7 Tips For Packing Light
I have always been an over packer, but I have been trying to pack lighter on more recent trips. Find out my top tips I have used to do this!
Hi!! I can't believe that it is mid-May already. The temps have been great here in Minneapolis and I have loved being able to sit outside! I am absolutely notorious for being an over packer. But what if I need this? or this? And by the end, my bag is too full to shut (but I find a way to shut it anyways, haha!). Packing lighter is better for so many reasons. It is better for the environment if we all packed lighter, its easier on you to carry it all, and of course, I always have to save room for a souvenir too! Here are a few of my tips for packing lighter. :)
1. Actively Modify Your Packing List
Having a list is so important for packing, and I think making sure you update it for each trip is also really important. I have found that when I just stick to the packing list I have made in the past, I find myself always over packing. Each trip now when I go into planning for packing, I make a list of what I know I will need for that trip. I then take another look the next day, and try to eliminate a few items that I probably won't actually need. This has really helped me to pack lighter!
2. Finding The Right Bag Or Luggage
Whether you are just traveling with a backpack or if you are using a luggage, finding the right sized one is really important. There are luggage that weigh more than others and can make a small impact on the weight of your luggage. Also, if you decide to bring just a backpack, you need to make sure you pick one with the right support because you will be carrying this bag around for extended periods of time.
3. Leave Out Some Of The Toiletries
Shampoos, lotions, etc. make up for SO much weight when traveling. A lot of these things can be bought when you get there, or if you are staying at a hotel, you can use the bottles that they provide there. Also, getting travel size items of the necessary items, can help take out some additional weight in your luggage as well!
4. Limit The Number Of Outfits You Bring
One of the major tips people tell you when you want to pack lighter is to bring less outfits. Depending on what you are doing in the course of a day, an outfit could be okay to wear more than once (that is, if you aren't high maintenance like my fiancé, Vince :P). I guess another major benefit of bring less outfits is that when you get home you have less laundry to do too!! :D
5. Bring Scented Dryer Sheets
I mentioned these in a prior blog about packing tips, and I think they are great to bring up here again. In my last blog I mentioned that I hadn't tried this hack before, but now I have and can report back on it! I really think the dryer sheet kept my clothes smelling fresh. This is a tip I am including here, because as I mentioned in the last tip, when people pack light, they usually bring less outfits. Keeping these scented dryer sheets in your luggage will help your clothes smelling fresh!
6. Cut Out "Special Case" Items
As I said earlier, I always say, but what if I need this or what if I need that? And then on the trip, I end up never using the items. There has been very few times where I have ever used these items. I have began to just leave these items out and I haven't found myself wishing I brought them. I also have began to cut out outfits that I know I will not wear. I am someone who loves to wear athletic clothes, and I would always bring jeans or nicer outfits thinking I would wear them, again I NEVER do. So now, I just don't bring these items if I know I will not being going anywhere that requires nicer outfits. It has helped me save a lot of room when packing.
7. Use Packing Cubes
This is another item I included in another blog about packing tips and I think it is great to point our here as well. If you even just bringing a suitcase, these packing cubes can really come in handy when you are trying to pack light. Although there may be more room in my luggage, I try to limit myself to what will fit in one of these packing cubes. It is a good rule for myself to not over pack and that one packing cubes is about exactly what I need for one week of clothes. It is perfect!
Are you an over packer of have you figured out how to pack light? I have began to use these tips above, but I am still working on packing light each time I travel! :)