Going on vacation or taking a business trip? What is the best way to pack for your trip? Pack the bare essentials, like prescription medications, basic clothing, and a cell phone. Leave the rest at home and buy local. Expect to seek out local fun and immerse yourself in the new culture and people. Do not expect too much from your destination, but do not be over prepared and forget to enjoy life once you get there. These top six tips will get you there with a light carry-on ready for your new adventure and unencumbered by non-essentials.
6. Bags, Bum Bags, and Purses
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Pack light and strive to utilize no more than one carry-on and one personal beg per person. Most airlines, buses, and trains allow one compartment-sized carry on and one personal bag, like a purse, per person. Packing light will help you avoid baggage claim and make getting through terminals a breeze. If you do plan on bringing home souvenirs, pack a light-weight duffel or carry-on that easily folds up and stuffs into your other carry-on with minimal space lost.
Further, avoid carrying bum bags (fanny packs), purses, and travelers' bags when milling about your destination. This only encourages pic-pockets and thieves and alerts everyone you come in contact with that you are traveling. Instead, wear pants or other garments with front zippered pockets that allow you to keep important things like credit cards, change, and room keys safe.
5. Clothing
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Pack fewer clothes than you think you will need and wear bulky items instead of packing them. But, do consider the climate you are visiting and how much time you will be spending outdoors. Remember to pack about three days worth of clothes and items that wash and dry easily by hand, for when the destination doesn't include laundromats or cleaning services. Pack items that are basic staples and can be mixed and matched during travel. At most, you will need about three pairs of undergarments, or skip them and buy disposables when you get there. Avoid cliché' travelers' clothing at all costs, not only are you easier to pinpoint as a tourist and get taken advantage of, you will be out-of-place with the locals.
Remember that you can buy clothes when you get to your destination and then donate them before leaving. This means you can skip the bulky jackets and jeans or extra in-case-of pieces and only buy them there if you actually need them. And avoid bringing vintage or heirloom pieces just to be in fashion, instead, buy them there and take such items home with you as souvenirs. The same goes for shoes, wear a pair of walking or hiking shoes and bring a pair of sandals or dress shoes, leave the rest. If you really need a third pair, you can buy them there.
As for makeup or jewelry, leave these homes and bring the bare necessities as a cheap plastic sports watch mascara and lip balm. It is better to keep a low profile than lose these expensive items on your trip.
4. Electronics
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Avoid the electronics trap and leave all the accessories at home. Buy a disposable cell phone right before your trip and update your emergency contact with your new number. Also buy disposable cameras instead of bringing the expensive digital cameras, unless you are a photographer on a business trip.
Also leave the bulky and theft-target items at home like the mp3 player, the iPad, the iPod, laptop, and the tablet. Remember to bring a multi-adapter and socket adapter or buy a charger when you get to your destination, but leave the rest at home. The same goes for random items like coffee grinders, electric toothbrushes, adapters, batteries and chargers, and other electronic items. If you must have a laptop while traveling, buy a cheap (under $150) netbook or notebook with a socket adapter.
The point of traveling is to immerse in the local culture and engage other people, there is no need to bring easily stolen items and ignore the scenery and people while on your trip. Avoid the trap of electronics and media and enjoy people and pastoral instead.
3. Food and Water
Unless you are bringing snacks for the train or plane ride, leave foodstuffs at home. This goes for lugging bottled water along, as water bottles with water in them might not make it past security anyway. Most developed countries serve drinkable water from the tap or have corner markets where you can buy bottled water when you arrive. If you must, bring an empty water bottle with a built-in filter and pack this at the bottom of your carry-on. Enjoy the local cuisine, available snacks. Brush up on your local etiquette and language before embarking on your trip so you can better enjoy the local cuisine, coffee shops, and shopping venues.
2. Reading Material
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Avoid the bulky book trap for the same reasons you avoid the electronics, they weigh you down and disconnect you from your vacation. Instead, bring a small journal partially filled with researched tips about your destination and fill it in as you enjoy your travels. If you really must have reading material for the hotel, pick up local guides, brochures, or a book as a souvenir from a quaint book shop when you get there.
1. Toiletries
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Part of the joy of traveling is experiencing the local culture and the delectable soaps and toiletries provided locally. Unless you have a skin allergy and must have your hypoallergenic items, you will find soaps, towels, and other items provided by the hotel or at a local shop nearby. If you are traveling to a 3rd world country, then it might be a good idea to bring your own, but developed destinations and vacation hot-spots will provide most of your needs.
Remember to do your research and seek out local hot spots and non-tourist dining, shopping, and entertainment venues. You might find your new favorite book in a hidden bookstore or your favorite blouse from the farmers market across town. So, spend time to get to know the locals and have fun making conversation instead of being in a rush to buy what you need and leave.
