Tips for Minimalist Packing – How to Travel Light without Sacrifices

Tips for Minimalist Packing – How to Travel Light without Sacrifices

Travelling light is not about being uncomfortable and making sacrifices – it’s actually the opposite. When you choose to pack lightly for your trips, you are not weighed down and inconvenienced by lots of unnecessary stuff. You simply carry what you need and no more, making travelling much easier, cheaper and more comfortable.

With every trip, I analyze everything that I pack for myself and my children and try to go lighter each time. Let’s look at some tips for minimalist packing that I’ve picked up along the way.

• Choose the right bag for your needs

The first thing you need to know is what you are packing in. I recommend getting a small, light carry-on suitcase that is approved by the airlines that you use the most (or as many airlines as possible) if you are mainly going to travel by air. If you are more likely to go backpacking or travel by train, a comfortable backpack is the way to go. One with lots of compartments is useful for keeping your belongings organised.

• Narrow down the essentials

What you need will depend on the kind or trip you’re doing – the destination, the season, where you’re staying and how long etc. so I can’t give you a list of exactly what you need to pack. But I can tell you that you need consider each item carefully and narrow down what you’re taking and how much of everything. Having a capsule wardrobe with items that you love and that go well together makes it much easier to choose which clothes to pack.

There might be some things that you use in your daily life at home that you can live without for a few days or a week – this could be bulky things like a hair dryer or hair styling tools, for example. You can save a lot of space by leaving things like this at home. Your laptop is another item like this – if you are not going to be working on this trip, don’t take your laptop with you. Electronics can take up a lot of valuable space in your small bag, so only take what you really need.

• Keep toiletries simple and small

To save space and weight, opt for miniatures of your essential toiletries. Haircare is an area that many people to want to compromise on and just because you’re travelling doesn’t mean you have to. Mayraki Professional have recently added a Mayraki Hair Glowing Travel Kit 5-in-1 to their vegan haircare range. This travel set features five of the brand’s bestselling formulas as handy travel-friendly minis so that you can easily enjoy a nourishing haircare regime wherever you are. The products can all be packed in your carry-on luggage. Pack the ones you need – I love the Weightless Moisture Shampoo and the Essential Oil Nutritive Treatment. These products are lovely and make my hair so smooth and soft!

A multi-purpose soap bar or liquid soap is another great item to have with you for showering and in case you need to hand wash any clothes.

In terms of skincare and make-up, again look for miniatures for anything bulky and narrow it all down to the essentials again. For me, that’s my favourite day face cream with SPF, Weleda Skin Food Light for my face and hands, and a lip balm. Other essential toiletries for me are a deodorant, a mini toothpaste, bamboo toothbrush and eco-friendly dental flossers.

• What’s important to YOU?

Think about what is important to you when you’re travelling. For some, it’s important to take a camera for example. For me, it’s important to have something to read and I often take two books so that I have a choice of genre – fiction and non-fiction, usually. For some, packing physical books might seem unnecessary when trying to travel light, but for me it’s important to have one or two books available.

• Lay it all out

Before you put anything in your suitcase or backpack, lay it all out on your bed and see if anything looks excessive or if you’ve changed your mind about anything. If you just start shoving things into your bag as you get them out, it’s really hard to get a good overview of what you are packing and very easy to over pack. Give everything one last consideration before packing.

• Wear the heavy things

When you have less packing space, it’s always a good idea to wear anything bulky and/or heavy during the trip. Things like bulky coats, jeans and heavy walking boots are best worn to use your packing space and weight the most efficiently.

Hopefully these tips have been useful to you if you’re looking for some tips for minimalist packing!

Collaboration. Features gifted samples from Mayraki.