Full-Time Traveller’s Guide to Packing Light

Summer time is right around the corner! Are you longing for a much needed vacation to the mountains or beach? What about that beautiful city or country you’ve always wanted to visit? Here at Madame Bridal, we love to travel whenever we can and we know how it is – the idea starts flowing, Google gets our undivided attention as we search and search for where to go and what to do, and then comes the serious planning.

We’ve learned along the way that one key to easy traveling is packing light. Nowadays, most airlines charge you for each checked bag (and sometimes carry ons!), so packing light is becoming more and more of a necessity to avoid hefty charges. Plus, if you plan to walk often or utilize public transportation, you’ll be thankful your bags aren’t heavy. Check out our breakdown of the top things to consider to ensure your next getaway bag is packed just right!

(This is the most important thing!)

Just consider: if you have a big house with several rooms you’re more likely to fill it with more stuff. Let’s think of your bag as a tiny house, so the smaller the bag the less you’ll pack. Sounds simple, right?

Choosing a soft bag is a better option instead of a hard suitcase; it provides the ability to compress items together which maximizes a greater use of space. A hard bag offers no flexibility even if you remove some items. For a weeklong vacation we recommend a bag within the 40-50 Liter range. This will provide plenty of space for your personal items and a bit extra for some souvenirs! We love the backpacks and duffel bags made by Osprey, Deuter, Gregory, and REI.

Bonus Tip: Get a compression sack – they’re lightweight, affordable, and a great addition to your bag since they compress every clothing item into one compact sack!

We get it – packing light can be difficult depending on where you’re going, but it’s still totally possible no matter where you’re headed! Beach destinations are definitely easier to pack light; in essence all you really need to enjoy the beach is a pair of sunglasses, swimsuit, flip-flops and sun screen. Headed to a surf and yoga retreat? Traveling with surfboards can be a hassle and board bag charges can get pretty hefty, so you might as well pack your clothes and everything you’ll need inside of it!
Mountain getaways may require heavier clothing and accessories since most mountains even in the summer time can get quite chilly, so we suggest bringing a packable down jacket. They’re great because you can pack it down into its own pocket about the size of your hand and they’re super warm! This saves a ton of space in the bag. For a longterm investment, we love Mountain Hardwear, Patagonia, and Marmot, but Costco also sells down jackets at a great price. We suggest wearing your bulkiest items (boots and jeans, for example) during travel to save bag space.
Headed to a big city? Packing light should be fairly easy; if you forget something you absolutely must have you can always go pick it up somewhere in town. But the point of packing light is not to buy more stuff, it’s to minimize and make things easier!

Let’s get into the specifics of what to pack and how to pack it! Clothing typically consumes the most space in your bag, so it’s worth focusing a good amount of energy here.

1. ) Plan your outfits ahead of time.
2. ) Choose items that go with everything else.
3. ) Pack three to four outfits that you can mix and match the entire week.
4. ) Roll each item tightly and place on the bed before packing.
5. ) Carefully consider each item: do you really need a pair of shoes for each outfit? Not really. Do you truthfully think you’ll wear that fancy suit? If it’s not an event already planned, don’t bring it. Go through each item and ask yourself if you really, really need to bring it.
6. ) Once you’ve done that, do it again.
7. ) If you’re carrying your bag on your back: pack the heaviest items on the bottom and along the center line. Otherwise, pack the items you won’t need right away along the bottom.
8. ) Only bring 1-2 pairs of versatile shoes depending on where you’re going/what you’ll be doing.

Utilize small travel size bottles and consolidate items into a small bag that does not take up much space. You can typically find toiletry items along your travels if you forget something. Otherwise, bring only your specialty items and the things you’ll definitely need.

Bonus Tip: If flying, we suggest packing your toiletries in a reusable clear bag to save time in the TSA line at the airport!

• Pack only the ESSENTIALS – nothing more.
• Realize you will survive without all the accessories and extra items you think you need.
• Carefully consider each item before packing it! If it’s not a must, leave it!

Phew! We made it through the breakdown of how to pack light and travel easily! We hope this helps you in planning your next adventure. Don’t worry, it gets easier as you do it. Soon you’ll feel comfortable and confident in the few items you choose to bring and you’ll think: “Why didn’t I do this sooner?!” Let us know where you go and how this post helped you.