06 Jun 2018
Packing for your upcoming vacation is a herculean task, and you are probably like most others who keep delaying it to the last moment. We often do that because its a tough decision making task. Where one has to decide what to include and what to exclude in the trip baggage.
Are you vacation ready? Pack light & wise this summer 2018Many times we miss flights because of extra luggage. When you have too much luggage to haul around the vacation becomes a pain rather than fun. Traveling with kids and luggage is a difficulty on parents can understand. Adding to all these troubles is the fear of lost baggage at airports. So our aim here is how to keep the travel luggage minimal so that we travel with one cabin luggage or check-in luggage.
Image Redefined will try to address this particular concern of Packing smartly for your next vacation in this blog. Be it a flight journey or a train journey, we shall help you in your decision making and choice of dresses and accessories to keep your luggage minimal.
Stick to the basics of packing only the minimal requirements when traveling. Unless it is a health concern I would never suggest packing food for the trip. Keep your meds but avoid general food in the luggage.
So as a rule of thumb make a checklist of most essential things you need for a particular trip like the following
Y pairs of innerwear
1 pair of sunglasses
Flippers & Casual shoes, 1 pair each
Minimized grooming Kit, Make up kit
Med box minimized
Charging equipment, the gadget you cannot do without
similarly others
You will need to prioritize them in an ordered list and then start packing the items with the highest priority. If you still have space when you are done with your barest minimum essentials you can think of other items.
Small items are often a tricky choice. We have this feeling that how much space will this little sunglass consume. We end up packing 3-4 different ones when we hardly use one or two of them and rest go untouched the entire trip.
Similarly, one pair of Sandals and one pair of multipurpose shoes is enough. You will really not need 5 different pairs of shoes and 3 sunglasses and 5 belts. Take only the best and the most versatile item among your choices that can solve multiple purposes and save space.
The Little Ganpati Ji, that your mother gave you does not need to be forced to travel with you physically. He is very much present with you all the time, so let his idol rest in its place while you travel light.
The question is do I need that gorgeous heavy dinner gown during my vacation? The answer is NO, a big fat NO. Vacations are occasions where you need to unwind and unload. So do not carry heavy dresses unless you are attending a marriage and cannot do without the dress you purchased specifically for the occasion.
When you are traveling you will still need multiple outfits. For an average 4-5 day vacation you will need about 10-14 outfits. But that never means 10-14 dressers or pairs of clothing. You can mix and match 6 different garments to make 12-20 different types of outfits. So planning your outfits ahead of your travel is very important.
Learn about the activities you will be engaging in during the vacation. Since this is summer time most of us will be encountering a lot of water so plan what outfits can be teamed up for water activities. Seriously 3 swimsuits are not required. You can even do with NO swimsuit and combine a stole with innerwear to make a cute and fashionable swimwear.
Take along fewer bottoms in neutral colors that can be mixed with almost anything. Take more tops than bottoms, especially those that are versatile and can be worn in different situations. A floral print shirt over a striped t-shirt works like a vest and can also be worn single with sleeves rolled up. Don't carry very light colors they get dirty fast.
One quick tip if you are having problems with limiting your outfits is sticking to one or two color theme. I used Blue and Yellow on my last trip and it was noticed better and appreciated by my friends and family more.
Plan your day wise look and the places you will visit, accordingly pack your clothes and look at repeating them by either adding scarf, jacket or wearing it differently. Always carry one pair extra so even it rains etc, you are sorted.
Here are some quick tips to save space and limit your baggage to one check-in baggage and a handbag.
Similarly, look around and find more creative ways of saving space in your baggage.
Normally I prefer two pieces of luggage when I travel. One medium strolley and one handbag that I can sling on. Decide what you need during the travel time and put those into the handbag. Very often the handbag is not weighed at Airport and is excluded in our luggage limit. So make the best use of that.
You can put your real purse in the handbag as well. It keeps your hands free and is very useful if you are traveling with infants or toddlers.
If you need that heavy necklace, voluminous sweater, a thick jacket then carry it on you. It is not only FREE it also frees up luggage space. When traveling to colder places or inside the flight, sweater and jackets can act as blankets and pillows.
Try to wear one additional shirt over a t-shirt and use similar layering techniques to do the heavy lifting on your body and free space in your luggage. In case you need a trekking shoe you can wear that on the flight or train too.