You are just a few days away from your trip and you are gearing up to hit the road. You have done your research and have an itinerary for the places you want to visit.
Better yet, you have hired a personal travel advisor to do all that for you. Now all you have to do is pack for your trip. Simple enough, right?
Well, it turns out that packing for a trip is not that easy. In a study a few years ago that looked at the travel and packing habits of Americans, 65 percent of respondents admitted to having real difficulty packing for a trip.
“Who knew something so ‘simple’ could get complicated so easily?”
And yet, we have all packed a little too much at one time or another – be it a spare pair of shoes or an extra iPad – only to find that lugging those bags around proves unnecessary or difficult during the trip.
A vacation is supposed to be a stress-busting, fun, and relaxing activity. Constantly managing your luggage is not exactly something you want to do on a trip.
The travel industry is also nudging travelers to travel with less luggage. Checked baggage fees are increasing, and airlines have introduced cheaper ticket tiers like the basic economy, where travelers are allowed to carry only one small bag. Also, most airlines allow you to check in one bag and bring one carry-on.
Typically, there is a maximum weight restriction of 50 pounds per checked bag, as well as a size restriction.
While there’s no right answer to whether a person should pack light or heavy, many of us can admit to ourselves that we probably need to start leaning towards the former.
Here are practical ways you can avoid the trap of overpacking.
Think Through How Overpacking Might Limit You
If you have a bigger suitcase than you need, you often pack much more than you need so as to fill it up. It’s a subconscious thing, I guess.
Yet despite having an overstuffed suitcase, most people still need to buy something to wear when away on their trip! There are many reasons for this: bad weather, an unexpected event, feeling out of place in the clothes you packed, etc.
The point is you really can never pack 100% for every imaginable situation.
If that’s not enough, after all that packing, chances are you won’t use half of what you plan to take! So why not save yourself the trouble and leave some behind?
Want to be a little more radical with your packing? Leave behind 30-50%. Might sound scary but try it one day and you might be surprised, that less is more.
There are other reasons to pack less and leave room in your bag.
- Dirty laundry takes up far more space than neatly folded/rolled clothing. See you don’t want to mix your unworn clean clothes with your dirty ones, you might need extra space for easier packing.
- A large suitcase means – you guessed it – a heavy suitcase. Repacking your luggage every time you need to move (e.g. moving from one destination to the next ) should not feel like you’re trying to solve a complex puzzle.
- Even if you do not plan it, you’ll probably come home with more than you took. You’ll buy souvenirs for friends and family back home. You may even buy something for yourself. So always leave enough room in your bag for the items you might bring home.
- For some, their journey is also a shopping trip. For example, there are people who take old clothes with them, which they can then simply leave behind and buy new ones. I have a friend who brings his old underwear to Italy so he can buy new ones and get rid of the others! It may not have to be new underwear, but if you are going to shop for clothes, you need to account for space in advance.
Start Packing Early
Almost everyone waits until the night before (or the day of) the trip to start packing. When asked why they can not start packing earlier, most state that they need certain things for their everyday life and therefore can not put them in a suitcase in advance.
However, the reality is that rushed or frantic packing never really works, which is why it’s important to start early. Starting early does not necessarily mean physically packing a week or two before your trip.
Something as simple as making a packing list and thoughtfully deciding what you really want to take with you can go a long way in ensuring you have a smooth trip.
The list needs to be specific. For example, decide on a fancy dress or two-piece that you will wear when you dine at that Michelin-star restaurant you are all excited to visit.
This is also the perfect time to take care of laundry and make sure all the clothes you plan to bring with you are clean.
It’s also the right time to figure out what makeup and skincare products you absolutely need with you at all times. A great idea is replacing liquids with dry products.
Not only do they weigh less but they also take up less space. Think about the amount of liquid soap you would need to carry for a 2-week trip – this can be easily replaced with 1 bar soap.
Same with shampoo and deodorant. For those things that don’t have the dry version, find out if they come in travel-sized bottles or if you need to buy small empty bottles to fill with your favorite products.
