Get More out of Travel by Packing Less
I firmly believe that when it comes to travel, those that get the most out of their experience focus their planning on one thing above all else: packing as light as possible. Traveling light may seem like an obvious aspiration but tends to quickly fall to the wayside, especially if a meticulous agenda is deemed key to the “perfect trip.” The nice thing about a plan-to-pack-less is that you generally only have to do it once, as it will set you up for countless trips regardless of the destination! Once you get used to traveling less encumbered, you will never go back…
I used to spend a considerable time prior to embarking on a trip, doing as much research as possible, and planning out each day - sometimes down to the hour! I realized over time that my agenda-planning was actually turning the trip itself into a checklist of to-do items. Even worse, by preplanning my trip I was diluting the most enjoyable part of travel – the discovery of something new and surprising. Ironically, another side effect of all this pre-planning was that I ended up packing even more... “We are doing dinner at a nice restaurant? Well, let me pack my best dress shirt and shoes. We are going on a hike? Well let me pack my favorite hiking shoes and cargo shorts.” When you have no clear set plan on where you will be going, you tend to pack with versatility in mind.
What ‘traveling light’ looks like for me…
I travel with a carry-on roller bag (4 wheels) and a briefcase that has an elastic strap on the back which makes it easy to slide over the handle of my roller bag. The briefcase is large enough to hold all my electronic gear and toiletries for easy access going through security. In regard to toiletries, try to limit yourself to a 5-day supply max. Consider that most hotels have most common toiletry items on-hand and available for free if you ask.
In my carry-on bag ALWAYS:
If the trip is longer than 7 days, then you should plan on doing laundry at one of your destination points. Here, a bit of research pays off as you will want to find out how easily you can have clothes laundered where you are going and at what cost. If wash-and-fold service is likely to be unavailable or cost-prohibitive, then I would recommend just planning to wash your clothes at the hotel (I recommend the Scrubba Wash Bag, which take little space in your luggage and is easy to use).
Some of the benefits of traveling light:
I used to spend a considerable time prior to embarking on a trip, doing as much research as possible, and planning out each day - sometimes down to the hour! I realized over time that my agenda-planning was actually turning the trip itself into a checklist of to-do items. Even worse, by preplanning my trip I was diluting the most enjoyable part of travel – the discovery of something new and surprising. Ironically, another side effect of all this pre-planning was that I ended up packing even more... “We are doing dinner at a nice restaurant? Well, let me pack my best dress shirt and shoes. We are going on a hike? Well let me pack my favorite hiking shoes and cargo shorts.” When you have no clear set plan on where you will be going, you tend to pack with versatility in mind.
What ‘traveling light’ looks like for me…
I travel with a carry-on roller bag (4 wheels) and a briefcase that has an elastic strap on the back which makes it easy to slide over the handle of my roller bag. The briefcase is large enough to hold all my electronic gear and toiletries for easy access going through security. In regard to toiletries, try to limit yourself to a 5-day supply max. Consider that most hotels have most common toiletry items on-hand and available for free if you ask.
In my carry-on bag ALWAYS:
- 5-7 Plain Versatile Premium Men’s T-Shirts – By ‘versatile’ I mean these should be wearable with shorts or dressed up with crisp jeans and a blazer. Also, they should be a medium weight, wrinkle resistant (ex. Pima Cotton) and in neutral colors that are easy to pair with anything [in our admittedly biased opinion, you can’t beat a men’s T-Shirt Bundle from IF... THEN WELL]
- 1 Pair of Dark Jeans. I particularly like Japanese selvedge denim as it is less prone to wrinkle and can look very dressy when paired with a sports coat. [when available, I always try to stock up 2-3 pair at Uniqlo.com]
- 5-7 Pairs of Socks and Underwear
Trip/Destination Dependent:
- Workout gear (not including shoes – see below)
- One extra pair of dressier shoes
- Swim Trunks and Shorts or Winter Gear (Sweater, Jacket, Gloves, Scarf)
If the trip is longer than 7 days, then you should plan on doing laundry at one of your destination points. Here, a bit of research pays off as you will want to find out how easily you can have clothes laundered where you are going and at what cost. If wash-and-fold service is likely to be unavailable or cost-prohibitive, then I would recommend just planning to wash your clothes at the hotel (I recommend the Scrubba Wash Bag, which take little space in your luggage and is easy to use).
Some of the benefits of traveling light:
- Flexible to switch flights if your scheduled flight is delayed or an unexpected upgrade opportunity presents itself
- Impromptu day-trips made easier by using local storage lockers/options (obviously easier to do when you have less to store!)
- Eliminate the not-so-insignificant risk of your bag being lost by the airline
- Save money on bag fees!
I have literally circled the globe over a two-week period with just the carry-on described above. I never experienced a second of regret over an item not packed. The less you carry, the more you can experience. Isn’t that what travel is all about?
