Secrets of travelling light

[Foreigner]

I know this is possible if, for instance, i am able to do my laundry.

On a longer trip to one city it pays to find a local laundry, not necessarily the hotel's.

 

[beardoc]

Or friends. Part of my planning is organising laundry stops with friends. Because being able to do your laundry whilst you're hanging out with friends rather than sitting alone in a laundromat.

In New York there are services like bag washes, which make it easy (and they're cheap!). But they're not available everywhere.

 

[Radio8tiv]

or just wash your clothes in the sink and hang them over chairs to dry out throughout the day, while your sightseeing.
we did a month long european winter holiday with only carry-on and to make it worse air china only allowed 5kg

 

[OzEire]

Light has a different meaning to different people.

I usually travel HLO up to about a week. The trick is to have clothes that can be used in various circumstances such as 'smart' casual business attire, or casual but smart social attire.

Avoid hotel laundry service to save cash. There are always local options unless you are visiting woop woop.

And finally, don't pack anything you just 'might' need once in a blue moon. If you do need it you can buy it and have a backup/replacement.

 

[albatross710]

One issue that often catches me when on the move is being able to co-ordinate enough time in a town to get out, find the laundry and then be around for the following day to pickup. Then this has to also work-in with working hours and weekend when the laundry may not be open.

I'm a fan of sink washing, using the hotel heaters and hair dryers if needed.

A long time ago, (before QFF program even existed) in the final days of my 8 month European backpacking holiday I counted down the final days and discarded each day's clothes, never want to see them again, arriving home to Brisbane with just the clothes I was wearing, plus lots of good memories, on 35mm film of course.

 

[harvyk]

The trick I use is I'm brutally honest as to if I really need to take a certain item. If the answer is anything other than a resounding yes, then I leave it behind knowing that everywhere I go there are convenience stores and clothing shops at my destination had I forgotten something I really needed.

I came to the realization after one trip where I put most of the items from my checked in bags straight back into the draws since they where completely clean, since I had taken a whole lot of "just in case" stuff.

The other thing, I have a pair of shoes that can be worn both formal and casual, and I tend to wear my suit jacket over both my suit and casual clothes.

 

[Foreigner]

During trips I tend to get more wear out of trousers, without them being washed. Same doesn't work for undergarments and shirts.

One pair of shoes and runners at the most.

Must say I am getting better at packing as I get older (and wiser).

 

[Timtammi]

I really wish I could be better at this. Even though I am a regular business and leisure traveller, almost all of which is international I just can't seem to let go of my security blanket of packing too much "stuff".
And yes, I often only wear half of it. But sometimes it can be hard to know what the weather will be like exactly, or how many changes per day I will need (will there be time to go back to the hotel after work/before dinner or will we go out straight from the office?). Every trip I take I vow to not overpack and I still do it pretty much every time. I've got 3 weeks of Europe travel coming up. Its mostly holiday although there is a few days business at the end. I fear I will overpack again and because we are moving around a lot on this trip I really don't want to make it hard for myself ie on/off planes, trains and automobiles - literally. I use packing cubes religiously, I try to minimise shoes, but.. not wanting to be sexist here, don't you think it's harder for us females? I would love to hear from other ladies on this forum as to how they deal with this, as I really want to learn to let go of this obsessive overpacking!

 

[get me outta here]

I love packing light and have been practising for years. On my last trip I took a little more than usual and re learned the lesson again as I dragged the case up and down the stairs on the NYC subway - never again.

I do all my washing in the sink every night and use the/bubble bath/shampoo/body wash or whatever - it's all soap. I seem to find rinsing some things out is therapeutic at the end of the day . Drip dry it in the shower and then it's usually dry in the morning. I take one pair of shoes that I am wearing, and if going to a hot climate, a packed pair of sandals. Everything that goes in the case is the absolutely lightest example of it's type. All the toiletries that I take are carefully measured as not being enough for many more days than necessary. It's the other hardware stuff now that is the problem.

 

[RooFlyer]

I'm afraid the concept of travelling light does nothing for me. I don't mean I travel with "everything" but going HLO, except when HLO is genuinely sufficient, isn't on and with a checked suitcase I can take more stuff to make the trip less 'compromise or without' in nature. I can dress up a bit if we discover a fancy restaurant or get invited out where casual isn't good enough; I can go sightseeing comfortably on that very cold day because I have brought an adequate coat; I can change out of soaked shoes because there's another pair, and so on. HLO 'sufficient' to me means a trip of 3-4 days only or one where the climate and activities will be very much the same and I have days where I can send out one or two sets of clothes to the laundry.

Most of my o/s trips these days are 3 to 4 weeks, and very definitely isn't the same climate or activity type throughout. I'm still fit enough to tote a 23kg bag through airports and from the airport out to the curb (more if required, eg when bringing booze back) and as I always cab/car for my transfers, I'm never toting it far (eg from bus stop to hotel).

For work trips, there is usually 5-10kg of work boots/clothes/jacket anyway.

Lost luggage? There's nothing in my checked bags that can't be replaced. My carry-on is always sufficient for 2 to 3 days.

