Travelling Light

It is so easy to overpack when travelling. Especially, when destined for varied weather conditions or, when we need to change into different outfits for our social media updates. However, in the due course of my travels, I have been exposed to many travails of carrying along huge baggages and have come to realise that ‘travelling light’ is the most convenient and practical. No more of lugging heavy baggage alongside your cranky tween, no more of waiting 20-40 minutes to claim your checked-in luggage, no more of making an airline richer by paying extra baggage fee, no more of panic and undue mental stress when you discover that your baggage has been left behind by the airline (I shall get to that in a separate post). Definitely sensible when accessing a paid locker to store your luggage with few free hours in hand to explore before your next connecting flight / train.

BENEFITS

• Packing light is easy, less time and effort spent.
• Much more convenient to navigate airports, trains, roads and innumerous accommodations.
• Your mind and body feels truly rested when you don’t have to keep track of all the items you are carrying, most of which you end up not using but definitely losing. Focus is more on exploring and enjoying your vacation.

PRACTICAL TIPS

• Carry only the essentials. Layers are best. Instead of packing more, pack layers.
• Repeat outfits more than once. There is so much beauty around that rarely do our outfits and accessories receive their due attention. Also, with accommodations offering washer / dryer facility, carrying tons of clothes is just passé.
• Carry neutral accessories that can be paired with all your outfits.
• Give the jewellery a miss.
• Use travel size multipurpose dispensers for your toiletries. Investing in a set of 75 – 100 ml. dispensers is a good idea. You need not carry your heavy sized shampoo and moisturiser tubes. Instead, replace those with smaller dispensers and you are all set. One toiletry bag with separate sections is another good buy.
• Categorise items into smaller pouches, preferably square or rectangular shaped. Fits in anywhere unlike a round or oval or triangle. One pouch that contains all your electronic requirements; charger, battery backup, earphones etc. Another for your medicines and first-aid.
• Good footwear is very important. At least, two pairs. I recommend sturdy walking / hiking shoes as opposed to strappy sandals or delicate pumps. Pack them in shower caps with socks shoved into them.
• Definitely a small handbag / shoulder bag with all the necessary documents, wallet, mobile phone, a bottle of water and rainwear which, is on you at all times.

The more you pack the more you tend to leave behind things. Also, when you pack less you can always shop more and fill up the available space. Our return baggage is always three times heavier than when we started the trip (on the return journey, it does not matter how heavy your baggage is, you are coming straight home). We, in fact, carry an empty backpack. My friends find that hilarious and they pelt me with “how was the trip?”, “how much did your luggage weigh?” and “has the backpack returned packed to the brim?”, back-to-back. But, let me assure you, it has never been over the limit and till date, our pockets haven’t come back lighter from paying extra baggage fee 😉

Cheerio till the next post…