Traveling Light: How To Pack Right
With baggage fees going up and up and up, the less you bring along, the better. When you need to pack light, having the right knowledge beforehand ensures you pack right. The following helpful hints will ensure that you bring as little as possible without missing out on anything.
Buy yourself a single bag to carry on the plane and don't fill it past twenty pounds. Use a luggage scale to weigh it as a traditional scale won't cut it. This is your only bag to bring on the plane, so it will have to be packed very carefully.
A week before you leave, get out everything you want to bring. Lay it on the floor and go through it piece by piece. Consider whether or not you really need the item or if you could go without. When you decide a piece if superfluous, put it away. Soon enough, your huge assortment of items should be whittled down to just a few.
For items like toiletries, plan to buy what you need at the location. That means researching where you will be able to buy the items at a low cost. If you are traveling within North America, you can look up Wal-Mart locations. If traveling overseas, find out which stores are discount retailers and how you can find one near your hotel.
Laundry can be your friend as you travel. You don't need to use the hotel's laundry service, instead find a laundromat near your lodging. That will allow you to bring one or two outfits and then just pay a few dollars to have them cleaned midway through your trip. Clothing takes up a lot of space in your bags, so the less you bring the better.
When you do pack clothes, choose wrinkle-free fabrics which are darkly colored. They will need less care and will be able to be worn a few times before showing any dirt. Bring two bottoms and two tops so you can mix and match a few times before anyone could notice it is the same outfit over and over again. If you really want to mix it up, bring more accessories and less main pieces.
Folding clothes isn't the most efficient way to pack them, so roll them instead. Not only does this take up less space, it avoids creases where the clothing has been folded. You can do this with socks, underwear, pants, tops, literally anything you plan to pack.
When filling your bag, be sure not to go over 2/3 full. You may bring items back with you, such as souvenirs or presents for family and friends, so you have to leave room for all of that. There is no point in having a separate bag for it all, so instead just make room within the bags you already have.
Bringing as little as possible is key to having a good trip. The less you have to worry about, the better. On top of that, the less you spend on your plane travel, the better! These tips will help you do just that without any hassle at all.
