Many of my friends will tell you that I’m the Queen of packing light. I’m not sure whether that’s something to be proud of but I have to agree with them. In fact I’ll even go one step further and say I’m like the Godfather of packing light; like the Master of the Universe of packing light; I could even be known as ‘the one to go to with all your packing light problems’.
But what are the real advantages of leaving that hair straightener behind? Well – for a start you won’t have to check in luggage at the airport, (which also means not having to pay for checking in luggage on all those low-frills airlines..); you won’t be physically weighed down by your own stuff; and instead of heading straight to the hotel to dump your belongings, you can get a headstart on everyone else and go straight to your first tourist stop. Not to mention saving yourself from the dreaded question “what shall I wear today?” The answer is simple… wear your only clean pair of shorts and the pink singlet instead of the blue one. Done. Finito. De’ nada. Get it?
By removing baggage we allow and invite more experiences into our lives. It really is that simple. The following is an example of what Chris packed for his last 9 day snowboarding trip to the French Alps…
The list included a snowboard, snowboarding boots, snow gloves, regular gloves, 2 beanies, 1 scarf, a screw driver set and wrist brace, sleeping bag, snowboarding pants & jacket, 2 sets of thermals, 1 jeans, 1 pants, 7 socks, a waterproof pair of street shoes, slippers, 4 Tees, 2 singlets, 2 lightweight jerseys, underwear, a hoodie, a shirt, toiletries (including zinc & sublock!), cellphone, Canon DSLR camera, Kodak Zi8 camcorder.
The result of which once packed, was this…
1 carry on bag and his lightweight snowboard bag. Not bad for 9 days on the mountain huh?
Here are some key points to remember when packing:
- The more stuff you take the worse off your back will be
- You can wash your clothes when you’re away
- Don’t bother taking “just in case” items like umbrellas or binoculars. Instead put aside a small amount of money to purchase these items if and when you need them, or better off – borrow these items at your destination.
