Pack Wisely, Travel Well

“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light” – Cesare Pavese.

Everyone wants to travel with the least luggage possible. But it gets difficult to choose and segregate what is important and what is not. This article might help you pack right for your upcoming trip.

The first motto of packing is to take what is important. The most important things on a trip are important documents, money, medicines and clothes. After deciding on what to take, one must know the proper way to arrange their bags. If you know the right way to fold your clothes and arrange your belongings, you will save space and be able to take more.

Let us begin by selecting the clothes. Select three tops. The selection should be in such a way that you can match it with any bottoms or jackets. Select clothes that do not need ironing, dry fast and are sweat absorbent. Carry one jeans as a spare, apart from the one which you will be wearing throughout your trip. In case, one of them gets wet or dirty, you can wear the other one. Carry a pair (or two if you are a clean freak) of sleepwear. Have at least three sets of undergarments and socks. To ensure personal hygiene, these are the ones you should change daily. If you are on a winter vacation or are headed to a place with low temperatures, carry a sweater, woolen cap and scarf. Wear the heaviest jacket or coat while travelling. This way you can carry it as well as save space in your luggage. Now, fold these in the KonMari method. Konmari is an organized way of folding clothes that takes up less space than average folding. Put your socks inside your woolen cap to save space. If you are visiting the beach and a place with sunny weather, replace the winter wears with a swimsuit.

Do not carry numerous pairs of shoes. Wear one pair throughout your trip. If you are visiting a cold place or your trip involves a lot of walking and hiking, wear a pair of sneakers. If you are visiting a beach, a place where it rains more often or mostly traveling by car, wear light shoes like Flip Flops or Kiittos. In such cases, you can also ditch the socks. Apart from the pair in which you will travel, carry a pair of slippers which will serve two purposes. One, it will be your bathroom slipper or hotel slipper and two; it will serve as a spare in case your travelling pair is damaged or in worst-case scenarios, stolen.

Carry two towels, one large and another small. The small towel comes in handy if you have travel sickness or are feeling weak due to excessive energy loss.

Next is the list of medicines one must always carry with. If you are on medication, never forget to pack your daily medicines. Apart from that, carry an antibiotic, paracetamol, painkiller tablets and spray, tablets to relieve from travel sickness and medicines that cure digestive problems or acid refluxes. Apart from that carry cotton balls and band-aids. Pack the medicines in a toiletry bag instead of a box because boxes take up more space. Although, if you are carrying a liquid medicine or the container is made of glass, you might carry a box to reduce the chances of spillage.

Take another toiletry bag to pack your cosmetics. Take only the essential toiletries like hand wash, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, body wash, loofah (optional), deodorant, lotion or cream. Buy the smaller quantities of these or if such sizes are unavailable, carry them in small travel bottles. You may carry makeup, but restrict it to only one variant of each. Select a shade which will go with all the outfits that you have packed. Take small-sized combs and hairbrushes which will fit in any average-sized toiletry bag. Put all your clips and rubber band in a small container or if your toiletry bag has a pocket, then put those there.

Some other essentials which you should carry for an emergency are a torch, an umbrella and a pair of scissors. Also, carry some garbage bags. These come in handy if you throw up during travel sickness or if you have to give waterproofing layers to save your belongings. If you have glasses, remember to pack your spare set.

Now, arrange all of these in your bag. Start with the clothes, then the bags of medicines and cosmetics. Instead of carrying numerous small bags, carry one large rucksack or a suitcase with a small handbag or fanny pack to carry more immediate and important things. If you are carrying a suitcase, you can use packing cubes. These, segmentalize your bag and prevents the contents to get mixed up. Waterproof packing cubes prevent your belongings from getting wet on a rainy day. If you are travelling with a rucksack, then place your clothes first and then put the toiletry bags over the clothes. The packing will be a bit different from that of a suitcase. You have to stack your clothes vertically. In this case, you will not require packing cubes. A rain cover is enough to protect your belongings from water.

Take a separate bag for camera and camera equipment. Do not mix these with your other belongings. Pack your phone charger and power bank with the camera. If you are not taking a camera with you, pack the power bank and phone charger in one of the pockets of your rucksack. If you are carrying a suitcase, then place it on top of your clothes.

Now, comes the most important of all that you are carrying, money and documents. Do not put all your money in a single bag. Put the greater sum inside your suitcase or rucksack in a purse and stuff it within the clothes for safekeeping. Carry the rest in a wallet which you will seldom use. Put your cards in this wallet. Carry the least amount in your pocket. This is the money which you will spend on transports or snacks. Do the same with the documents. Keep the frequently used documents and tickets in your handbag or fanny pack. Put the rest inside your main luggage. Remember to take photocopies of the original documents for emergencies.

You may alter this packing technique according to your needs. But always remember to take things which you will need and not extras. This way you can travel hassle-free and not be piled up with numerous bags and suitcases. Happy traveling!