How To Travel Light?

**Libby** · 11-15-2011, 09:42 PM

Ever notice how you don't even use half of the stuff you packed into your suitcase/bag/carry on thinking you *might* use them while you're away? (Examples: books, magazines, work out clothes, dressy clothes 'just in case you get last minute/severely discounted tickets to a play etc)

What are some of your travel tips for 'packing light'?

And what are some of the things you've packed (some, over and over) only to come back home to realize that you never even pulled them out of the bag?

**craftypam** · 11-15-2011, 09:54 PM

I don't know if you are interested but there is a website; one bag.com about this subject. And yes I have recently started traveling and it's hard to know what you are going to need or what you will be interested in doing in your spare time. Last year we did take a second suitcase lightly filled to bring purchases home in and it worked out great!

**zakity** · 11-15-2011, 10:10 PM

Dig around the net for backpacking Europe sites. They are great for ideas on packing light.

**frugalfranny** · 11-15-2011, 10:43 PM

Pack what you THINK you will need.........then put half of it back.

I got really good at this early on in traveling..........took versatile or what I called 'crossover' clothes........they could work for more than one thing. Also took hand washables.....so, if needed, I could rinse them in a sink at night........and they had to dry fast.

After first big mistake of packing too much, could travel anywhere with one small roll on suitcase. Of if I backpacked, it never could weigh over 35 pounds.

Think where you are going and what you can BUY there.........liquids add tons of weight, so take small things of shampoo. etc. Also, considered what I could give away while traveling...........books, clothes, (especially cottons in the tropics---as they are expensive there, the locals loved them!)

**FrabjousDay** · 11-15-2011, 11:41 PM

Originally Posted by zakity

Dig around the net for backpacking Europe sites. They are great for ideas on packing light.

Yep. I've lived out of one small bag for over a month. It took careful planning and strategic folding, but I had everything I needed. Easy care, quick drying fabrics, mix and match pieces, layers. One pair of shoes that go with every outfit combination.

Rick Steves has excellent packing advice on his website.
Rick Steves' Europe: Travel Tips

I don't fuss with books or magazines. Between my Kindle and phone I have everything I need.

**Contrary Housewife** · 11-16-2011, 12:31 AM

Rick Steve's site is fabulous.

I've traveled all over the world with one 20" suitcase and not missed forgetting something. You really do "need" a lot less than you think. One shirt for every two days, unless odour really is a problem, plan to air it out and wear it again later in the trip. Plan layers, some light shirts, and one good warm sweater or jacket for chilly or windy days. I typically pack one 'nice' knit shirt in case we do go someplace that requires dressing up a bit.

Travel size all toiletries. You may have to hunt for some items in mini sizes. I carry a full kit of my meds, otc stuff like tylenol and advil, antacids, diarrhea medicine, seasickness pills, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes, razor, comb, sewing kit, you name it, and it fits into a space smaller than a phonebook.

IMO, if you can't lift all your luggage and run with it down the concourse to your flight gate then you packed too d@#n much crap!

**zakity** · 11-16-2011, 01:09 AM

Oh yeah... Instead of a bottle of shampoo, use a shampoo bar. Or, use homemade bars of soap. I haven't used shampoo in over a year. I just use my homemade bars of soap.

Those broomstick skirts are supposed to be great to travel with. They are supposed to dry fast and they are supposed to be wrinkly. Many years ago when I was looking into traveling light (dreaming of a trip to Europe), I ran across some info from a lady who took a plain black one (it was sort of gauzy), a silk (or maybe it was a cotton material, anyway, it wasn't a tshirt, but it did have like cap sleeves - she had posted a picture of the outfit) lightweight simple top, a pretty silk scarf in a bright color (it was a pinky/purply/mauvy color, draped in an elegant way), and a pair of simple black flats. She said that it would do as a dress up outfit if she needed to be fancy. She said that the scarf also served as a head cover for when she visited some churches and that it was big enough to use as a skirt (she was tiny) in a pinch.

The shirt looked sort of like this:
Rayon Scoopneck Blouse

The skirt looked something like this (only either her skirt was a little shorter or she was taller than the person in the picture):
Ruby Rd. Woman Long Broomstick Skirt | Dillards.com

She said that she took black and tan clothes with accessories that had lots of color to make her outfits go the farthest. Her accessories were all in the pinky/purply/mauvy span so they would all coordinate.

She also said that she only brought a handful of pieces of jewelry. All of it was costume in case it got lost or stolen. She brought like two pairs of silver earrings, a silver bracelet (the kind that is just a circle), a silver chain with something dangling from it, a heart, or maybe something teardropy. It was small and tasteful and would go with the "nice outfit" look. She also had brought a black silk cord with a few "charms", so she could swap them out easily to match her outfit. She has some sort of rock, something teardropy (larger than the one that went on the silver chain), and something that looked enameled that went with her color scheme (or maybe it was the reverse side of the teardropy thing). Part of her souvenier plan was to purchase other pieces as she traveled.

She said that she did travel with a few shirts that were different colors, but they would all match with everything else. Most of her shirts were like the one I linked to because she said that they were light and easy to wash out in a sink and they dried quickly (seems like they would wrinkle though). She said that she also traveled with a khaki skirt and a pair of khakis because jeans were too heavy and took too long to dry.

**Libby** · 11-16-2011, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by zakity

Dig around the net for backpacking Europe sites. They are great for ideas on packing light.

This is what I have been doing, and getting envious. I WILL learn to pack less. DH and I have agreed to 'share' a large suitcase. We'll see how well this goes. We're cheap and don't want to pay an extra $25 for his suitcase. We just have to watch the weight limitations.

Originally Posted by Contrary Housewife

IMO, if you can't lift all your luggage and run with it down the concourse to your flight gate then you packed too d@#n much crap!

TOTALLY agree!!

**lisaflex** · 11-16-2011, 07:41 PM

$25 for a suitcase?/ that sure is cheap! wow...

**lisaflex** · 11-16-2011, 07:42 PM

just wanted to clarify...you are not cheap...the airline that only charges $25/per bag is cheap!

**valerian** · 11-20-2011, 11:14 AM

Don't know where you're going, but if it's somewhere warm, Athleta has some awesome shorts that double as swimwear that dry very quickly. I bought two types for our trip to California last summer and loved them! I took a bikini too, but on some days wore the shorts over my bikini bottoms (like in the lazy river) and they dried very fast once I got out. The shorts are very lightweight, but sturdy and roll up tiny in your suitcase and ended up being two of my best purchases. We had to pack for three people for two weeks and did quite well actually.