How to Pack Light

TL;DR

• Pack 1 outfit for every 2-3 days of travel
• Bringing walking shoes and one (maybe two) other pairs of shoes (flip flops, dress shoes, or hiking boots) is usually more than sufficient
• If you are planning on donating, recycling, or throwing away any clothes or shoes, consider bringing them, wearing them a last time or two, and donating them at your destination to leave more room for souvenirs (only if it’s convenient to do this and you can launder the clothes before donating them)!
• Use contact cases and sample containers for toiletries
• Do not kid yourself about how much you’re going to read
• Develop a universal packing list for yourself (see mine at the end of this post)

When it comes to packing, I am hardcore team carry-on. When I went to New Zealand for a 3½ week trip, I only brought a carry-on backpack. When I traveled to Peru for a 3 week trip and a trek to Machu Picchu, I only brought a carry-on backpack. Weddings/funerals/reunions/conferences in other states? You guessed it, only a carry-on backpack. The one exception I’ve made to my pack light ethos since I was 17-years-old was a recent trip to Iceland where Andrew and I van-life-d through Iceland. We packed literal stacks on stacks of camping meals and snacks, plus Winter gear, trekking poles, and hiking boots, so there was no way carry-on was going to cut it.

Why Pack Light?

Why am I so ardent about carry-on?

• First, it saves me a lot of anxiety and, if you know me, I could definitely save on anxiety. I never have to worry about my luggage being lost. Plus, my carry-on is almost always a backpack, so I never get selected as one of the passengers that has to check their carry-on.
• Second, it saves money, nuff said.
• Third, it saves time. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s waiting 20-30 minutes for luggage after sitting in a plane (or probably multiple planes) for way too many hours, feeling tired, grimy, and anxious about my luggage arriving (see Point 1).
• Fourth, it keeps me from over-packing and hauling around more outfits, shoes, and toiletries than I am ever going to use.

The last point is important and it’s something I learned from being lucky enough to travel as a teenager to France and England with my high school. My school had really cool opportunities to travel internationally and I saved up my babysitting/entry level job money all year to go on these trips. At the risk of heinously over-generalizing, about 85% of teenage girls, my teenage self included, will massively overpack with outfits (and matching shoes) for all conceivable occasions, plus makeup, hair accessories, and whole skincare product lines.

I was unpacking after the second of these trips and realizing that on that trip and the trip before, I had only worn about half of the clothes I packed. The fancy shoes I packed had also gone untouched. I realized that when I was traveling, my goal was to simplify and spend more time sightseeing and feeling physically comfortable, not putting together elaborate ensembles.

So What Should You Pack to Pack Light?

Clothing

After this, I revamped by packing routine. I found that I could wear the same outfit 2-3 times without anybody noticing or, more importantly, without things smelling too badly. I now tend to pack one outfit for every two days for trips 10 days or less and one outfit for every 3 days for trips longer than 10 days.

If I’m staying in a place with laundry machines, I also take advantage of that option as needed. Let’s be honest, no one gives as much of a shit about what we wear as we do (unless you’re a celebrity) so probably no one will notice if you re-wear outfits. That being said, I’ve occasionally packed a couple of scarves or necklaces to change up the lewks. Also, it hopefully goes without saying that you should be more generous in packing underwear and socks!

I also tend to pack more short-sleeved shirts than long-sleeved shirts because short-sleeved shirts are more versatile. I can pack 3-4 short sleeved shirts for a week long vacation, for example, and then layer over a sweater if it’s cold. Of course, let the weather of your destination dictate what you pack, but for many vacations this can be a good option.

You can also be strategic about what you wear on the plane. I always wear a pair of jeans because they are bulky to pack, a short sleeved shirt, a sweater or zippered jacket on top, and a puffy. I can easily shed layers when I need to and I save some space in my luggage.

Shoes

In terms of shoes, I only pack walking shoes, usually flip flops (especially if we’re staying at campsites or hostels with communal showers or if it’s a beach vacation obvi), and occasionally one other pair will be added: such as nicer flats for weddings/funerals/conferences or hiking boots for adventure-y vacations. 99% of the time my flip flops are a perfectly fine accompaniment to a dress if we’re going somewhere nice to eat.

I’m sure there are many fashion influencers who find that heresy, but I’ll reiterate, basically no one else cares what you’re wearing and if they’re relatively neutral-colored flip flops, they probably go pretty well.

