Simple Tips for Travel and Packing

For your next trip, consider simplifying your travel and packing so you can actually enjoy you trip. You rarely need as much as you think to have safe, happy travels.

One of my best travel tips to help you enjoy yourself is to plan for a low-tech, slow trip.

To prepare for a low-tech, slow travel trip, I …

Read fiction only (nothing related to work or self-improvement)
Take a social media break
Leave my phone in airplane mode, and use it mostly as a camera

Creating these boundaries in advance help me stay focused on the people and places around me. Here are few more things to help with your upcoming travels. Simple travel and packing is possible and the following travel tips and articles will help.

Simple tips for travel and packing

Under-schedule.
Instead of packing your itinerary with back to back activities, build in time to rest, get lost, or simply to see where the day takes you. Remember, doing more things doesn’t make you a better person, it makes you a tired person.

Live like a local.
Instead of a pricy hotel, find an apartment through Airbnb. While I usually rent an entire home, I have done some house sharing too. I’ve always had a great experience and love having a kitchen, washing machine, and staying in a neighborhood I like. It feels more like a home away from home.

Leave your F.O.M.O. at home.
If you try to squeeze too much in, nothing you do will be enough. Leave your F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out) at home so you can fully appreciate the moments you experience.

Bring Snacks.
Avoid hangriness (feeling angry/grumpy because you are hungry) by packing snacks and water.

Create a travel day uniform.
Assign one outfit for your travel days. Then you don’t have to think about what to wear on the plane, train or however you are traveling. No matter wear you are going, your travel uniform can be the same. I typically wear a black pair of leggings, short-sleeved shirt or tank, and black zip up sweatshirt with a scarf (on or in my tote bag). Even if I’m traveling to a warm destination, I know I’ll get cold on the plane.

Packing Tips

Challenge yourself to only pack for half of your trip.
If you are going to be away for a week, ask yourself what you need for three or four days. Because most of us lean towards over-packing, you’ll still have more than enough.

Make a packing list.
List everything you bring with you, and then cross each thing off when you use it. At the end of the trip you’ll know you can leave anything home that wasn’t crossed off. Keep your list handy with details about where you went and what time of year, so the next time you take a similar trip, you’ll know exactly what to pack.

Create a travel capsule wardrobe.
Stick with similar colors, and instead of an aspirational wardrobe, pack clothes you will actually wear while traveling.

Pack simply and lightly.
Only pack what you can carry and don’t bring any “just-in-case” items. Use The Minimalist’s 20/20 rule.