Tips on Packing Light

There’s an old adage that when you travel you should pack half as much as you need but double the amount of money. After traveling around the world twice, I couldn’t agree with that statement more. You shouldn't pack a lot on your trip. Packing light helps you avoid fees on airlines, saves space, and gives you less stuff to carry, and allows you more freedom.
It is often said that the stuff we own, ends up owning us. When we travel, we plan for everything. We normally pack lots of clothes and stuff when we travel because you know what might happen. So we leave for a two week holiday with a suitcase filled with half our wardrobe.  However, the secret to travel is packing light.  We often go on vacation and only end up using half of what we bring, regretting we brought so much in the first place.

When I travel, all of my belongings fit into a tiny daypack and a larger backpack or duffel bag. I have traveled for over a year without ever needing anything more. I often found I took too much stuff with me!! When I see other people, I am amazed at how much they bring. They ask me my secret to packing light. I’ll tell you what I tell them.

Here’s how to pack light and how you can too:

First, create of list of everything you think you might need. Everything and anything. From clothes, to toiletries, to electronics, to jackets, and everything in between.  This packing list usually ends up pretty long. But that’s ok, we’ll get it down quickly.

Next, look over your list again and think about what items relate to your destination. If you are going to the beach, do you really need pants or jeans? If you are going to Paris in the summer, do you really need to pack long sleeve shirts?

After that, you should have cut your packing list down by a bit by eliminating those items that don’t really have anything to do with your destination.  Now, let’s take a look at your toiletry list. Why are you packing so much? In this cautious age, people tend to pack every medicine known to man. How often do you really use this stuff? Can’t you buy them there? So go without much stuff. If you do get sick, you can always by Tylenol or diyarear medicine there. Take the bare essentials. A few pills that take up only a little space- you don’t need the whole box.

What about the non-medical supplies your packing? Soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, razor, and shaving cream is all you need. If you are in a resort, they provide all the basic toiletries. You’re going on holiday, not to a corporate function so ditch the cosmetics and facial products.

Now, think about your packing list. What can you buy there if you really need it? Probably lots. Get rid of the bug spray, the suntan lotion, and whatever else you are packing. You aren't allowed to bring them on the airplane.

Ok, let’s step on the road to packing light. We’ve probably cut out half of your list now.  The final step is to just cut out another half. You are holiday, relaxing. Stuff doesn’t get that dirty and you can wear the same shorts a few days in a row. Ditch the towel- just use the one from the hotel. Bring half as many clothing items. Wear clothes longer than normal! You never wear everything you take and unless you slip something or sweat through your shirt, you can wear it for more than one day.

That’s it. That is the secret to packing light. Cutting, cutting, and cutting until you get to the essential items you need to pack. If you follow my advice, I guarantee you will be packing light and make the whole packing process much easier.

Ways to Get Over the Post-Travel Blues

You’ve done it- you have traveled the world and now are home. Pretty great huh? You’ll have memories you will keep forever and friends for a lifetime. But now many people wonder what the next step is. After you have told the same stories and the excitement of your return is over, what do you do now?

Coming home from traveling around the world is the hardest part. A wide range of emotions, both good and bad, are felt when coming home. After the honeymoon is over and reality sets in, people are left feeling a little lost. You spent a long time preparing for the road, a long time on the road, and then suddenly, it’s over. Just like that. It’s as though someone slammed on the brakes to your life and, for many people, that can be kind of depressing. Coming home is more about coping mentally than doing anything.

Here are a few ways that can help you cope with those emotions and get yourself moving:

Stay Busy- If you sit around thinking about the good times, you’re only going to resent being home and get depressed. Go out, learn a language, take a class, stay active, join a gym. Even if you are super psyched to be home, the first few weeks are always rough as you adjust back into “normal” society. The best thing to do is to stay busy. One great way to stay busy is to be a tourist in your own city. Since you have been gone so long, things have probably changed. Go explore your town like you would Paris or Sydney. Your city has probably changed a bit and exploring it will help you adjust to being home while still feeling like you are traveling.

Plan Another Trip- If the thought of staying home is killing you, get out! Plan your next trip. Even if you never go. Go start looking up destinations. Buy travel guidebooks. Plan some routes to new destinations. Look at flights. You’ll get in the mood and you’ll get excited. Even if your trip never materializes, at least you will be taking your mind off from the reality that it’s time to settle in one place for a bit. It makes coming home seem like a pit stop and not the finish line.

Get a Job- Getting a job ties into staying busy. By getting a job, you can take your mind off things and begin to put all your energy and new found sense of adventure to good use. It also helps you replenish your bank account so you can get to traveling again.

Read Travel Blogs- Because if you aren’t traveling, live through the people who are and get the motivation to get going again or even get motivated.

Coming home from the road is about adjusting back into the world you left and focusing on taking what you learned and applying it to your daily life. Many long term travelers end up leaving again, afflicted by a virus that will never be cured. Others stay home because their trip taught them that what they wanted the most was what they left behind. We all come home eventually and it’s important to know how to deal with that experience.

Why the Recession Makes Now the Best Time to Take a Trip

Everyone dreams of traveling but most people don’t do it. Fear keeps most people from traveling. When I first went away in 2006, people always wished they could do what I was doing. For some people it is easy to [just]eave and [go] travel. We have it in us all along and we just need a gentle nudge. I told everyone I was going to travel after one great trip overseas. For many people it can be hard. They are more tied down, more afraid, more uncertain. They want to do it but, instead the nudge I needed, they need a full on push.

If you are looking for reason, here aremgood reasons to travel around the world:

There’s a recession. With the world economy in a tailspin and companies slashing jobs, there is a lot of economic uncertainty in the world. Avoid it all. Go travel. If you quit your job, sell your stuff and travel, you won’t have to worry about it. In fact, prices are dropping as the tourist industry tries harder to get people to go overseas. Come back when the economy is better. Let others worry while you go out and have fun.

You meet a lot of people. There is not a day that doesn’t go by where you don’t meet people from all over the world doing the same thing you are. You’ll meet locals who will take you around and open their homes and city to you. What more can you ask for in life than meeting wonderful people and creating a network of friends that encompasses the globe.

It’s better than working. Working is work. Sitting behind a desk for eight hours, commuting to work, worrying about bosses and reports is not our idea of a good time. Let’s face it, between worrying about next month’s budget or sitting on a beach in Asia, everyone would choose the beach. Why are you dying behind your desk?

You learn about other cultures. The world is a big place and it has become more complex and interconnected. You’ll never begin to understand all the other players in the world or why people do what they do by sitting at home. Traveling will teach you about other cultures and people and make them more than just a face on the news.

You discover new parts about you. Travel will help you figure what makes you you. You learn to be independent. You have to adapt to your surroundings, meet other people, make your own decisions, and plan your life. Your family and friends will be jealous. Let’s face it- everyone wants to travel the world but few people do. Do it and make everyone at home jealous of you, your stories, and your photos. While they work all day, you explore the world.

Because, like Yoda said, do or do not. Why spend your life thinking about what might be when you can just do it. It’s not that hard to travel you just have to have the will to do it. Don't have regrets- get going and get traveling. NO ONE ever regrets a trip like this. NO ONE. T

raveling around the world is a life changing experience. There’s no reason not to go. There isn't any big secret on why to go. Leave. Even if it’s for a week, or a month, or a year. See the world. You only get one chance [at life]. Make it worthwhile.