Going somewhere hot? You only need two pairs of shorts.
There’s an old theory about packing: take everything you think you’ll need for your holiday, lay it out on the floor, then chuck half of it away.
Sounds easy, right? Except it’s a bit hard to halve a pair of shoes, or a camera, and if you’re going on a varied holiday (beaches to trekking in the mountains) you’re not going to want to ditch your swimming gear or your warm jacket.
But there are ways to cut down on your luggage and take advantage of the savings airlines offer (plus the ease of getting around once you’re there). Every traveller has different priorities, but just taking a few of these measures will reduce that rucksack.
Ditch the guidebookNot altogether, though. If hard copies are your thing, just photocopy the pages you think you’ll need, and take them along with you. There’s no point having a whole South-East Asia guidebook if you’re only going to Bangkok. Even better is to download a digital copy of the guide onto your phone, laptop or iPad (if you’ll be taking them anyway). You’ll save money, too, as you can just download the chapters you’ll need.
Layer upUnless you’re climbing K2, you probably don’t need a huge, bulky jacket. Instead, pack a thermal top, then your normal shirts and a jumper, and wear them in layers. The colder it is outside, the more layers you slap on, until you wind up waddling around town looking like the Michelin Man.
Cut down on shoesIf I’m not doing any hiking, I usually travel with just one pair of shoes that will be suited to walking around town and heading to the pub later on. Plus a pair of thongs. At most, take one pair for day wear and one pair for night wear.
Invest in an eReaderDoesn’t matter if you’re a Kindle person or an iPad person or a whatever-else-there-is-out-there person, an eReader will dramatically lighten your load if you like to read while travelling. The only down side is that it takes away the chance to swap books with fellow travellers.
Pack for a weekThis is purely personal, but you’ll usually have a chance to do laundry once a week while travelling, so there’s really no need to bring more than a week’s worth of clothes. And remember, there’s nothing wrong with doing the odd “backpack wash” – stick it in your backpack for a few days, and it becomes magically clean again. Pretty soon “clean” becomes a relative term.
Think about your accommodationIf you’re staying in hostels, you’ll definitely need a travel towel, maybe a silk bed liner, and maybe a sleeping bag, depending on the weather. If you’re staying in fancier accommodation, however, ditch all three.
Don’t go fancyUnless you’re going on a tour of the world’s best polo venues, you’re probably not going to need to dress up very often. Just one set of semi-nice clothes that you can also get away with wearing during the day will do the job.
The long and short of itGoing somewhere hot? You only need one pair of long pants, probably something loose-fitting and cotton, for comfort and versatility. If you’re heading to colder climes, then chuck in an extra pair. And you can safely reverse that for shorts (two for hot, one for cold).
Sort your electronicsDo you really need a laptop? (I do, but not everyone does.) Do you really need a hair-dryer? (Really?) Do you need a point-and-shoot camera when your phone takes good photos? Do you even need your phone? Everyone’s different, but there’s probably something you can chuck out.
What are your secrets to packing light? How much to you usually travel with?
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