Packing light for every travel (both literally and figuratively) is a valuable skill that a traveler must learn, if not master. It wouldn't be as fun for our wandering souls to be dragged down by heavy baggages, would it? Plane tickets are cheaper without the additional fee for check-in baggage. Airports usually have express counters for passengers with handcarry baggages only, thus saving our precious time. It is quite inconvenient to navigate our way through public transportation with bulky bags, so I have some tips for you.
I am not claiming to be an expert in the field of packing light (if such field of expertise actually exists) but in my most recent 6-day trip, here are my bags:
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| I had three footwear, clothes good for six days, extra shirts, and everything I needed for the trip. |
People ask me how I manage to fit all my stuff inside those bags, suspecting sorcery of some sort. I only had to keep in mind the following:
Bring only what you need. Seriously
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| Photo from iheartorganizing.blogspot.com |
This applies to almost everything that you decide to take with you. You don't really need to take the entire 500-mL lotion bottle for your week-long trip. You can repack your toiletries and save space by doing so. You also don't need to take with you your entire wardrobe for your trip. It helps to have a list of your itinerary with activities so that you know exactly the clothes to wear and stuff to bring.
Plan your outfits. Werq it!
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| Photo from hercampus.com |
Imagine a specific activity in your travel then picture out your outfit while doing it. Not just that colorful sundress that you plan to wear at the beach but the whole ensemble, including your footwear and accessories. After that, figure out how you can maximize each item without sacrificing style and comfort. If you are the forgetful type (like me), you can write a list or better yet, take a picture of yourself wearing the oufit so that you will remember what to wear on the day itself. Rehearse and werq it!
Rock that trip. Roll it.
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| Photo from kiwiglobetrotter.com |
After deciding which shirt to pair with which jeans, roll them together. Rolling your clothes instead of squeezing them inside your luggage prevents creases and maximizes bag space. Since you planned your outfits already for each activity, you can then arrange them according to which ones will be used first and/or most frequently - they should be the ones most accessible to you.
Keep them close (to each other)
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| Photo from nonstop-travel.blogspot.com |
Throughout your trip, you may tend to disarrange the stuff inside your bag that took you days to pack. At that point, it would be quite tempting to just stuff them inside without any more regard for space-saving. Don't fall into that trap. At least once during your trip, take out all of your stuff and rearrange them. This time, the used clothes should be at the bottom of your bag and the fresh clothes on top. Remember to roll them. You can also make a compartment inside your bag using plastic, in order to separate clean from dirty.
The second time (or third) is the charm
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| Photo from fashiostealer.com |
There are some items of clothing that you can use again throughout the trip. Before squirming at the thought of this seemingly unhygienic practice, hear me out. Jeans, for example, are bulky items of clothing that can be used twice or thrice in a trip. Thing is, you have to be extra careful with dust exposure and excessive leg sweating. The same applies for sweaters and jackets, except of course for the leg sweating bit. The extra care required is worth it, if you think about your smaller and lighter baggage. You can also wash small items of clothing like handkerchief and underwear when you shower. It doesn't demand much time to wash and they dry quickly.
There's no sorcery involved here, obviously. The key here is to organize your stuff before, during, and after each trip.
How about you, do you have some tricks to make your packing "pak na pak"?
*I am aware that the title is in Filipino while the whole article is in English. I just had to have the title that way para pak na pak!
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