How to pack light when travelling

During your travels you surely want to feel free like a bird, not packed like a mule! That’s why it’s worth taking the time to pack light. 

(Packing Like a Pro and Traveling Light—My Ultimate Guide)

Why pack light?

I recently went on a short visit to Bristol with a dear friend. The way we travelled couldn’t be more different. While she had a massive suitcase, a tote bag, a rucksack and a handbag, I only took my trusted Pakt bag and a small padded bag for my camera.

I always travel light, whether it’s 3 weeks in Italy or two days in the Austrian mountains. But why?

Packing light saves you time packing and unpacking.

Packing light saves you money by not having to pay for hold luggage in an aeroplane or a taxi to get you to your accommodation.

Packing light also makes it easier to get around as you don’t have to lug heavy bags and can easily pack up to go elsewhere.

Packing light means more freedom when you travel. With less to lug around, you can easily maneuver through crowded spots, speed through baggage claim, make last-minute plans without worrying what to do with your stuff and spend less time tracking gear. Going light makes even more sense now that many airlines charge fees for bags or luggage that exceeds certain size or weight restrictions.

How to Pack Light for Traveling

Below, I will give you my seven main tips for travelling light. Even if minimalism isn’t quite your thing, and you like different snazzy outfits, perhaps some of my tips are helpful to at least lighten the load.

How to pack light

Pack Versatile Clothing

Rather than packing an outfit for each day, select versatile, neutral-coloured clothing items that can be mixed and matched. Choose lightweight, wrinkle-resistant fabrics that you can layer for different weather conditions.

Examples of versatile clothing include black jeans, which you could pair with a fancy top. You can wear Flip Flops to the pool and as slippers around the house.

Choose clothing that dries quickly and pack washing powder to remove stains from eating or hiking.

If you can afford it, invest in Marino wool clothing, as it keeps odours at bay, allowing you to wear it more than once. Further, it provides warmth when it’s cold and keeps you cool when it’s hot.

Minimise Toiletries

Most hotels and accommodations provide basic toiletries. Opt for travel-sized containers and solid alternatives like shampoo bars, deodorant sticks, and toothpaste tablets to save space.

Muji sells small plastic bottles, tubes, and containers, allowing you to decant your regular-sized creams and lotions into small quantities without buying expensive travel sizes. This saves on packaging, too. I put mine in the dishwasher when they are empty.

If you travel with a friend, consider sharing toiletries such as shampoo or shower gel.

Books

Use an eBook reader and/or tablet instead of physical books. However nice it might be to hold books, they are heavy and take up a lot of space in your suitcase.

A Kindle, for example, is only 174 x 125 x 8.1 mm big. They are also light and portable. The Kindle Paperwhite 2021 weighs 205 grams instead of 283 grams for your average paperback book. If you travel, you only need to take one device, and you can store thousands of books on it. In the olden days, my suitcase was overflowing and heavy with books.

Electronic Devices

Try to limit electronic devices to a minimum. Unless you are going on a business trip, do you need a heavy laptop, or will a tablet do? In my view, Tablets are not as comfortable as working on a laptop or desktop, but they are lightweight and perfectly adequate for quick email checking, online browsing and watching a movie.

Use Packing Cubes or Compression Bags

Packing cubes are a game-changer for staying organised while travelling. They compress clothing, making fitting everything into a small bag easier. Compression bags are handy for bulkier clothing, such as jackets or sweaters, when travelling to colder destinations.

Further, packing cubes aid organisation as they keep different types of clothing separate, making it easier to find what you need. They are also easy to pack and unpack, as you only need to remove the cubes, not each individual item.

Small luggage

Take only a small suitcase or backpack as it encourages packing efficiency. It’s the same principle as Parkinson’s Law, which suggests that work expands to fill the time available for completion. A large suitcase screams fill me.

On the other hand, a small suitcase forces travellers to pack only essentials, reducing unnecessary items, thus making it easier to organise and find things quickly.

Conclusion

I hope the above has inspired you to lighten your load next time you hit the road.

Need help with packing or creating a packing list or packing? Get in touch.