Secrets of traveling light
How To Travel Like A Pro
Part Three of A Travel Pro’s Guide To Touring The World In Style.
There’s an old theory about packing for a holiday: grab everything you think you’ll need for your trip, lay it out on the floor, then throw half of it away!
Sounds easy, right? But you’re not going to chop a pair of shoes in half, or your expensive camera and if you’re going on a varied holiday (beaches to trekking in the mountains) you’re definitely not going to want to ditch your swimming gear or your warm jacket.
But there are some smart ways to cut down on your luggage and take advantage of the savings airlines offer (plus the ease of getting around once you’re there). Every traveller has different priorities, but just taking a few of these measures will reduce your load.
Time to layer up
We’ve discussed layers before but it’s a key point. Unless you’re going to the snow, you probably don’t need a huge, bulky jacket. Instead, pack a thermal top, then your normal shirts and a jumper, and wear them in layers. The colder it is outside, the more layers you slap on, until you wind up waddling around town looking like the Michelin Man.
Please remove your shoes
Unless your hiking or mountain climbing, simply wear a comfortable shoe that is good for walking in, this is your ‘main foot ware’. After that pack a pair of slide-on’s and only if absolutely necessary take another pair of shoes for more formal night wear. Shoes are bulky and take up a lot of space. If space is super tight, another trick is buy anything you need at your destination on the cheap and then discard.
Get rid of the bulky Guidebooks
Not altogether, though. These days Guidebooks are expensive and most of the information can be found elsewhere (like at Urban Globetrotter!) If hard copies are your thing though, just photocopy the pages you think you’ll need, and take them along with you. There’s no point having a whole South-East Asia guidebook if you’re only going to Thailand. Even better is to download a digital copy of the guide onto your phone, laptop or tablet (if you’ll be taking them anyway). You’ll save money, too, as you can just download the chapters you’ll need.
Invest in an eReader or Tablet
It doesn’t really matter if you’re a Kindle, Kobo or an iPad person or a whatever-else-there-is-out-there person, an eReader will dramatically lighten your load if you like to read while travelling. The only down side is that it takes away the chance to swap books with fellow travellers, unless you have it on some sort of USB drive but that’s starting to get too geeky….
Sort all your electronics out
You’ve got your phone but do you really need a laptop? What about a Tablet? Do you really need a hair-dryer? (Really?) Do you need a point-and-shoot camera and a separate video recorder when your phone takes good photos? Do you even need your phone? Everyone’s different, but there’s probably something you can chuck out. The key is, modern technology is getting better and better and once separate devices are being combined with great quality and convenience. Look into this. It’s becoming easier and easier to just take a phone which does almost everything and a tablet which does everything else. Also remember that you can use computers in hotels or internet cafes. Only take extra electronics if you really, really need to and also be mindful of all the cords and make sure that you get the right wall adapters for power to recharge everything otherwise taking them will be a waste of time in the first place.
Think about your accommodation
If you’re staying in hostels, you’ll definitely need a travel towel, maybe a silk bed liner, and maybe a sleeping bag, depending on the weather. If you’re staying in fancier accommodation, however, ditch all three.
Pack for a week
This is purely personal, but you’ll usually have a chance to do laundry once a week while travelling, so there’s really no need to bring more than a week’s worth of clothes. And remember, there’s nothing wrong with doing the odd “backpack wash” – stick it in your backpack for a few days, and it becomes magically clean again. Pretty soon “clean” becomes a relative term.
Here’s another trick: Forget about folding your clothes, roll them up instead. Doing so will not only reduce air trapped in them, it’ll also prevent unsightly creases. You’ll be amazed at how much more you can squeeze into that bag of yours when every single garment has been rolled up. Avoid placing items into luggage an item at a time. Before you know it, you’ll run out of space and then got to unload everything and start over. Instead, lay out everything that you plan to bring along. Take a quick glance at the open luggage beside you and chances are you’ll have to forgo that thick sweater or the extra pair of running shoes. Discard as many items as possible. You can always add them back in if there’s space after that.
Listen fancy pants
Unless you’re going on a tour of the world’s best polo venues, you’re probably not going to need to dress up very often. Just one set of semi-nice clothes that you can also get away with wearing during the day will do the job.
The long and short of it
Going somewhere hot? You only need one pair of long pants, probably something loose-fitting and cotton, for comfort and versatility. If you’re heading to colder climes, then chuck in an extra pair. And you can safely reverse that for shorts (two for hot, one for cold).
What are your secrets to packing light?
How much to you usually travel with?
Then please do! Just drop us an email at: urbanglobetrotter@gmail.com
What’s your tip?
Here’s some related stories for you:
http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/the-5-step-guide-to-travelling-like-a-pro
http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/top-tips-to-fly-like-a-pro
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