Whether you’re flying or backpacking, in this post you’ll find out the best ways to pack light.
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We all know about the annoying weight limit rules when you’re flying. You want to bring as much as you can without exceeding the limit.
Or when you’re backpacking, no one wants to carry their entire wardrobe on their back. If you’re planning on keeping your back healthy for just a little longer, packing light is the way to go.
When traveling, you want to be in control. Don’t let your luggage control you! When you’re not bringing many clothing items you don’t have to think much about picking the right outfit in the morning, you can easily re-pack your bags and you won’t be surprised at the airport with extra fees.
My tips for packing light
Be prepared, not scared! With these packing tips you will pack everything you need!
Make a packing list
Just like packing lists help with reducing packing stress, they help overpacking as well. When you’re stressed you might get overwhelmed and pack more than you should (or forget important items).
Make sure you use a personal packing list, as most packing lists try to include as many items as possible. Customize your own list to make sure you have all your basics. What’s essential to someone else might not be essential to you.
Buy light-weight suitcases in the right size
Let’s start with a very obvious, but often overlooked tip. Suitcases and bags sometimes weigh a lot! The weight of the luggage itself limits the remaining available weight for your actual items.
And yes, size matters! For flying it has the obvious reason that your luggage can only be a certain size. For backpackers it’s smart to not go too big either. The bigger the bag, the more you’re tempted to bring. Your backpack might feel okay for the first 5 minutes, but you will most likely wear your backpack for multiple hours at a time.
Don’t bring common toiletries, buy them there
This one only really applies when you’re flying. Especially if you’re going with a bigger group of people. Don’t bring your shampoo, sunscreen or most of the other common toiletries. Buy them when you’re there. Everyone needs it and will be using it anyway. That way you don’t have to stress about trying to keep it under the obliged 1L liquid volume.
If you end up with some product in the bottle still, leave it at the air-bnb or hostel. Someone else might be very happy you left it there!
Leave some room for souvenirs
If you’re planning on bringing home some gifts and/or souvenirs, leave some space in your backpack for that as well.
This will force you to pack even lighter, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind. It’s an easy thing to forget and it saves you some extra money at the airport when they weigh in your luggage.
Oh, and remember literally every time you max out your space and you try to re-pack and it never fits the way it did before again? Leaving a little room is not only meant for souvenirs, but it makes packing and unloading much easier!
Get a luggage scale
I already talked about it in my post about packing stress, but it’s relevant here again. There is nothing worse than unexpected costs when you’re already paying a lot for your trip. To prevent yourself from having a pricey surprise at the airport, make sure your bags stay under the weight limit. I got one a while back and it has been an amazing purchase.
They are small and weigh next to nothing, so they are a perfect staple for all your flight travels. Most of these scales can tell you the weight in pounds and in kilos, so there won’t be a question when you’re traveling internationally.
I not only use it when I’m home, but I also bring it with me in case I’m buying souvenirs I want to bring back home. If I got some heavy things, I know to just wear an extra layer of clothing when going to the airport.
Get a luggage scale from Amazon here ($10,99)
Wear your bulky/heavy clothes
When you’re flying, you would want to have the most space in your luggage, so you can bring as many items as you want or need. If you’re taking a big hoodie, a winter coat or chunky hiking boots, put them on when flying instead of stuffing them in your luggage.
An extra tip to think about: wear the items that are the hardest to replace in case your luggage gets lost.
Bring multi-use items
Belts, necklaces and shoes are prefect examples. You can use a belt on your pants, but also to cinch your waist in a dress. A fancy necklace can take your daytime outfit to another level. Your sneakers can be dressed down with some shorts during the day, or dressed up with a nice dress at night.
Honestly, most accessories will do. They can change up your entire outfit from casual to fancy in seconds!
Same goes for layers, such as cardigans or zipped hoodies. You can easily take a dress or top from day to night with a cardigan. Put it over your day outfit and, boom, you have yourself a new outfit! A zipped hoodie works perfect for when the temperatures drop in the evening without having to put on a completely new set of clothes.
Leave your special use items at home and choose a simple color palette so all your items go together. Use accessories, such as a necklace or a buff, to add some color.
Wash your clothes at your destination
If you don’t care about outfit repeating, bring or buy some washing detergent and wash your clothes at your destination. This way you don’t have to bring a new outfit for every day you’re away.
A rule of thumb is to bring about a weeks worth of clothes, so you have enough time to wash your clothes without having to wash every day or packing too much.
Maximize space
This tip sounds like it’s not made for packing light, but to bring as many things as you can. On one hand, yes, but you might save yourself from using a heavier suitcase or backpack.
Use packing cubes (like this set from Amazon (€19.99)) to separate your items and to maximize all your limited space. Packing cubes also help you separate clean an dirty clothes.
To use as much of your space as possible you can stuff your shoes with socks or underwear. Use every inch!
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Packing light is definitely a great way to save some money on extra luggage and it also saves you backpain. Your bank account and back will thank you!
Read more: 5 Of The Most Helpful Tips To Reduce Packing Stress
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