How To Pack Light: The Ultimate Guide (FREE PDF!)

So you’re wondering how to pack light, eh?

I get it. Because I’ve been there, staring at my overpacked bag and wondering how the hell I’m ever going to lug that around my whole trip and not end up with some kind of permanent injury.

But I’ve learned from my mistakes, and today I’m here to show you how you can, too.

Over the past few years of travel – solo travel and not-so-solo travel – I’ve perfected the art of packing light and I’m now ready to share my top tips with you.

I’ll make sure that you can spend more of your precious vacation time enjoying yourself and less time worrying about how heavy your bag is.

Before we go any further, you might want to download this light packing guide in PDF form. Enter your information in the form below and you’ll get it sent straight to your inbox, so you can consult it at any time.

Why should I pack light?

There’s a few reasons why you need to know how to pack light.

Here are the most important ones:

You’ll be able to move around more quickly: When your bag is light, you can move around more easily, making your trip that much more pleasant;
You can avoid overweight baggage fees: As a minimalist packer, you’re much less likely to be charged overweight baggage fees because you just HAD to bring that extra pair of jeans;
You’ll be a more pleasant traveller: It’s easier to find that one travel adapter or toothbrush at 2 am without being the roommate nobody wants and waking up everybody in your dorm room;
It’s better for your body: If you’re packing light, your back, feet and shoulders will thank you down the road;
You can travel carry-on only: Once you really know how to pack light, you can travel with a carry-on bag only, meaning that you won’t even have to pay for checked baggage. Talk about a win-win situation!

Good.

Now that you know why packing light is so important, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty stuff. How do I keep myself from overpacking?

What not to pack

Before I teach you how to avoid overpacking, why don’t we take a look at this?

I think we can all agree that one of the most basic rules of packing light is to bring only the essentials. This inevitably begs the question: What is essential and what is not?

The truth is, this depends on the type of trip you’re taking, your destination and a lot of other factors.

One of my favourite light packing tips is this: If you’re trying to pack light, you need to know that there are some things you should never pack:

Don’t pack more clothes than you need: If you’re just travelling for a few days, you won’t need to take an extra t-shirt or pair of socks. And if you’re travelling for a longer time, you can get by with about a week’s worth of clothes (Hooray for laundromats and hostel laundry service, am I right?)
Don’t bring your entire beauty routine: You’re not going to a fashion show — you’re going travelling. It’s fine if you don’t look your absolute best, and I promise hardly anybody will notice – or even care – that you used two-in-one shampoo and conditioner once.
Leave your full-sized toiletries at home: Besides the sheer weight and volume of full-sized toiletries, you won’t even be allowed to bring them with you on the plane if you’re travelling carry-on only. You can find solid alternatives to most (if not all) toiletries in stores like Lush.
Forget the things you won’t use: Do you need to show off your expensive jewellery when you’re abroad, making you much more susceptible to theft? Of course, I can’t decide what you deem necessary, but just be sure that you thought it over before stuffing all your belongings in your suitcase.
Don’t pack things you can buy there: Think about it. Why would you bring extra razor blades, nail polish remover or aspirin when you can just as easily get those at a convenience store abroad?
Don’t bring more than one guidebook: I promise you won’t need three guidebooks for a weekend visit to Berlin. One guidebook will give you plenty of information. And if you’re visiting multiple destinations, invest in a lightweight e-reader and get the digital versions. Some of my favourite guidebooks are Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Nomadic Matt.
Don’t pack a point-and-shoot camera: These days, most smartphones include cameras that put point-and-shoot camera quality to shame. If you’re not a professional, you can use your phone to take travel photos and make travel videos. And if you are a professional, you probably won’t be using a point-and-shoot camera anyway.
Don’t bring bulky electronics: When you think about it, many bulky electronics can be replaced by smaller, lighter alternatives. Replace your over-ear headphones with in-ear buds. Reconsider bringing your tablet. Take only what you need, and your body and wallet will thank you.

How to pack light

If you’re still asking yourself ‘Okay, but how do I pack light?‘, worry no more.

Here are some simple tips to make packing like a minimalist easier than ever before.

Use a small suitcase

When your bag is smaller than what you’re used to, you’ll be forced to pack less clutter. After all, you have less space to store everything in.

Start by figuring out which bag you’re going to use and then lay out everything you need to fit inside.

Everything that cannot fit in the bag – so, basically anything that is not essential – stays home.

Plan ahead

Usually, you already know more or less what you’ll be doing on your trip before you leave home because you did some research. This makes it very easy to coordinate your baggage and outfits based on that outline.

If you’re going to the beaches in Bali, you won’t need a bulky winter jacket. And if you’re planning a road trip through Belgian cities, chances are your bikini won’t come in useful.

You don’t need to pack your entire wardrobe for a one-week trip.

