Packing Light Creates Worry Free Vacations

When traveling you always want to bring enough stuff to be prepared for any situation, but that extra luggage often is inconvenient and costly. The best thing any traveler can do is downsize to one bag that fits the carryon requirements of most air carriers. A limit of 20 pounds is a good rule of thumb since this will be light enough to carry and fit in a backpack or piece of luggage small enough for storage. Check your airline first because some have limits that are smaller.

You may think this is an impossible task. It is not impossible, but it may require some creative packing and a ruthless examination of what you really need to bring on your trip. Once you take this step and experience traveling light you will never return to your old ways. Who wants unnecessary luggage to hold them down when they could be exploring a new city?

Need more reasons to attempt the crazy task of packing just one carry on bag? Well, that excess luggage you could bring is difficult to carry around. You may think you will just drop it off immediately but travelers tend to walk with luggage more than they anticipate. Also when you have to transport your luggage and switch it from a cart, to a bus, to a taxi the process becomes a major ordeal.

Another benefit: if you control your own luggage it is less likely to be lost, stolen, or broken. By only taking one carry on bag you are able to keep your luggage with you instead of worrying about thieving hands you can't see. One small bag is easily kept on your lap or under your seat where you can keep track of it.

Also, having a lot of luggage immediately marks you as a tourist. Con artists will pick you out of a crowd and figure you are helpless while you are fumbling with your extra luggage. By traveling with just one bag you will avoid this trap and be mobile and free as soon as you arrive in your destination. You will not be waiting at the luggage carousel praying nothing is broken or missing.

So how do you pack for a trip in just one small bag? This is the hardest part for those dedicated to bringing everything they own, but the answer is: bring very little. This advice doesn't go very far when you are staring at a small bag and a mound of clothing. Here are some tips to help you when trying to pack light with just one bag.

Eliminate most of what you want to pack. Look at everything you have packed and determine what you can do without. You can probably eliminate all of the "just-in-case" items you have packed and half of everything else. We over pack to be prepared but the best way to be prepared is to really analyze what you are packing and get rid of what you don't need.

Bring all the essentials, but don't bring extras. Are you about to run out of toothpaste? Bring it and buy a replacement at the store in your destination city. You can get almost any name brand in any country now. Even if your particular brand is not available you can have the wonderful experience of wandering into a local store and finding out what brand the locals use.

Bring less clothing. This one may seem obvious, but it must be stated. It might be very hard for fashion-conscious travelers to do this. This most important thing to know is the rest of the world does not dress like we do. People in other countries generally do not have as many clothes and our fads are usually not in style in other parts of the world. No one will care about how cute you look when you are traveling and the clothes you leave at home will help make the traveling process easier. The best thing to do is leave extra clothing at home and just wash your clothes every few nights.

Pack for the best scenario. Doing this will save you a ton of luggage that you will most likely never use. Leave a bit of money in your budget for the times when you will encounter the worst-case scenario.

Even if you cannot manage to downsize to just one bag you should still try to limit the amount of luggage you take. For every bag you leave at home you will have one less bag to haul around and worry about. Trips are supposed to be as worry-free as possible, so remember to leave your worries at home with the extra luggage!