It’s not easy to convert to travelling light, but once you do you won’t go back to checking in and carrying heavy bags ever again. No waiting at airport carousels, no lost bags and a much easier journey from airport or station to your hotel/Airbnb – trust us, it makes the whole trip so much easier.
As Monique found when she first converted, packing light can be more difficult than simply filling a giant suitcase with loads of your stuff, much of which will come home with you totally unused. It takes more thought, planning and organization, but if you follow with our 7 tips, you’ll soon be packing light like a Pro!
Table of Contents
1. Pick the right bag
For us this meant finding a bag that will pass one of those airline carry-on size check. It’s not just size that matters, shape is important too. It also needs to be easy to carry and leave both of your hands free. We currently use Carry-On Travel Backpacks from Amazon Basics.
They meet our needs perfectly, as they are extremely versatile, relatively inexpensive and seem to meet the carry-on requirements for most airlines. They also have a padded slot for your laptop if you need to take it. You can find these bags, and others like them, here on the Amazon website.
We avoid bags with wheels for most trips, as while they are great on smooth airport floors, in the real world they don’t work quite so well! We also don’t recommend regular backpacks from camping stores, at least if you are travelling by air, which from Jamaica means always. They are great to carry, but the dimensions are usually all wrong for the carry-on sizing bins.
Imagine arriving at Vienna train station after dark on a wet and rainy Sunday, neither of your cell phones will connect, and you need to find your Airbnb accommodation. This is what happened to us in 2019 and life was made just that little bit easier by having our hands free and not having to worry about wheels on the unforgiving Austrian sidewalks and roads.
2. Use Packing Cubes
For Nick, at least, packing cubes are a must. These lightweight fabric and mesh oblong shaped bags typically come in different sizes and are incredibly flexible. You instantly know where everything is so you can find it quickly.
Simply roll up your clothes as all the pros do, put them in a cube and thanks to the compression feature, you will get even more into your bag. When you arrive, you can easily put your cubes straight into the dresser drawers: no need to unpack everything or rummage through your bag to find that pair of socks that you know is in there somewhere.
Need to keep your clean clothes separate from those which need washing? Easy, simply divide them between different packing cubes.
3. Plan on doing Laundry
If you pack the right clothes, this shouldn’t be too difficult, but there is no getting around the fact that if you are traveling for more than a week with a small bag your choices are either doing laundry or smelling a little unpleasant. Here’s what we have done over the years:
- Handwash items in a sink, shower, or bathtub.
- Book accommodation with laundry facilities; Airbnb is great for this and it’s easy to filter to find accommodation that has laundry facilities.
- Find a Laundromat. These aren’t available in all countries and cities, so do your research first to see if there is one nearby where you’re staying.
- Use a local laundry service. Again, these are not always available, but they can be great value and incredibly convenient. They are often located in or close to a dry cleaner.
- Phone a friend. If you are lucky enough to have friends who live in the place you are visiting (or a brother doing a dog-sit in a house close by) this might be an option.
- Bite the bullet and use the hotel laundry service. This can be a little costly, but if you have no other options, it will do the job. When we’ve used hotel laundry services it’s just been for larger, heavier items that we can’t wash properly by hand in the sink.
4. Pack by Numbers
It really helps when you have a standard list of items to pack. It may take you a couple of trips to figure out what works for you and, of course, different trips may require slightly different items, so treat this as a guide and not hard rules. This is our basic packing list:
- 6 tops or shirts
- 2 pairs of pants
- 6 pieces of underwear
- 4 pairs of socks
- 2 pairs of footwear
- A sweater or fleece
- A raincoat that can fit over your fleece
- Toiletries
In addition, Monique takes 2 bras and a super versatile pashmina, while Nick always brings his Bluetooth speaker.
If you need to take a towel with you, forget your regular cotton bath towels and opt for one of these great travel towels:
- Microfibre towels are widely available, especially from camping and outdoor stores. They are inexpensive, very lightweight and they dry quickly. The only thing you need to remember is to make sure it’s fully dry before you fold or pack; otherwise you might be greeted by a pretty unpleasant smell.
- Linen towels are quickly becoming a popular alternative despite being more expensive than microfibre, more difficult to find and slightly bulkier. However, they work incredibly well as they are highly absorbent and dry in seconds.
- Peshtemal towels are made from tightly woven, flat cotton, and are a great option as they are, compact, absorbent, and dry quickly. They are also very versatile, and they can be used as a stylish sarong, wrap or scarf. Originally from Turkey, they are now available across Europe and North America. If you have ever had a proper Turkish Bath, you’ve almost certainly used a peshtemal towel.
