How To Lighten the Load When Travelling

Travelling is fun. We all love to get away to visit loved ones, explore a new city, or to go on holiday. The build up to a trip can be enjoyable too the anticipation the planning what we're going to do the packing. Wait 'the packing'? Yes, this can be fun deciding what to take getting ready. It can also be a chore. How often do you pack for a trip and realise that you are about to take half the contents of your house half-way across the world just in case (literally just in (the suit) case)? Wouldn't it be simpler if you just took what you needed if you could fit everything into one bag if you could travel light?

"Hang on a minute" I hear you cry but I need to take all those  items. Do you? That is my question and challenge to you do you really need to take all of those items in your luggage what would happen if you didn't?



As human beings we've been conditioned to feel safe when we have a lot of 'things' around us we feel that the more we have, the better prepared we are for any eventuality we are conditioned to consume, to have. The same is true when we travel we think we need all those clothes and books and gadgets, and and and.. Have you ever thought about what you actually need rather than what you think you need? Do you ever consider that most destinations have shops and amenities and that you don't need to lug a whole bag of toiletries thousands of miles?

Reducing what you take with you is really freeing think about it imagine just one item of hand luggage imagine getting off the plane and not having to hang around waiting for your big heavy suitcases by the carousel imagine having everything you need on your back imagine the flexibility of being able to move from one place to another with ease, even on foot. Have you got that image? How does it feel? Want to try it give it a go?

How to travel light
Here are some tips to get you started based on my experience of travelling light. These are there as guides to give you some ideas some will travel with less than me, some with more the important point is that you reduce what you take :

• Tip 1: The One Bag Rule only take one bag with you (simple start eh?) preferably a rucksack as they are much easier to carry and leave your hands free.

• Tip 2: Limit the size of your bag ideally your rucksack should be small enough to be taken onto the plane as carry-on. This tip, together with the 'One Bag Rule', limits what you can take whatever you think you'll need it's all got to go in that one bag.

• Tip 3: Set out everything you think you'll need lay it all out. You can then see if it will fit in your one, carry-on size, rucksack. If it does then great you're good to go. Chances are though that it won't..... That's where Tip 4 comes in.

• Tip 4: Halve everything reduce everything that you think you need to take by half reduce, reduce, reduce...

• Tip 5: Start packing in priority order it's time to start packing. The first item in should be the most important item, the item that you're going to need the most then the next, and the next.

• Tip 6: Anything left at the end isn't needed you've packed all the important items into the bag and it's now full. Anything left over is unlikely to be needed trust me on this one.

That's it you're good to go.

What my bag contains

This is what's in my bag when I travel :

• Netbook and charger
• Phone charger
• 5 pairs underwear (sock, pants)
• Spare shirt
• Book
• Notebook and pen
• Toothbrush

And that's it. It all goes in one rucksack on my back.

It doesn't seem like a lot but it's all I need you're list may well be very different but the principle is that it all goes in one, carry-on size, rucksack. When I first started reducing what I took away with me it really helped me to remember the following:

1. There are shops and amenities where I'm going I can therefore pick up items like toothpaste when I'm there.
2. I can wear any items of warmer clothing (depending on where I'm going).
3. I don't need a new full clean set of clothes everyday I can wash what I take with me.
4. There are shops and amenities where I'm going if I do find that I need something specific whilst I'm there I can always buy it.

You'll notice that I've said and highlighted "There are shops and amenities where I'm going" twice that's because this is a really important idea unless you are going to a very remote destination you'll be able to get anything additional, that you might need, when you're there. This is key we take stuff because we think we'll need it more often than not we don't so if we don't take it and then (shock horror!!) we do find that we need it we can purchase that item.

The benefits of travelling light
So, you're all ready to go one small rucksack at the ready. Here are some of the benefits that you'll discover from applying this philosophy.

1. Flexibility you are now very flexible in terms of where you can go you're not weighed down by all that heavy luggage heaving it from taxi cab to hotel you're light and free you can even walk to your hotel if you want to, or explore town before checking in.
2. No lost luggage this becomes a thing of the past with only hand baggage there is no luggage to get lost.
3. Whizz through the airport well you'll be quicker anyway I can't guarantee there won't be a long line for the passport check, but you won't have to hang around by the carousel waiting for your luggage to be offloaded from the plane.
4. Focus the more you take, the more choice that you have the more choice you have, the less focused you are likely to be. Let me explain if you take 5 books to read you may spend time wondering which one to read first and then, if you're anything like me, once you've made that decision and started reading one of the books, you'll be wondering whether you should have made a different choice you become distracted. The same is true of clothes what should I wear? The less you have with you the more focused you are likely to be on the important stuff enjoying the experiences of the trip.

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