7 Easy Travel Tips: How to Pack Light for Your Next Trip

I’m going on a 6-day vacation to Florida this weekend, and my plan is to pack super light! That means everything needs to fit in a carry-on bag. I have traveled this way before and even though it can be difficult to minimize your luggage, it is worth it once you get to your destination. When you pack light you can get in and out of the plane quickly, you won’t feel burdened with heavy luggage, and your vacation wardrobe will be already planned for you! There won’t be too many decisions to make as far as what to wear, so you can enjoy a carefree vacation. I put together this guide for myself and perhaps it will also help you to pack light for your next trip.

How to Pack Light for A Trip

1. Make a Packing List

Create a list of essential items you know you will need. Besides the climate, consider the number of days you will be traveling, the days you will be vacationing and the activities you are planning. You can always wear the same outfit on your travel day to and from your destination. Pack thin layers like t-shirts and sweaters that don’t take up a lot of room and wear your bulkier clothes, such as a jacket or jeans, on the plane. See how I came up with a packing list in my post on how to pack for a warm weather vacation.

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2. Pack Mix-and-Match and Multi-Purpose Clothing

Put together a few casual and dressier outfits and see how you can mix and match them. For example, see my post on 6 Ways To Wear One Pair Of Floral Print Beach Pants for some ideas. If you stick to a neutral color scheme such as black, white and beige, you can add pops of solid colors or a few prints to your vacation wardrobe. Then mix them up each day. That way you will not look like you are wearing the same items over again, although you actually will!

The floral beach pants are a good example of multi-purpose clothing for travel. As you can see, they can work from the beach, to the street and even to out to dinner. Another multi-purpose item to pack is an oversized white shirt to wear over a dress, under a jacket or as a beach cover up. Or bring a black t-shirt dress to wear casually with sneakers for sight-seeing, under a blazer for a business meeting, or with heels to wear out for the evening.

3. Roll Your Clothes

Rolling your clothes instead of folding them will save space and minimizes wrinkles. You can also roll them with tissue paper. The tissue paper acts as a barrier between clothes and makes them easier to pack tightly.

4. Limit Your Shoes

We know that shoes can make an outfit, but don’t pack too many pairs. They are heavy and take up a lot of space in your bag. I recommend versatile footwear such as sneakers for walking, a pair of sandals for the pool and a dressier pair for evening. Three pairs of shoes should be the limit! And wear the sneakers or the heaviest pair on the plane.

5. Pack Travel-Sized Toiletries

Bring travel-sized versions of your favorite toiletries and essentials to minimize bulk or transfer your favorites into travel-sized containers to save space. To comply with TSA regulations, liquids, gels, and aerosols must be in containers of 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less. So you may want to purchase certain items, such as sunscreen, when you get to your destination.

6. Go Digital

Instead of carrying physical paper documents like tickets and reservations, store them digitally on your phone. It’s much lighter and saves you from shuffling through a pile of papers.

7. Evaluate What You Pack

Take one last look at what you place in your carry-on bag and remove anything you really won’t need for your vacation. Check to see if you have duplicate items. (I mean, how many black-shirts do you really need?) Instead, leave some space in your luggage to bring back a souvenir.

If you pack light, you will enjoy your trip! If you forget something, you can buy it on your vacation.

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Photos: iStock

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