How to Take a Long Vacation with a Weekend Bag

Last year when I write How to Travel Lightly, I was giving tips on how to combat the rising costs of taking luggage with you on your trip. At the time most airlines were charging for a second bag. This year, most airlines are charging an extra fee for every bag you check. If you would rather spend your money on amusement and food, here are some drastic tactics you can try to travel extremely lightly.

Pack only three outfits. Three outfits are plenty for a seven to ten day trip. If you are going on a weekend trip, then one outfit and an extra shirt is plenty. No one on your trip will know you and they probably won't notice if you wear something twice, or even three times. Plus, don't forget, you will be wearing a fourth outfit. For that outfit, I like to wear my heaviest option for the trip such as a denim or khaki suit as airplanes are colder. I also wear this outfit home on the plane.

Choose a hotel with cleaning services or a laundry room. A quick stop at the laundry room or dry cleaning counter will freshen your clothes (dry cleaning can be done overnight) and you can begin a second cycle through your travel wardrobe.

Bring reversible and convertible outfits. There are women's outfits that convert from a dress to a skirt and back to a different style dress. No one will know it is the same outfit. There are also dresses and skirts that can be flipped inside out for a new fabric pattern. For men, there are cargo pants with legs that zip off into shorts. These are excellent items to bring on vacation.

Only pack lightweight clothing. Microfiber, lycra blends, cotton gauze, and similar fabrics travel well, can be rolled up into little balls without wrinkling and are great for washing in the sink and drying overnight. These are often sold as travel clothes as they are great no-fuss clothing options.

Shop on your trip. It is not uncommon to purchase an outfit or two while on vacation. For that reason alone, it does not make sense to bring an outfit for every day that you will be traveling. If you find that you are lacking something with your paired down wardrobe, just buy it. ou were going to buy something anyway.

Don't bother bringing toiletries and keep your accessories to a minimum. Alot of toiletry items get confiscated anyway, so it just makes sense to use hotel toiletries or make your first stop after checking into your hotel, the closest drug store. When I travel with my duaghter, I find that one bottle of bath jel, tooth brushes and toothpaste is all we need to get us through the trip. I also pare my makeup down to bronzer, mascara, and lip gloss.

Ship excess items home. No one travels and comes home with less items then they left with. If you ship a box home on the day before your return flight, you will beat it there and eliminate the stress of dragging extra items through the airport.

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