Leave the ‘just-in-case’ items at home

You know which items I’m talking about. ‘I’d better take my trainers, just in case I feel like going to the gym.‘

If you know you’re not a gym person, you don’t need to take your trainers.

This is just one example, but there are plenty of things you don’t need abroad.

Go through every item you laid out in front of you and ask yourself if you’ll use it wherever you’re going. If you won’t, don’t take it. There’s always a solution to whatever problem the ‘just-in-case’ items solve.

Wear your bulkiest clothes on travel days

If you’re travelling by plane, you need to make sure you can still lift your cabin baggage to the overhead storage, so as to not make a fool of yourself.

One way to make your bags lighter is to wear your bulkiest clothes on travel days. Thick sweaters, heavy shoes and jackets are often the culprits.

You can take these items off once you get past security at the airport, so you won’t have to sweat through your entire long-haul flight either.

Use travel-sized toiletries

Besides the fact that many airlines won’t allow any containers that contain more than 100 ml (3.4 oz) of liquids in your cabin baggage, these containers are – unsurprisingly – heavier than their travel-sized counterparts.

Unless you’re planning a six-month round-the-world trip, you won’t need a large bottle of shampoo. And even then, it’s better to take travel-sized bottles and buy new ones at convenience stores abroad.

If possible, take travel-sized bottles of shampoo, shower gel and other liquids. Many toiletries also have a solid alternative, so do some research to find out what best fits your needs.

Roll your clothes

It may go against your common sense, but the best way to avoid wrinkling clothes is to roll them up. This way, you will have no worries about looking good on holiday and you won’t have to spend your precious time off looking for an iron.

Bonus: you’ll save space in your suitcase, which in turn leads to – you guessed it – lighter baggage.

Be smart about what you wear

I can practically hear you thinking it: ‘You’re really talking about clothes again?‘

Well, yes.

Clothes are usually the things that take up the most space in your baggage. And that’s exactly why it’s important to be aware of which clothes you’re bringing.

Let me tell you: You don’t need four pairs of shoes for a two-week holiday.

What you could do is wear one pair of shoes on your travel days and take one extra pair in your suitcase. This way, you have two pairs of shoes that you can mix and match with your other clothes, to make sure that you always look good and feel confident in your looks.

More light packing tips

Choose your destination carefully

It’s not a secret that some destinations require you to pack more than others.

For example, summer destinations will not have you lugging around thick jackets and awkwardly sized hiking boots.

With that in mind, you need to pay attention to your destination when you’re planning a trip because it will have a big impact on the size and weight of your baggage.

Make sure your clothes are travel-proof

There are some aspects of your clothing you have to consider when you’re trying to pack light.

Before you head off to the airport, go over this checklist for each article of clothing and make sure that it checks at least 3 items:

It’s lightweight;
It’s durable and high-quality;
It can be dressed up for the evening;
It’s comfortable;
It folds up small;
It matches most or all of the other clothes you’re bringing.

Use a packing list

Not only will a packing list help you pack what you need, but it also takes the stress off packing, knowing that you’re not forgetting any essentials.

There are plenty of packing lists for specific destinations on the internet. Just go to your favourite search engine and type ‘[Your destination] packing list’.

If you think you might need a packing list for your first solo trip, I’ve got you covered. Just enter your information in the form below and it will be in your inbox before you can say ‘Dude, where’s the packing list you promised me?’.

Stay organised

Every expert traveller has a different way to organise their baggage. Some people swear by packing cubes or compression bags, others use rubber bands or plastic bags.

Through some trial-and-error, you can find your method of organisation. Whichever method you prefer, stick to it and make it your own.

Underwear and socks

You can save a lot of space in your suitcase by rolling up your underwear around your socks and stuffing them into your shoes.

There shouldn’t be one pair of shoes in your bag that does not have socks and/or underwear inside.

Once you run out of shoes to fill, start stuffing underwear and socks in trouser pockets or rolling them inside your shirts.

Upgrade your gear

If you’re not a seasoned traveller, chances are that some of your stuff could use an upgrade – especially if you’re trying to pack light.

Check these things to see if you can find a more lightweight version:

Shirts
Underwear
Shoes
Belt
Shorts
Jacket

Admittedly, the lightweight version of these items of clothing will probably be more expensive. But the lifetime value you get out of them will also be much larger.

Take advantage of technology

These days, we can carry entire libraries’ worth of books into lightweight e-readers, or even into our phones.

You’re probably taking your smartphone with you either way, so why not use it as a music player, camera, podcast library, newspaper, weather predictor, contact directory and credit card as well?

There. Now that you’ve read my light packing guide, you know exactly what to do to pack like a minimalist.

Do you have any more light packing tips or tricks? Did I miss anything? Be sure to let me know in a comment down below!

PIN IT!