I acknowledge the handiness of HLO, and waiting for bags at the carousel can be a pain, but that 15 minute investment in waiting for bags makes the following 2 or 3 or more days that much easier if I have all the gear and clothes I need and I don't need to schedule myself around washing / drying and stressing about packing.

 

[defurax]

I always try to do HLO, but if the trip involves a Black Tie dinner I just give up...no way to casually wear a tuxedo vest or these ridiculously shiny shoes.
I also realised last year that it's not that bad when your checked bag is delayed, BA "lost" my bag for 2 weeks and I bought $2,500 of new clothes in the meantime (all reimbursed by BA a month later).

 

[RB]

I use packing cubes religiously, I try to minimise shoes, but.. not wanting to be sexist here, don't you think it's harder for us females? I would love to hear from other ladies on this forum as to how they deal with this, as I really want to learn to let go of this obsessive overpacking!

I know that Mrs RB finds it easier to pack her shoes compared to my size 14's. One pair of joggers, 1 pair of sandals & a pair of thongs & the bottom half of my bag is full so sorry I don't think it is harder for females.
We normally only have around 25-30kg between us for up to 7 weeks but we don't do formal dining so that makes it easier for us. By staying at apartments we have found it recent years that more often than not we have access to a washing machine.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

I agree with RooFlyer, I can see the advantages of HLO, but I find it impossible to do. Most of our overseas trips are 6 to 8 weeks, taking in different climates, Michelin star restaurants, and usually a cruise as well that has a formal night or two. And then there is the shopping to factor in :shock:

I have done HLO to Singapore but came back with two large and one medium suitcases.

I can do HLO to Sydney for 4 days !!

 

[dzinh]

Both of us did HLO to Sin - Kul - Hkg - Tpe and came back with 6 checked in pieces over one month. I'll HLO for solo trips that will last 1 - 6 days and I find I usually have a larger & heavier "personal" item accompanying the HLO sometimes if I don't restrain myself :shock:

 

[LadyC]

The gentleman and i did HLO on a 2 week trip to europe in winter. Admittedly, we were traveling J so we could take 2 bags. We don't buy a lot so didn't need a lot of space in luggage. Now with a toddler however, HLO is just a dream!

 

[JohnK]

Why restrict yourself to bare minimum when most airlines give you 30-40kgs allowance?

Convenience? To me that means not having to worry about doing laundry every second day or leaving things behind.

 

[LadyC]

For us, the first time we did it was because we had to as we were dropping the last segment of our flight. And it was so quick and easy getting around, we thought why not keep doing it. It didn't feel like we were forgoing anything.

 

[footy99]

The best thing I did was buy a 38L backpack. Everything had to fit into it, without exception, and I've gotta be comfortable walking for hours and travelling on crammed public transport with it, so it definitely needs to be less than 15kgs, preferably 10. There are just so many things I wouldn't have been able to do, at least cost effectively, with a huge bag or multiple bags that were uncomfortable to carry for at least a few hours frequently.

Seemed hard to pack that light the first time on an 18-month trip in all climates. Comfortable the second time. Now I've got room for a bunch of gifts if need be and could get away with taking it carry on with some airlines (the 10kg ones, not the 7kg ones).

I don't see it as restricting to bare minimum - I take everything I need. Superfluous stuff becomes a weight inconvenience more than anything else.

The big nuisance items are coat, sleeping bag and shoes. Non-trekking trips rarely need a sleeping bag, trips without subzero climates don't need a coat and non-business trips rarely need more than one pair of shoes. The rest is easy.

But I'm still not quite at HLO - would need to do a few too many laundry loads for the convenience edge. And any trips with formal events are a real pain.

 

[harvyk]

Why restrict yourself to bare minimum when most airlines give you 30-40kgs allowance?

Convenience? To me that means not having to worry about doing laundry every second day or leaving things behind.

What's the point in lugging around 30 to 40 kg of stuff for no reason just because your allowance says you can?

I don't feel that I'm missing out when I do HLO, and if I need to take more stuff than what I can fit into my carry on of course I take more bags and check them in.
If I genuinely need something, trust me that thing will come with me, even if it means waiting around at baggage claim. But this thread is all about sharing the secrets for traveling light, and therefore my contribution is simply think "do I really need item X with me?"

 

[Radio8tiv]

We have narrowed down how much we take, but always seem to take heaps back
i use a 40l backpack only .7kg, first thing that goes in is a 100l duffel bag .4kg (for the stuff we buy) then the clothes and stuff. Camera has its own bag, which also holds the Chargers. Then just carry under my arm the iPad. I dont take toiletries, I just buy them when I land and leave them behind on the way back. Also I don't pack too many shirts, as I know I'll be buying more clothes when sightseeing at popular tourist locations and of course I buy my favourite tourist item ....Hard Rock Cafe shirts from the various places around the world. But we don't do fine dining, so no need for fancy shoes/suit. We wash whenever we are in a location for multiple days, wether in the sink or laundry. If your going from city to city every few days it pays to pack light lugging heaps around on trains/plains/busses is no fun.