A great tip for regular travelers is to have a specific travel toiletry bag that has duplicates of everything you need: like a hairbrush, contact lens case and solution, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. This way you know you already have everything in there already and won’t have to use your daily stuff at home.
Do you need to bring your running shoes? Might this trip involve more walking than you had originally thought? This is the time to figure that out.
It should be relatively easy to make a list of essentials. From there, it’s a matter of adding extra items that might be nice to have along.
A few days before your trip, make sure to physically pack the essentials and see how much room is left in your suitcase for other things that could enhance the experience without taking up too much space.
Compression bags are great because they allow you to fit your clothes into 50% less space.
You can also use them to organize your stuff into different packages so you do not have to dig through your luggage to find a sock! The good thing is that you do not have to use a vacuum to compress them.
Mix and Match
Do you know you can minimize the clothes you bring by choosing only those that you can wear in more than one outfit? Pre-planning outfits is something you can start doing the week before your trip, which is why starting the packing process early is important.
Consider packing versatile items that can be repurposed for multiple outfits and occasions. Let us say you plan to wear two outfits per day while traveling.
How many of these outfits can be taken from day to evening by simply throwing on a great third piece, like a blazer or jacket and accessorizing it?
To have a great chance of making this work, stick to patterns and colors that can mix and match with different pieces. Solid colors are a good choice, as they usually blend well together.
You can also pack in the same color palate. Some people like taking 80% black and white clothes and the rest color. Most pieces go well with black with pops of color.
Do this right and you can easily put together 20 outfits from eight carefully selected pieces! This way you will also minimize the number of shoes you need.
You can also buy reversible clothing, and plenty of retailers are coming up with cool reversible patterns with travelers in mind.
Keep in mind the goal is to make choices and streamline your wardrobe for travel, but not to the point where it becomes a fashion show that slows you down. So be mindful of the practical aspects of being on the road. That means leaving that thick heavy jacket or the fun-shaped bulky bag at home! It’s a balancing act.
The same goes for accessories. Invest in just a couple choice scarves, belts, and shoes that go with everything.
Speaking of shoes—no more than three. Yes, three. Good walking shoes, sandals if it’s hot, boots if it’s not. You can opt for either flats or low-heeled shoes.
If you do choose heels, make sure they are comfortable enough to wear all day long!
Get a Luggage Weighing Scale
Technology is constantly proving to be a great convenience for travel. And no, I am not talking about your iPad . You are better off leaving that at home(save space, better tune into your trip).
In our post practical tips for solo female travelers we talked about an innovative travel accessory that secretly sends text notifications to your emergency contacts and to 911 if you find yourself in an emergency situation.
In this case, I’d like to highlight Luggage Weighing Scales. A great example is the Freetoo Digital Scale, a lightweight digital luggage scale is a small savvy accessory that will save any traveler both time and money. It provides the exact weight of your bag with a deviation of no more than 0.1 pounds.
The scale itself weighs only 0.90 grams, so you can easily slip it into your pocket and take it with you. Plus, it automatically shuts off after 60 seconds to conserve battery power
There are many advantages to using a device like this:
Reduce stress: no more scrambling to redistribute necessities from one bag to the next while waiting in line at the check-in counter.
Save money: airlines have become very strict about baggage fees, charging $50 or more per bag, even if the suitcase weighs just a few pounds too much
Force you to pack lighter:If you know your luggage is at capacity it will force you to leave out a few unnecessary pieces so you end up with just the right amount
Getting to your destination is stressful enough. You do not need to worry about the weight of your luggage as well. Using a luggage scale will help you avoid overpacking.
Uncomplicate Your Travel
While I can not help you figure out what outfit to carry and which to leave behind, I can help you streamline your trip in so many other ways.
My services range from flight booking and management (layover options, finding the right seat category and managing delays/cancelations) to trip planning (research, booking hotels with perks you will not find anywhere else, and tailored excursions).
Plus everything in between that goes into curating a bespoke, unique and stress-free trip.
You can learn more about me here or if you are ready to have a conversation about your trip, feel free to get in touch for a consultation. I would love to talk about how we can make your next trip the best one yet.