packing light

Smart Traveling: How to Pack Light

Packing light is as important as ensuring you have everything covered while preparing for your travels. However, doing so can be rather difficult, especially for women who love to bring multiple outfits, beauty kits, mobile devices, and the list goes on. To make your journeys more enjoyable, packing smart and light is key. Here are some suitcase packing tips to get you started.

 

Pack no more than one bag

Most airlines restrict luggage dimensions to 9 inches x 14 inches x 22 inches maximum for carry-ons. This means you have to choose a bag that fits within this range. A bag of this size will easily fit in the plane’s overhead bin and will save you the hassles of dragging heavy loads and paying hefty luggage fees.

“Must-haves” versus “just in case”

To pack light, you’d need to make some sacrifices. Regardless of how comprehensive your wardrobe is, you can’t possibly bring an outfit for every situation. For this reason, it’s better to just bring whatever you wear on a daily basis.

Using the Pareto Principle (also known as the 80/20 principle), pack 20% of what you can wear in 80% of the situations you’ll most likely encounter as you go. This way, you’ll be packing less clothes than you usually do.

If you’re missing any, you could just buy or borrow the things you need on the road. You’ll be surprised what packing lightly and buying small packages can do for all your travels.

Pack for one week

Traveling for two weeks, a month, or a year? Break your long packing list down to good-for-one-week. As mentioned above, it is impossible to bring an ensemble for every occasion so it’s wise to pack light for travel and carry stuff for one week that you can use over and over again.

To have enough outfits for extended trips, you can hand wash your basics such as shirts, socks, and underwear in the sink. For bigger loads, you can take advantage of a local laundromat or a cheap wash-and-fold service nearby.

Pack layers instead of bulk

If you’re traveling for the winter or areas with freezing climates, packing bulky clothing would take up a lot of space. Packing thin pieces and layering them would be a better alternative.

A regular thermal shirt works wonders in keeping the body warm and is compatible for layering together with other outfit choices. For cold days, wearing a shirt, a base layer, and a light jacket will do the trick.