People wonder how I can travel for two weeks (in the winter) with just a day pack.
1. The first thing I do is find the bag I want to carry and then fit what I can into it – if it doesn’t fit, it stays home.
2. I find a color scheme and stick to it – mixing and matching pieces.
3. I pack a travel size bottle of laundry detergent to wash things in the sink if needed – although in some parts of the world, like SE Asia, laundry service is so inexpensive, you can just send it out every few days and pack even less!
4. I bring as many light weight, quick drying items as possible and just one sweatshirt and one sweater to wear over light weight clothes (usually only either the sweater or sweatshirt can be in the pack)
5. I don’t spend a lot of time packing, but I always do spend time thinking about what I’ll need and want to wear and how it can all be coordinated.
6. If I really want to do some serious shopping, I ship it home – usually for less than the airlines’ baggage fees.
It’s so liberating to be free of luggage when I travel that it’s well worth the extra thought I put into it. Plus, with all the added baggage fees these days, it’s nice to know I can fit everything under the seat in front of me!