Travelling doesn’t means leaving everything behind in discovery of new horizons, nor it means taking everything along. Yes for most of us people who are possessive about their newly bought sneakers, or that Italian fabric three piece suit, or bunch of animated printed undergarments, it becomes uneasy to leave this behind even when you are going for a trek. Well, that does sounds like a disaster. I have noticed, people who love shopping are typically ones that end up paying extra baggage fare at airports. But even if you don’t, chances are you will end up on same page, because Packing Light is an art, which you have to master with patience and focus. Here are few tips.
‘Ripe Cherry’ Picking. First of all, you got to grow up a little. You can’t take every good looking or essential thing with you. Start by spreading all possibilities at one place. Now compare the utility of each one with all others. You will realize that few favourites are simply futile. It’s a head start.
An attitude for latitude.. Imagine its wet at home, and you are headed to someplace hot. Would it be wise to wear a jacket for few hours to make it till airport? You have to be smarter, save that space for jacket and ride on a taxi called at doorstep, and be thankful that airports aren’t roofless.
Extra Hours.. Your clothes normally last for couple of days. But Packing Light involves stretching the limits, and not fabric. Well, use double utility clothes, ones that are convertible like trousers into short pants, or worn inside out, or can be modelled differently like a Sarong. Bingo you go.
Keep Rolling em. Always start the packing with large items, the bulky ones that have no regards for space and fellow fabrics. Then roll up your medium sized clothes with small sized ones, and stuff them in empty spaces. You will wonder whether that small suitcase came from Wonderland.
It’s iterative. Luggage is not destined to be locked, but ends up getting unpacked every time you change a destination on your holidays. Too much of unpacking and packing can result in misfit of size in your suitcase. To avoid it, use packing cubes, or travel packs. They will bring in consistency.
Shoo the shoes. Ladies I know it can be harder than a divorce to part with extra pair of shoes on a trip. But you have to bring versatility on your foot. Wear one pair, and use it through, no space in bags for shoes. After all, you don’t have to walk the ramp, or attend a ball on holidays.
Hygiene is taken care of. I know people can be little insecure when it comes to using towels. But in all of my experiences I have always been given bleached, well washed towels by hotels. So don’t worry, you will be in safe hands, and please save that space for something worth.
Multipurpose serves all. When it comes to toiletries, humans are even more sophisticated than Star Wars ships. Don’t be. Use that multipurpose high cream soap, which will be a great cleanser, soap, hair conditioner, and will smell good too. Carry one lotion for body, sun, and face. Save the space.
Hierarchy.. God made man, man made clothes, and clothes made laundry. You don’t have to mess with this. This is natural. Never ever pack more than week’s repository of clothes. Wear them, and please don’t recycle them but get them washed. It’s a favour to yourself and business of laundry.
Believe in Technology. This can be hard, especially men have size issues. Unless you are a Coding Ninja on a remote working holiday, all your tech can be handled with a smartphone. Lesson is, you don’t need to carry your laptop and occupy all that space. Trust in space and technology.
Challenge yourself. If you are an avid traveller we are sure you must have got a lineup of bags and suitcases. Time to pick a smaller one than before and try packing everything in to it, and of course you can’t lose. This one is not very technical, but a motivational tip and it works too.
Never be in a rush when packing. Yes that was simple, but very crucial. Never indulge in last minute packing, because you lose your senses and you will always do blunders. You pack oversize, and you will surely miss the essentials too. This is something generic and very important.
Better safe than to be sorry. Budget travellers, the last thing you would want is expecting your luggage to be 18 KG, which turns out to be 35 at Airport. Yes that is the reason why assumptions and prejudices are discouraged. So buy a travel scale, and be dead sure how much you are carrying.
Let your memory be your travel bag!
