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It's become a hot topic for travellersacross the globe and there are a number of websites set up to offer helpfulhints and tips on how to become a master at travelling light. The websites havebeen a huge hit. Satisfied travellerspost their comments on the benefits of travelling light on bush treks tobusiness trips. It sure beats lugging around deadweight and you don?thave to endure long, boring, check-in queues.
According to :?There's no question: over-packing tops the list of biggest travel mistakes.?The website is packed with user-friendly tips, useful links and advice to helpyou travel ?pretty much anywhere, for an indefinite length of time, withnothing more than a single (carry-on-sized) bag.?
Another popular site is . It is an ?educationalsite that teaches ordinary people to travel light?. This includes everyone thatstill thinks they need to pack everything but the kitchen sink just in casethey need it on their travels. Carrying excess or bulky baggage adds extrastress to your trip that you just don't need.
Both websitescover everything from what kind of bag to take to which clothes to pack, to howto pack your bag to meet cabin and airport security restrictions. So, if you?rekeen to travel light, here's a quick look at how to rethink your packing.
Carry-on flying
If you have a ?carry-on?sized bag, it doesn't need to be checked in. If you've flown lately you mayhave noticed the long check-in queues at busy airports like Gatwick and Heathrow.Once you have checked your luggage in, you still have to go through securityand passport control, which usually means another wait in a queue. Adding morestress and more boredom to your trip. However, if you're clever you can avoidpre-holiday stress and boredom. Thanks to e-ticketing you can bypass the queuesand head straight to the departure lounge provided you have a carry-on sizedbag.
A carry-onsized bag should fit into an overhead cabin locker easily. Airline guidelineschange all the time so make sure you check the maximum size and weightrequirements with your airline before you fly. The ?one piece of hand luggageonly? rule imposed in 2006 for security reasons was lifted in most
Chose the right bag style
Apparently thetype of bag you travel with makes a difference. One Bag suggests you travelwith a soft-sided bag with external compression straps that can be cinched downto the smallest size when packed.
A smallsuitcase with wheels means you can pull your bag around instead of having tolift it. Both One Bag and Travelite mention that extra wheels are cumbersome andcan be a hassle especially if you encounter cobblestones, steep hills, steps,or if you're travelling to places off the beaten track. They also point thatyou are more likely to have your luggage checked.
The mostpractical bag is a ?travel pack?: a rucksack that doubles as a holdall. You canwear it on your back for easy travelling and pack the shoulder straps away whenyou need to. Some travel packs also have wheels. You can find a travel pack at or .
What to pack
Now you havethe right bag that's the right size, you need to know what to pack. Bepractical. You won?tneed a hair dryer in the jungle and flip-flops in the
How to pack
Make a ?bundlepack?. This is when you take an item like an ?organiser roll? of toiletries andwrap a layer of clothing around it. This helps to reduce creases in yourclothes although you may not have easy access to some items. Learning to bundlewrap and unwrap quickly is an art.
Keep socks andunderwear together. Pack a separate bag for dirty laundry. You don't want your cleanclothes mixing with your dirty laundry. Wear bulky items like jumpers, jackets,sweatshirts and/or boots to the airport so that they don't count as part ofyour hand luggage.
Now you knowthe basics of travelling light you can set off on your next trip with a lighterload. Before you go, make sure you have the right .