With the onset of summer, the urge to avoid heat and dust and run away to cool and serene places becomes all that extra obvious. However, going gung-ho on packing and incorrect selection of travel bag will land you in trouble when it comes to packing, transporting, carrying your bags and of course not to mention the extra freight charges that you might incur at times.
Without much ado, here are few quick tips that can make your vacation even more enjoyable without worrying too much about your baggage.
Buy lightweight suitcases: Gone are those days when safe meant heavy bags. Now you have a wide selection of tough, secure and durable bags that are made from lightweight composite elements and are thoroughly torture tested. While, we won’t recommend you any particular brand, you can always check them out at your neighbourhood store or an e-commerce shop at your convenience. Most major manufacturers make them these days. Finding one within your budget shouldn’t be tough.
Begin with a smaller suitcase: It’s simple psychology – the bigger the bag, the worse the urge to fill it up with stuff. Very few people can tame the temptation to skip on items when the suitcase still has free space. However, if you begin with a small briefcase, the space constraint will automatically make you more disciplined and force you to pack light. It goes without saying that smaller bags are easier to fit inside tighter places. This apart, smaller load will save you freight money.
Use a packing list and stick to it: While packing by instinct, everything might appear important enough for you to carry. You might want to pack your entire household items plus some more, but vacation is no house-moving. You need to keep it light and the correct way to do it is by making a list of stuff that is absolutely necessary. Skip on ‘just in case’ items as far as you can.
Now that we are done with the basics, let’s move on to organising your suitcase and save time and space while packing.
Don’t guesstimate the weight of your bag. Buy a travel scale for accuracy. How else would you know if you’ve packed light! Also, weighing your bag at the airport is a little too late if you’ve packed too much. This scale is totally worth the investment.
Don’t put your clothes directly in your suitcase. Use compression packing cubes instead. These packing cubes put a natural limit on how many clothes you can take and the compression element really can halve the amount of space your clothes take up.
Don’t use bulky shoe covers. Wrap a shower cap around the sole of your shoes instead to protect your clothes and other items clean from dirty shoes.
Don’t pack your largest wearable items. Wear them. Stuff such as full size boots, heavy jeans and jacket should be worn instead of being packed in the bag as and when possible.
Don’t pack a towel. Take a sarong. If you’re staying in a hotel, a towel is always supplied. Else, you can carry a sarong that will work just as well. It packs smaller, dries quicker and has more functions (scarf, beach towel, can be tied into a bag).
Buy your toiletries when you get there. Keep it at bare minimum and share among fellow travellers. Don’t pack full-size shampoo, conditioner and fragrances. Also instead of liquid, prefer solid items that have zero risk of spillage.
Keep your books on your phone or tablet. – Papers can be quite heavy!
