For several weeks now, I’ve had the idea that I would like to start a regular column that gives travel advice, gleaned from the many trips I’ve taken, both solo and otherwise. However, I don’t want this advice to be coming from a vacuum, so that’s where you come in.
Every Tuesday, I’ll answer one of your questions. You can leave a comment on my blog (or my Facebook, for my FB followers) with a question about travel. If I have some advice to offer about it, I’ll write a blog about it. If I don’t, I might still write a blog about it.
To kick things off, here’s a question I get a lot:
“How do you pack so light?”
Three tips:
1. Realize why packing light is so wonderful. The first solo trip I took, I was weighed down with a duffel bag, a backpack and a purse. When I was trying to lug it all up a half-mile hill from the ferry landing to the hostel, I cursed myself for dragging along so much junk. Now, I travel with one backpack, and getting anywhere is a breeze. When I’m riding those scary Greyhound buses where I have no idea where my baggage might end up, I can take mine as carry-on. I zip in and out of airports ahead of the luggage-carrying passengers, and if I get lost in a city, I can carry my belongings rather than dragging them behind and making myself a target for thieves. Packing light takes some practice, but it’s more than worth the effort!
2. Only bring three changes of clothes. Women especially may freak out at this idea. They can’t imagine only packing three changes of clothes for a weekend getaway, much less a two-month excursion. However, I promise you, it is entirely doable. If you make sure every article of clothing matches all the others, then you’ll have more than three outfits. Do laundry frequently (I like to wash my clothes in the sink every evening and air-dry them overnight). If you are a business traveler, you can’t avoid filling up a lot of your suitcase with business clothes, but for the leisure traveler, you don’t need that much. I have often overpacked on clothes, but I have never underpacked.
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| Catching a train last-minute is easy if you carry everything on your back |
3. Ideally, everything you pack should serve more than one purpose. Don’t bring a pair of heels if you’re only going to wear them once. Don’t bring a towel unless you’re going to use it as a picnic blanket. Multipurpose items, like an iPod Touch (mini computer, alarm clock, MP3 player, notepad, mini Kindle, dictionary), bandanas (decorative item, bandage, napkin, handkerchief, scarf, cooling device, instant bag), and a sarong (blanket, towel, sheet, scarf, skirt, dress, head covering, wash rag), are essential. You can consolidate toiletry items as well: shampoo and body wash, conditioner and lotion, etc.
Additionally, here’s a list of what I usually pack, to help you see how you can cram all the essentials into one fair-sized backpack. When you learn to travel light, you may never go back.
Don’t forget to leave comments with your travel questions! Until next week… Travel Tip Tuesdays. (Cue peppy theme song.)
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Nice tips! I went on a five-week study abroad trip to the Middle East last summer and was one of the lightest-packed: I had a backpack and small (carry-on size) suitcase. I pitied those who had to drag a huge suitcase, a duffel bag, and a backpack through places like the Old City of Jerusalem. (Lots of pickpockets there, too...)
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