Pro-Tip: Recycle Clothes At The End of Your Trip

Another pro-tip is that on some vacations I’ve packed clothes that I was planning on throwing out. When I went to New Zealand, I packed a pair of tennis shoes that were almost completely falling apart and were in no fit state to donate. They got me through the vacation and, at the end, I threw them away and had more room for souvenirs!

This was before there were widespread options for recycling deteriorating clothes and shoes. If you have clothes that you are hoping to recycle and there are recycling facilities easily available in your travel location (Brooks stores for example will recycle any shoes and have lots of locations), giving them a last hurrah and recycling them at the end of the trip could open up space for that new souvenir shirt you bought and will for sure wear everywhere when you get home.

Toiletries

My favorite packing tip has to do with toiletries. If you or someone you live with wears contacts, stock up on contact cases and use those as travel containers for lotions, cleansers, and other toiletries. Wash out old ones and save new ones you don’t need. If you use the hypoallergenic contact solution like I do that comes in one of those weird cases with cages for your contacts (container on the left in the image below), rip out the part that connects the cages to the lid and now you have a good-sized travel container.

Free sample containers for makeup products are also great to save. They are the perfect size for moisturizers, sunscreen, Vaseline, etc. that you only use a little of each day. For standard contact lens cases, you can put different products in each side of the case. I find that filling one side of a contact case with moisturizer usually leaves me enough product for a week.

You can figure out how far yours will go by seeing how many pumps of moisturizer (or whatever) you can fit into a contact case. If one pump of moisturizer usually translates to one morning of use for you and you can fit in 7 pumps, then you’re probably good for 7 days. Putting a few contact cases of product in your bag is way easier than hauling even a travel-sized bottle and probably way less expensive.

Entertainment

Moving on to entertainment, do not kid yourself about how much you are going to read over vacation. I do this every time. Literally every time. And that’s after spending years trying to pare down. Unless it’s a hella boring vacation or the only thing on the agenda is sitting on the beach and reading and that’s something you actually intend to do, you probably don’t need more than one book (though see this post for some amazing book recommendations).

A couple of magazines (especially if you can recycle them when you’re done and save more luggage room on the way back), some downloaded podcasts, or a journal are good alternatives. And bonus points for the journal, it helps you solidify those great vacation memories.

Work

Also, don’t bring your work laptop (or any laptop really!) unless you absolutely have to. You shouldn’t be working on vacation and your eyes and mental health will appreciate the technology break. Worst case scenario you can borrow a laptop from (almost definitely) every other person on your trip, use your phone, or just be like, “sorry boss, I tried to logon, but the WIFI is just real bad here.”

Last, but not least, packing is personal and you can find the perfect balance for yourself with a little trial and error. I have a piece of paper that I keep in my nightstand with my universal packing list. A note on your phone also works great. The list includes all of the things I know I need to bring on every vacation.

It helps me remember the things I always forget (looking at you sunglasses) and keeps me from wandering around my bedroom throwing random things into a pile that I think I’ll need. Instead, packing becomes easy, fast, and anxiety-free. I think a lot of us could use more things like that in our lives.

My Pack Light List for a 7-10 Day Trip

*I’m literally on a 10 day trip now and checked what I packed for this list

• Short-sleeved shirts (3-4)
• Sweater/sweatshirt (2)
• Long pants (1-2 – not including the pair I wear on the plane)
• Shorts (1)
• Pajamas (1-2 pairs)
• Underwear x 7
• Socks x 7
• Bra x 2
• Workout outfits (2 – these can also be worn in non-workout contexts)
• Contact case
• Contact solution
• Retainer (completing the nerd image)
• Toothbrush
• Toiletries (Moisturizer, Cleanser, Makeup Remover, Toothpaste)
• Deodorant (I don’t want to admit how many times I’ve forgotten this)
• Sunglasses (or this)
• Medications
• Makeup
• Phone Charger
• Headphones
• Book
• Water Bottle
• Ear plugs and eye mask (I’m a finicky sleeper, but these are often handy on a vacation for anybody)
• Face masks (don’t get sick in the airport! I have and barely lived to tell the tale, which is not as big of an exaggeration as it sounds)
• Frequently but not always needed: Swimsuit, Flip Flops, Hiking Boots