Packing light
Posted Friday, October 03, 2008, 12:29 AM by Lonely Planet
My number one piece of advice to any traveller relates not to what they should take on a trip, but to what they should leave at home - basically as much as possible.
It's a hard one to get your head around, though. Your backpack is open on your bed the night before you embark, your possessions gathered around you. This is your stuff. You'll want to have it while you're away. You need it, right?
Carrying your gear around from one place to another is perhaps the best way to realise how annoying stuff can be. It weighs you down, and lets face it, those 90L backpacks you see abusing the spines of travellers and knocking into locals give us all a bad name.
Aside from the freedom of movement you'll gain by shedding the weight of your belongings, you may find a different kind of freedom. A freedom from stuff, and a realisation that two T-shirts and pair of jeans can easily be the sum total of a traveller's entire wardrobe.
- Jenni Kauppi
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17 Comments:
Agree. An experienced backpacker knows that what ever that is "needed" can be bought along the way.
And if you cant find you what you need urgently, you end up having another good travel story to tell
E.
tho, a few extra pair of undies couldn't hurt
Agree
True
Excellent observation. Its true that more the bagpack is heavier, it lets you down in your travel and becomes a big hurdle while you enjoy your trip!
AGree
This is actually very, very true!
It is amazing how quickly you can forget all the stuff and get used to the more free style of life and traveling.
best tip for packing??
ROLL YOUR CLOTHES UP!
you can get way more in. try it!
Very nice
You're absolutely right! When we travel we share two backpacks with four people and it has always been enough.
Now, for those who really do not know how to achieve this "light packing" the answer is Combine. Make sure that you can mix and match all your clothes, to create different outfits. And what if you really get tired of wearing the same thing all the time? Well, one of the beauties of travelling is that you can buy new stuff nobody at home has ever seen.
So, good luck to you heavy packers, I hope you will suffer from less severe back injuries in the future.
I agree entirely Jenni and am still amazed when friends talk about bringing 4 pairs of jeans on a 2 week trip! Pack light, take a camera, a journal, an iPod (if you must), and get going. And please, don't even think about a laptop.
Then again, I remember during my first trip to Paris in the 90s I took a walkman and about 20 "inspirational" mix tapes in my backpack. Ooof.
Packing light is the key to successful travel. I never leave home with more than one bag no matter how long I'll be away.
My "light" packing(4-7kg with all neccesities included) was put to shame when I travelled with a friend who had a fanny pack stuffed with two t-shirts, a pair of jeans, toothbrush, toothpaste and soap. He wasn't even "back-packing".
Completely agree with comments above. Two t-shirts, a pair of jeans, and a good light weight dress (for girls) is a great amount when traveling. Plus, you don't have to worry about people seeing you wear the same thing all the time since you are constantly on the move ;) Also agree with the extra pair of undies, never a good thing to be without
Couldn't agree more with the comments above. My essentials = 2 t-shirts, light weight jeans, black cotton dress, two scarves. With good mixing and matching these cloths go far. Plus, agree with the extra undies, always a good idea.
I think allot of people always over pack for a trip but end up only using half of the items they are carrying.
i agree too. It's better to buy something if you need it, than carrying something useless in you backpack!
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