Secrets of traveling light

How To Travel Like A Pro

Part Three of A Travel Pro’s Guide To Touring The World In Style.

Ok so you’ve found the very best ways to snag great flight deals, you’re on your way to travelling like a pro but there’s one really critical tip to focus on, the secret to traveling light. 

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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The 5 Step Guide to Travelling Like a Pro

How To Travel Like A Pro

Part Two of A Travel Pro’s Guide To Touring The World In Style.

So you’ve worked out how to get the best Airline Tickets & Seats, so now it’s time for the departure.

You know, travelling in style is the way that most people see themselves travelling these days and it is definitely possible, but for the majority of the time, that plan goes completely wrong because we get caught up in packing, arranging documents and finances and forget to concentrate on what it is that makes travel so important to us – taking a moment to chill out and relax so as to enjoy the journey and the destination with a minimal amount of stress. Travelling in style is the epitome of that for a number of reasons.

Travelling in style is all about planning ahead of time, taking care of yourself and taking the time to do so. Very few people find that they can take their time when heading to the airport because, for the majority, it is a mad rush to pack and grab everything they need and then get to the airport on time. It is possible though. There are several ways you can achieve this, and all require you to take straight forward but certain steps:

Style Step One: Weather watch! Check out the essentials of the destination that you are heading to.

For instance, if you want to travel in style then you cannot land in a mini-skirt and flip-flops if it is freezing cold and raining at your destination.  So keep a watch on the weather forecast in the week before you fly because it will constantly update and give you a great idea on what to expect. After this, buy a map and travel guide or have Google Earth and Maps loaded to your Phone, Laptop or Tablet ready so that you can easily find your way to your hotel when you get there. Make sure that you’ve confirmed you arrival be email, ensuring a smooth check in and for those that have that little extra to spend, arrange private transport ahead of time creating a seamless transition from airport to lodging.

Style Step Two: Plan ahead some more! The departure. After carefully working out your itinerary and creating an easily accessible running sheet for it, start planning your get away the week before you are due to fly. Be sure to also include a few key phrases on your running sheet if travelling to a non English speaking country.

Make a list of what you are to pack and lay out the outfit that you are to wear on the flight the night before you board the plane. It does not matter where you are travelling to, just as long as you remember to include all of the essentials in your carry on. This is usually along the lines of: a book or eBook reader, a music player of some sort, or simply a Tablet that does it all, an eye mask, facial wipes and something to snack on and some gum for when the plane takes off and lands so your ears do not pop! Make sure that your carry bag is light along with its contents but also contains a change of underwear just in case your main luggage gets lost! This way, you don’t get caught short. Remember to set your Phone’s network settings to International Roaming.

Travelling in style is all about being prepared and making sure that you can handle anything that your trip throws at you!

Style Step Three: Layers and Pockets. Wear layers when you board the plane if you want to be adaptable to changing conditions throughout the flight.

By wearing light and breathable multiple layers with pockets, when it’s hot then you can strip off the layers, but a cold plane at altitude is nobody’s friend and encourages bugs and colds to spread to the vulnerable. As a result, you want to be warm! If you wear layers then you also escape using the airline blankets as well, the pockets help you store more items conveniently.

Wearing appropriate clothing for your journey helps you look good and feel good all in one go!
Style Step Four: Packing it all in. Choose the right hand and main luggage and pack it properly.

Whilst luggage doesn’t maketh the man, your choice of luggage can certainly make things easier for you. Some people do see their choice of luggage as somewhat of a status symbol, the main point here is to be appropriate for the journey that you are going on. Always try to travel light as possible. That means get the most durable, lightest and secure luggage that you can find. Multiple pockets and expandable sections really help.

When it comes to size, it does matter, smaller is better! Just try to take the least amount possible in the smallest luggage possible. If you plan on shopping up a storm a great trick is to put all your luggage in a smaller suitcase, packed inside the next size up, that means you take on piece of luggage on the way and bring two back. When you do this, please consider the cost of extra luggage and make sure you pre book it, otherwise it can cost you a fortune and that’s a last minute surprise you don’t need at the check in counter on your way home.

Security is really important, remember to use locks, plastic id tags or you can get your luggage plastic wrapped at some airports! Always use a method to personally identify your luggage so it’s easy to pick out on the carousel.

Style Step Five: Finally enjoy it! Travelling in style should be fun! Air travel should not be a chore, but it will be if you view it that way! Travelling should be about adventure, so be determined to make it one!

Set out with the right attitude, be prepared and be flexible. Not everything will go your way but if you follow these steps you’ll make your travels as stress free as possible.

Pro Tips:

Set the alarm and pre book your taxi the night before giving yourself plenty of time to get to the airport and check in.

Always take the E-Check in service if you can, it cuts your waiting time down in a big way.

Load up on vitamins before you go, especially vitamin C to boost your immunity.

Got anything else to add?