I'm talking to all subscribers with this tip. But most importantly, I'm talking to myself! I realized on my trip to Hawaii, that I have a problem. I OVER PACK! The Erykah Badu song Bag Lady applied so perfectly to my situation. I was gone for 6 days and had a 50 pound bag that I checked. I also had my carry on bag, and my personal item bag. Of the 50 million outfits I packed, I only wore maybe 12. I actually brought winter sweaters to Hawaii. Yes, that's right, WINTER SWEATERS. Of the hundreds of bathing suits I packed , I used 6. And worst of all, of the 10 pair of shoes I packed, I wore 2! I kid you not, getting through the airport was a hassle. Paying to check bags took away from my spending money, and when I got home, I had to unpack it all! Going forward I am promising myself, that I will never over pack like that again.
Here are some tips I plan to use the next time I have to pack.
Spread out everything I think I might spread out everything I want to pack on the living room floor. I'll pick up each item one at a time and say “Will I really use this enough to justify packing it. When in doubt, I'll leave it out!
Don’t pack for the worst-case scenario...Pack for the best-case and buy anything that comes up last minute. Risk shivering for a day rather than taking those winter sweaters. If needed there will always be street vendors who will "miraculously" appear with sweaters or umbrellas, etc. If it only “might come in handy”, it should stay home.
Weed out the unnecessary, This is the most important. I plan to pack my bag completely. Once that’s done, I’ll go walk around the block a few times with my bags. This should give a good idea of what it'll be like to go through the airport. If I struggle, I know it's time to weed out the unnecessary!
I have a trip coming up and I plan to pack as light as possible. Wish me luck!
Remember, in your travels, you’ll meet two kinds of tourists – those who pack light and those who wish they had! I was the latter, don’t be me!