I have done a fair bit of travelling and some of the memories of heavy luggage were navigating the tube around London. I had to stand at the bottom of some steps and hope some nice person would help me and another time I asked to use a lift and I was put in a service lift!!
After this, I decided that the next time I travelled I was going to use a single carry on bag for all my luggage. This was easy for a one / two week trip in the same climate, but much more difficult when I went to a wedding and spent time in two hemispheres (middle of winter and summer).
I have read a lot of sites on the art of packing light and the most inspirational site for me was onebag.com
The main issue is how to narrow down the list of clothes, so below is a short list of my personal tips to help you sort out your clothes to travel with just one bag.
The key point to remember is that however long the trip is, pack only one weeks worth of clothes.
1) Chose your clothes according to trip.
Chose your clothes according to the type of trip e.g. you would take different clothes to a wedding / cruise ship than you would one week on a local beach.
*Either list them, or spread them out somewhere.
2) Chose your clothes according to laundry
Is your trip one week, if so, laundry is not required. Any longer than than that and you are going to need to to wash your clothes. Your laundry will differ to the type of accommodation you are staying at:
Hotel / your own room – It’s doubtful they will have a washing machine you can use. Do hand washing, and you will have somewhere to dry your items. You can take all colours, hand wash or machine wash items
Hostel / shared room / friends and family – Nearly all hostels have a laundry, but usually no space to dry items. Call before going to check their facilities. Do not take hand wash items (nowhere to dry them). You are best to take machine washable and tumble dry-able items only. I would also suggest you take clothes of one colour load so that you don’t have to do separate washes.
With regards to friends and family, they have their own washing and who wants to be a pain?!?! So, keep it to one load.
*take off all the clothes that you cannot wash / does not fit into one colour load off your list
3) Plan outfits for the week / weather
Look at the individual days in the trip e.g. a wedding, evening out etc. Put that outfit aside. If you can wear it more than once, great. The rest HAS to work really hard for you, especially if you are away for over a month in two hemispheres! The top half of your body can be layered, so think about a short sleeve, long sleeve, and something warm. The bottom half is according to preference – trousers, shorts,skirts etc (I often layer it with thermals!!).
*lay the clothes out as ‘outfits’. Anything that does not fit in an outfit has to be removed. The only exception is something warm e.g. a jacket.
4) The bag
Check the size and quantity with all the airlines / train / other mode of transport that you are using. DO NOT overfill it. I over filled my carry on (which was the right dimensions), but then could not get it in the overhead locker. Fortunately I was by the window and could hide it by my feet, but there may have been problems. I got away with a carry on, a small day bag AND a handbag as well, but had real problems with the weight and nearly got charged for excess. Next time, I am using the small day bag as my handbag! Ladies, if you are struggling for space / weight, you can put toiletries, electronics and makeup (do you really need it??) or just the heaviest items in their handbag.
*Check the amount of carry on luggage, dimensions and weigh with the airlines / train / other mode of transport that you are using
5) Try to get the outfits in the bag.
Start with no more than 7. Narrow this down outfit by outfit till it all goes in. You will probably end up with about 3 or 4. I put my outfits in packing bags, then I only need to take out the one packing bag at a time.
*only pack by outfit
6) Shoes
The least amount possible. I personally wear boots (DMS) on a plane, take a casual pair (plimsoles) and a pair to match the nice outfit I have to take. You don’t want more than 2 pairs in your bag.
*Wear the bulkiest pair of shoes while travelling.
7) Try to get everything else in your bag
You will probably end up removing more items, but in regards to clothes, only remove a complete outfit at a time.
I hope this has helped you to narrow down your travel wardrobe. What tips do you have for helping to chose the clothes to fit in a carry on only??
Recent Comments