The most important thing to remember, is that you will need less than you think you will!
5. Plan and organize your wardrobe
Your packing list is only a starting point and you still need to plan carefully to make sure that you have everything you need for your trip and nothing else. Think ahead for the first 6 days or so, what are you going to wear with what? If plans alter, can you change things around?
We literally lay out our clothes on the bed and move them around: on Monday I’ll wear this shirt with these pants and socks, then on Tuesday it will be my other pants, that shirt and sandals, and so on. Pick shirts and pants that can all go with each other so if something unexpected happens, your last shirt will go with either pair of pants. We don’t actually use this as a wardrobe plan when we arrive; it’s more about assessing the different scenarios and making sure we have all the bases covered.
Also remember to take clothes that are easy to maintain:
- Cotton and synthetics tend to dry more quickly, which is important when you are doing your own laundry, so pick items that you know will both wash and dry easily.
- Dark colours are more forgiving. If you drop some of that delicious, spicy rogan josh on your black cotton pants, you can probably spot clean it quickly and even if you can’t, the stain will be barely noticeable. Now think of the same situation if you are wearing a nice pair of light-coloured khakis!
After each trip conduct a quick review: what items did you need and use? What things didn’t you need? Was there anything that you wished that you had brought with you? Write down the results, otherwise by the time you come to pack for your next trip, you will have forgotten what you learned from the last one.
6. Wear the bulky stuff when you are travelling
This is particularly important if you are flying. Wearing or carrying your coat or fleece will free up space in your bag. Pick your heaviest pants, usually jeans, for the journey too. Most importantly, wear your bulkiest footwear.
We often take our hiking boots, so guess what we wear when we’re flying or taking the train/bus? Some people say hiking boots make airport security tougher, and while this might be true, it’s 5 seconds of our lives that we are prepared to sacrifice for a great trip.
7. Think Layers
While your heavy-duty, well-insulated, water-proof coat may be great, it’s probably not the best thing to take when you travel, as there may be relatively few opportunities to wear it. A thermal shirt, fleece and breathable, waterproof coat can combine to perform the same role just as well. Then, if the next day it warms up but continues to rain, you can ditch the fleece. If it is a dry day, but a little cool, maybe you can do without the thermal shirt and outer coat, then go out in your fleece over a t-shirt. You just don’t get this sort of flexibility with even the best sort of heavy coats.
Also, the lighter clothing that comes when you layer tends to result in a wardrobe that is easier to dry, which is a bonus when you are doing your own laundry.
There is no doubt that packing light is more challenging and time-consuming than travelling with huge suitcases stuffed with half your entire wardrobe, but invest the effort and you will quickly become a convert to the joys of travelling light.
How did you find these 7 pro tips for packing light? Drop me a comment below and be sure to check out more related articles listed below.
Author
Nick Abbott
Hi, I’m Nick. Visiting foreign countries has been an important part of my life since my parents moved to Kano in Nigeria in 1977. Since then, as both a military officer and in later jobs I have enjoyed the huge privilege of being exposed to many different countries and cultures.
I am delighted to be able to support my wife Monique and Yes2Yolo primarily by contributing travel articles, providing editing and proof-reading services and being a general sounding board.
Hey Nick…I aspire to this discipline of packing light. I wonder if it will ever happen. I just seem to need/ want so many things and claim I want to have options.
I must admit that on many of my travels, I do return home with items not worn; however, I felt a sense of comfort having options…just in case. Even for a short stay at a local hotel, I find i pack so many items.
So…with these 7 Pro tips, I am really going to try to do better. I do see the freedom it would provide traveling light.
Great article!
Thanks Cecille! One thing I forgot to mention in the article is that once you start traveling light, it definitely makes you feel like a chic, trendy and smart traveler. Minimalist travel is definitely the in-thing! If you are not into backpacks, you can try a colourful statement piece bag to accentuate your outfits. Thanks again. Really appreciate your support!
An excellent article on travelling light. As a fashionista who likes to be prepared for any eventuality, it is going to require major adjustments on my part, not to pack that LBD, just in case a formal event pops up.
Thank you Dorothy. We really appreciate the positive feedback. Don’t worry, with careful packing, you’ll still be able to squeeze your LBD. There are some great ones available online that are ideal for travel.
Useful information!.This is really great content.
Nick and Monique share with us how to have these great experience on budget! 😂
Thanks Michelle. Glad you find our content useful. Our goal is to create content that will be of value to our readers. I like your budget travel! We’ll definitely do up a few articles on this topic in the near future! Thanks again and please keep the feedback coming.