicine there. Take only the bare essentials. A few pills that take up only a little space- you don’t need the whole box.

What about the other supplies your packing? Soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, razor, and shaving cream is what you need. If you are staying at a b &b, you don’t even need soap or shampoo since it is provided for you. You’re going on vacation not to a corporate function so toss the cosmetics and facial products.

Now, look at your packing list. What can you buy there if you really need it? Probably lots. Toss the bug spray, the suntan lotion, and whatever else you are packing. You can’t take it on the plane anyways.

Ok, final step on the way to packing light. We’ve probably cut out a lot of your list now. The next step is to just remove out another half. You are holiday, relaxing. Things don’t get very dirty and you can wear the same shorts a few days in a row. Ditch the towel- just borrow the one from the hotel. Take half as many clothes. Wear some longer or don’t wear any! You never wear everything you take and unless spill something or sweat through your shirt, you can wear it for more than one day.

That’s it. That is the trick to packing light. Cutting, cutting, and cutting until you get to the essential items you need to pack. If you follow my opinion, I guarantee you will pack light and make the whole packing process much easier.