How to Pack Light for Your Next Holiday

There’s an old phrase that when you travel you should bring half as much as you need but double the amount of money you bring. After traveling around the world twice, I couldn’t agree with that statement more. It’s really important to pack light on your holiday. Packing light helps you avoid fees on airlines, saves space, and gives you less goods to carry, and allows you more freedom.

It is often said that the stuff we own, ends up owning us. When we travel, we plan for everything. We typically pack lots of clothes and stuff because we think you never know what might happen. So we go on a two week holiday with a suitcase packed with half our clothes.  However, the secret to travel is to pack light.  We often go on a trip and only end up using half of what we took, angry we took so much in the first place.

When I travel, all of my belongings fit into a tiny daypack and a larger backpack or duffel bag. I have traveled for over a year without needing anything more. In fact, I often find I still take too much!! When friends come and visit me, I am amazed that they brought so much stuff. They ask me my tips on packing light. I’ll tell you what I tell them.
Here’s my secret to packing light and how you can too:

First, scribble a list of everything you think you might want. Everything and anything. From clothes, to toiletries, to electronics, to jackets, and everything in between.  This packing list will usually ends up very long. But that’s ok, we’ll get it down quickly.
Next, look at your list and think about it in relation to your holiday. If you are going to the islands, do you really want pants or jeans? If you are going to Rome in August, do you really want to pack long sleeve shirts? 

Now, you should have trimmed your packing list down a bit by eliminating those items that don’t really have much to do with your destination.  Now, let’s take a peak at your toiletry list. Why are you packing so much? In this age of worry, people tend to pack every medicine known to man just in case. Let’s be realistic- do you ever use any them? Can’t you buy them there? So go minimal. If you do get ill, you can always by Tylenol or diyarear medicine there. Take only the bare essentials. A few pills that take up only a little space- you don’t need the whole box.

What about the non-medical supplies your packing? Soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, razor, and shaving cream is all you need. If you are staying at a guesthouse, you don’t even need soap or shampoo since it is provided for you. You’re going on holiday, not to a corporate function so ditch the cosmetics and facial products.

Now, think about your packing list. What can you buy there if you really need it? Probably lots. Get rid of the bug spray, the suntan lotion, and whatever else you are packing. You can’t take it on the plane anyways.

Ok, last step on the road to packing light. We’ve probably cut out a lot of your list now.  The final step is to just cut out another half. You are holiday, relaxing. Stuff doesn’t get very dirty and you can wear the same shorts a few days in a row. Ditch the towel- just use the one from the hotel. Take half as many clothes. Wear a few longer or don’t wear any! You never wear everything you take and unless spill something or sweat through your shirt, you can use it for more than one day.

That’s it. That is the secret to packing light. Cutting, cutting, and cutting until you get to the important items you need to pack. If you follow this opinion, I guarantee you will pack light and make this whole packing process much easier.