When you fill a suitcase before travelling, you may be tempted to cover every eventuality. Will you be hiking in the hills? Spending an afternoon at the beach? Strolling kilometres of cobblestoned lanes? Meeting up with friends and dancing the night away? Rather than packing paraphernalia for each possibility, if you focus on tactics to take as little as you can, you’ll not only lighten the load you’re lugging but also be a more responsible traveller.
If you try to cater for every scenario, you’ll be bumping up against your weight allowance before you know it. But if you rise to the challenge of making the most of the least, it not only makes travelling easier and more convenient — regardless of your age, fitness or ability — it’s better for the planet.
Before I start doling out advice, first a confession — I was once a hopeless overpacker. Way back when, as a younger, less experienced traveller, I had the misguided notion that I should bring absolutely everything with me. What if we went to a nice restaurant and I needed to wear something fancy? What if I wanted to go snorkelling? What if the spirit moved me to accessorise with a series of cute hats? (I was a teenager at the time, after all.) What if, what if, what if…
And do you know what? More often than not, the ‘what ifs’ don’t come to pass, because it makes more sense to consider what you actually want to do (and are likely to have time for), and pack accordingly. Otherwise, your belongings are getting a nice holiday while you just have more stuff to keep track of.
So I learned quickly that I didn’t need so much ‘just in case’ filling my case when travelling. The majority of those things I might need in my bag went unused, and they only ended up being more for me to drag around, through airports and rail stations, along pavements, up (and down) flights of stairs and gangplanks. I was overburdened, weighed down, and only making life harder.
But beyond our own comfort and convenience, packing light is essential for responsible travel. The heavier our luggage, with its increased weight leading to higher carbon emissions, the heavier the toll we take on the environment.
Rather than a lot of items you may use only once, focus on multi-purpose clothing and footwear that can be worn many times in a variety of settings. Be sensible, with one pair of shoes suitable for nearly everything being far superior to four pairs, three of which may only be worn once, or not at all. And your feet will thank you every day if that pair of shoes is built for long walks and breathability. Sometimes, you simply need to focus on function over form.
Whatever you do, before you zip that zipper, resist the temptation to add one more thing… just in case.
Layering is key — particularly in places with warm afternoons and cool nights, for example, or alternating dry and rainy periods during the day — with several lightweight layers you can add to, or remove, being the ideal.
Speaking of the climate and weather, don’t go in blind. In any fight with Mother Nature, you will not come out the winner; do a bit of research into the conditions you can expect to find during your visit. There are many resources online, plus a host of phone apps if you’re checking on the go.
For long or particularly active (read: sweaty or dusty) journeys, you can plan to do laundry rather than hauling multiples of items. This may range from a quick rinse in your accommodation’s bathroom to visiting a local laundrette to having it done for you, in some higher-end properties. If a wash in the hotel sink is your last job of the travelling day, there are a variety of eco-friendly choices that are also lightweight — from mineral-based powders to fully biodegradable laundry detergent sheets.
If you’re a toiletry addict, then concentrated, waterless options are a great way to shave kilos off your baggage, reduce the amount of plastic you travel with and minimise the waste you leave behind. If you do prefer the liquid alternatives, treat yourself to a set of refillable bottles to use over and over again; much more practical than their full-sized cousins.
And should you find that you need something left behind, unless you’re going somewhere incredibly remote, you can pick it up locally.
Embrace the opportunity to contribute to your destination’s economy and buy it there. Have an adventure and try Australian shampoo, Greek toothpaste or Mexican soap! Grab a sunhat in South Africa or a jacket in Jakarta. The fascinating journey around the supermarket or shops makes the effort and exploration well worth it, in addition to benefitting local businesses.
There’s still plenty of room for spontaneity when travelling, sure — but even the most spontaneous journey doesn’t require a wardrobe change at every turn. On the contrary, it’s the serendipity of not having something that can be most interesting of all.
So, if you haven’t yet become a convert to the delights of being unencumbered fellow travellers, it’s about time to take a load off and lighten up!
