Pack Light, Work Less – Travel Tips

Pack Light, Work Less
Walking from the train station to the hotel with ALL our luggage, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Pack Light, Work Less – Travel Tips

Lugging bags on the train, Paris, France

When making an epic journey the lighter the better. Pack Light!  There will be long walks between flights, long waits for trains, hills, lugging up onto racks, stowing in compartments, cobblestones, ramps, tunnels, and all manner of steps that you must traverse, with all of your belongings in tow.  Luggage can be heavy, packing light frees you up from the work of travel.   This allows you to enjoy the wonder of first seeing a place when walking from the train station to the hotel, without the burden of lugging heavy bags.

A carry-on size bag or backpack is all that you need to travel.  It doesn’t matter if you’re going for 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months it’s really all you need.  How, you say, do I fit everything into such a small bag?  Easy don’t take much!  

Clothes

Ok, you are going to have to commit to:  wearing the same clothes over, coordinating outfits, and doing some laundry.   You can’t possibly take 2 weeks’ worth of fresh outfits in a small bag.  You have to reduce the number, and plan on washing as you go.  Use the shampoo at the hotel and sink to wash by hand.  Then hang discreetly in the shower to dry overnight.  Pack clothing that quickly dries.  You can get by on just a couple of bottoms, 5 tops, 5 pairs of undergarments, and an optional jacket/scarf/coat, depending on the season.  Coordinate the outfits, so they are all mix and match, to add some variety.  This will be the bulk of your bag, so think about each item carefully.

Packing Clothes

Clothes packing tip:  put a garment or two in a zip seal plastic bag.  Sit on the bag to get the air out as you zip.  This will make it very easy to slide into your bag and take up less space.  You can also put in a dryer sheet, to make the clothes smell fresh when you open the bag.  Resist the urge to pack another garment in the freed-up space, as weight is not your friend. 

Toiletries

You can cut this category down to really small.  You really don’t need much unless you have a special situation, like sensitive skin that requires your own soap.  If you are staying in a hotel they will usually provide soap and shampoo, so you don’t really need those items.  I do recommend, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and you may need feminine hygiene products if you are partial to a brand or type.   Additionally, you can always make a trip/adventure to the local drug store to purchase once you are there if there’s something your hotel doesn’t provide.  Don’t carry more than you have to!

Electronics

Take very little.  If you can get buy with your smartphone and not the laptop or tablet, do it.  You’re supposed to be on vacation right?  Free yourself from the burden of electronics.

Souvenirs

But how am going to bring home all the loot?  Well, you’re not.  Chose your souvenirs wisely, and think small.  You are going for the memories, right?  Explain to friends and family that you just don’t have room in your bag for the cuckoo clock they want you to pick up.  You can always ship it home if you find something you must have.

Pack Light

The benefits of traveling light:

  • no checking in bags for planes
  • better on your back
  • less work
  • increased mobility
  • quicker on the go
  • less to gather on check out
  • You will have a great excuse not to pick up a cuckoo clock for cousin Eddie

When you are walking up the hill from the train station to the hotel, enjoying the view with your head up, you pass by those with heavy bags lugging in misery with their heads down, and you will thank yourself for packing light.  Free yourself from this burden, you are not a donkey.  Pack Light!  Now go pack for a journey!  Go Artway Today!

Free yourself from the burden of heavy bags Amsterdam, the Netherlands

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