If you need to jump on the suitcase to make it close, this article is written for you.
Whether you have to travel for a week or for several months, it is unnecessary to lug around too many kilos.
Many times we have tried to pack too heavy, too much and too useless, so when we from 2017 to 2018 had three months to Asia, we had to pack with precision – everything should be able to be in hand luggage.
We have put together our best tips for packing easily and smartly; both to take less with, and to how it is better packed.
- Check the weather forecast in advance
- Bring your favorites
- Start packing ahead of time
- Pack compatible clothing
- Try the clothes in advance
- Think in layers
- Only pack clothes for a week
- Replace and buy along the way
- Send excess clothes and souvenirs home
- Roll the clothes
- Use packing bags to pack efficiently
- Travel with small containers
- Leave extra devices at home
- Share chargers
- Put on the heaviest clothes
1. Check the weather forecast in advance
Once you know the weather in the city or country you are visiting, it is easier to pack properly.
Is there cold, hot, rain, storm or anything else to take into account? If sun is promised next week, you do not need to pack the thick sweater or rain jacket, and if rain is promised, you may be able to drop taking the summer tops with you.
2. Bring your favorites
Pack clothes that you know you are going to go with. It should give you a good feeling and at the same time match the expected travel activities.
There is no need to bring four pairs of shorts if you have a favorite pair that ends up being the only one you are wearing.
3. Start packing ahead of time
It may be a utopian thought, but it can really be recommended to start packing a while before the trip.
The feeling of having packed your bag several days in advance is worth its weight in gold – and then it gives you the opportunity to reconsider whether you really need to have it all with you.
4. Pack compatible clothes
By only packing tops and bottoms that can be combined for different outfits, you can limit the amount of clothes you take with you. If it can only be used once or needs to be put together with something special, do not pack it.
Keep the wardrobe in colors that fit well together, so that all the parts can be used better crosswise.
Victoria’s color palette for three months in Asia.
5. Try the clothes in advance
Lay out your outfits and try them on before they are packed down. That way, you can see how flexible a piece of clothing is (or is not) and whether you feel comfortable in it.
If you want to invest some time in testing your outfits in advance, you can often save a few superfluous clothes away.
6. Think in layers
Pack several thin layers instead of large sweaters and winter jackets that take up a disproportionate amount of space in the luggage.
A thin base layer, a fleece sweater and a windbreaker can keep you warm, and then it takes up less space and gives greater flexibility in the use of the clothes.
7. Only pack clothes for a week
Even if you travel for several weeks or months, it makes good sense to only pack clothes for seven average days.
This makes it easier to visualize how much clothing to use, and by only packing for a week, you drastically minimize the risk of overpacking.
Remember: It is often easy and cheap to wash your clothes on the trip, and underwear can, for example, be washed up in the hotel room between the larger washes.
Take smaller clothes with you on the trip and wash them instead along the way.
8. Replace and buy along the way
On longer journeys, it may be necessary to replace some of your luggage along the way. There are holes in the socks, the toothpaste and sunscreen are used up and maybe it’s nice to buy a new t-shirt after two months.
Avoid taking everything extra with you to “what if…” scenarios that will just be a weight burden. Instead of packing for every possible situation, buy what you are missing when you are actually missing it.
In Hoi An, Vietnam, there is ample opportunity to get yourself a pair of new, bespoke shoes if the old ones have retired.
9. Send excess clothes and souvenirs home
If you are traveling for a long time, it is an idea to send packages home with clothes or souvenirs that you do not want to throw away, but also do not want to carry on.
For example, if the trip starts with a hike in the mountains and ends on the beach, you can send the hiking boots and other special equipment home ahead of time.
10. Roll the clothes
Instead of folding your clothes or throwing it all down in a big pile, it’s smart and space-saving to roll it. It minimizes air between the layers and reduces curls in the clothes.
If you have shoes in your bag, your socks can be rolled up and put in them. Voilá! Good use of airspace.
Save space in the bag by rolling the clothes instead of folding them.
11. Use packing bags to pack efficiently
To make the best use of the bag or suitcase space, you can use packing cubes or ordinary plastic bags to avoid large air pockets.
They are available in different sizes, and we would recommend that you divide your clothes into categories, so it is easy and clear to find what you are looking for. If you just need to change sweater just as quickly, it is so much easier to pull out only one bag where all the tops are together.
The four rolled-up t-shirts take up even less space in a packing bag.
12. Travel with small containers
On shorter trips, you can not use a whole deodorant or a bottle of shampoo, so instead fill the toiletries into travel-friendly, light containers. They fill up and weigh less.
If they are under 100ml, they can even be taken in hand luggage.
Mosquito spray, sunscreen, shampoo, deodorant and alcohol gel – all in travel-friendly containers of less than 100 ml.
13. Leave extra devices at home
Few people need to have a phone, an iPod, a tablet, a computer and a camera with them.
The phone can handle most things, so save yourself the extra weight and the many chargers.
14. Share chargers
If you still bring several devices, you can check if they can use the same charger. It can also be an idea to share about a single charger if you travel several together using the same kind of phones or cameras.
15. Put on the heaviest clothes
Make your pack easier by putting on the clothes that fill and weigh the most. Travel in long pants and sneakers, and leave shorts and sandals in your bag.
