Some lessons I learned travelling as light as possible

Hi everyone,

I'm from Europe and as most of you are probably aware our extreme low cost airlines over the years got more and more extreme with their restrictions about "included hand luggage" (aka "free personal item" that's included with Ryanair, Wizz, Easyjet etc.). At the moment it can only be one piece with the max. measures of 40x20x25cm which is a small (15-ish liters) daypack.

For the past 15 years now I made it my "hobby" to travel only with free hand luggage and the more the airlines restricted the more I got rid of "unneccessary" things when I travel. Reason is that I mostly don't stay in one location but travel to different cities/areas when I go to another country and I really do not want to do this with luggage. Plus the saved money is a nice extra.

At the moment I travel with a 13l backpack similar to Vaude Coreway 10 but a little bigger. I also always leave some room for souvenirs so my backpack isn't completely full when I fly out.

Some lessons I learned about going lighter:

  • on almost every trip you bring something unneccessary. Make (mental) notes about which items you did not use once (or could at least not have used once) and leave it home next time (this rule excludes medi kit)
  • When booking accomodation, have a look at what they offer and choose one that allows you to leave towels, hair dryer, shampoo etc. at home.
  • Solid body wash/shampoo bars > liquid
  • There is a mini "travel" version of almost every product. Don't bring full-size anything to a 5 day trip.
  • If you REALLY lack something neccessary, most things can be bought for little money so don't stress out beforehand too much.
  • If you travel for more than a week, coin laundries are your friend (I usually travel with clothes for 5 days and then wash)
  • don't pack complete outfits but clothes you can combine in different ways (depending on how cold/warm and the occasion). As a woman, tights and shorts are your friend - minimal weight/volume.
  • You can wear pants more than once. When you go hiking in the wilderness or in a cool place where you not sweat a lot you can also wear shirts more than once. That's perfectly acceptable and not "gross" at all. I really had to learn that because at home I go through my clothes like they go out of fashion.
  • stuff sacks are bullshit because you can't properly pack orbs in a backpack. But compression bags (rectangular, making your folded clothes flatter) are the shit.
  • Shawls are practical because they double as some sort of poncho in chilly nights, as a small blanket, a headscraf or even a belt or some fashion accessoire
  • Always wear the bulkiest clothes you have with you to the airport

Some lessons I learned about trying to go too light

  • always take your good walking/hiking shoes with you even if they are bulky as hell
  • a good waterproof jacket must be part of the luggage, no matter if the destination is sunny and warm
  • never compromise about the medi kit. Do not try to make it smaller, you will 100% need the single med you decided to unpack
  • Even if you're not into swimming/the beach it won't hurt to bring a bikini that can double as additional pair of underwear if not needed for swimming

So what are your wisdoms, hacks or opinions on travelling light?

Author: Susannah_Mio_