In this post I am going to share the secrets of making your trip easy and light. It all starts at home, with packing. Having travelled to many places and having made a lot of mistakes, here are the travel tips based on my lessons learned so your trip can be better 🙂

My travelling has improved over the years – from packing 2 heavy large suitcases for a 36 hour trip to New York to taking only a carry on (backpack + bag) to a 10 day trip to British Columbia last year. Once you tried travelling only with carry on your life will never be the same. Also, who packs 5 pairs of shoes for not even 2 days? (Me but not anymore)

You will feel:

1. The joy of having time saved for packing (but it does require some strategizing, will cover this later in this post)

2. The ease of leaving your home without dragging the heavy suitaces + making the ride easier as well for not having to put all the suitcases into the car

3. The joy of skipping the “checking in baggage” line ups and walking directly into the dinning and shopping area at the airport (after you follow through the regular procedures of course)

4. The beauty of not paying extra for the baggage

5. The peace of mind for not having to worry about airport staff throwing your suitcase around or losing it altogether

6. The ease of leaving the airport the moment you got there without having to stand in line trying to find your suitcase

7. The ease of traveling once you reached your destination. Once we were walking in Porto, Portugal, each of us carrying 2 heavy bags when the straps broke on one of the bags and it fell on the floor. We were walking up the hill trying to find our rental appartment and it also was 25 degrees outside after going through 4 hour train ride. We also let our uber leave before we realized we had to walk 20 minutes up the hill to the actual address. Listen to me, pack less and pack smart.

I hope I have convinced you to pay more attention at how and what you are packing. But how to do it?

Here is your guide to packing better:

1. Start with getting the right carry on bag. NOT SUITCASE. My husband and I prefer backpacks because they are easier to carry. However, this summer we are going to Saint Martin with our 11 months daughter so we need to pack more. I searched and searched and I figured this out: in addition to the 2 backpacks I will take a shoulder bag that will be small enough to count as carry on but big enough to fit all my stuff. If you type “carry on bag” or “weekender bag” in Amazon you will find lots of choices. Bonus points if the bag is also waterproof. I am serious – I am not going to carry a suitcase or a stroller. We will be using a baby carrier. This is also safer and easier.

2. So now I have 3 bags to pack for 3 people. How do I fit all the things we need? Enter: packing cubes. But not just any cubes, get the compressable ones and they will take even less space while keeping your stuff organized.

3. The hack for packing light is limiting colour choices and ensuring you can mix and match the clothing you are bringing. This year, all (or 90 percent of) my clothing will be in the following colours: white, nude/sandy/beige, black and blue/jean. This allows me to have most pieces match.

4. Limit the number of shoes you are bringing – they are stealing your precious baggage space. When I packed 5 pairs of shoes for my 36 hour trip to New York I honestly do not know what I was thinking. However the reality hit where all planes to  NY were cancelled for that day and my husband and I took a bus to get there instead. When we got to the border between USA and Canada it was after midnight and we were made to take all our baggage out for the security to inspect. Then to put it back. Then to carry it to the place with taxi…I certainly was not thinking of that when packing! I also did not wear all 5 pairs but it taught me a lesson to simplify how I pack. Now, the shoes that take the most space are sneackers so I usually just wear them to the plane. I pack up to 2 pairs of other shoes (e.g. pretty sandals to go with dresses/skirts and flip flops for the beach).

5. Take a foldable bag that can fit into a pocket and can be taken out and fit a lot, like a tote bag. Put it in your “official” bags and take it out when you land. This will be great for everyday bag/beach bag and can fit souveniers, snacks or even groceries (and still fits luggage regulations as for 2 people we can do 2 personal items each).

6. If you are going to a beach desination, I highly recommend a waterpoof pouch that you can attach like a fanny pack . You can put your phone, hotel card and cash there and take it with you when swimming and not worry about anyone stealing in on the beach. When travelling to Miami I could not enjoy swimming because a suspicious looking person was passing by our stuff. I wish they invented these pouches 10 years ago!

7. Wet dry bags – to keep the wet swimsuites.

8. Replace your regular wallet with a travel pouch with a zipper – take only the cards you really need (e.g., driver’s license, medical card, insurance card, credit card, debit card, cash). You do not need to carry all your points cards with you. For advanced travelling: split the cash and place half of it in a different pouch on your  body. Same goes for your passport if you are travelling to a new destination or a 3rd world country. This way even if you get robbed you will still have means to survive and a passport to leave the country and prove your identity.

9. Get foldable quick dry towels. They take little space and will make it easier for you. You can go to the beach without waiting for the towel service. Once when I travelled to Switzerland, the hotel did not have towels! You never know.

10. Get a shampoo soap. This is basically a soap that doubles as a shampoo. This way you can avoid spills from regular bathing products while also not being dependant on what the hotel provides  (in same trip to Switzerland but different hotel they did not actually provide shampoo!). You can also use this to replace shower gel. Also, there are facial soaps that replace face cleaners and have less chemicals.

11. When you need to pack, write a list of what you need to bring. You can organize it into categories and focus on the most important things to ensure they are covered. For example, clothing can be split into casual/comfortable vs. for going out or by clothing type – shirts, pants, etc. Ensure to include tickets (if printing), passport, cash, cards, phone, charger, keys and other documents. I would also include entertainment (we take my tablet with movies and tv shows already downloaded), earphone splitter to connect to sets of earphones to one device, a book, a magazine (digital or in print) and a paper notebook and pen to capture ideas, things I see or even the recipes for the new foods I try. An item I always forget to pack? Socks. An item I pack 2 of: swimsuit (this way morning swimsuit can hang dry while I wear fresh dry swimsuit in the afternoon).

Also, always include something light for warm days and something warm for cold days. You can wear your warm item such as hoddie on yourself to save space in your bag. I would also recommend to add some anti stress essential oils to your toiletry bag (remember, everything under 100ml. If in doubt, check your airline’s website). I also love a travelling hack by Opra – to find a scarf that doubles as a cover (for cold days) or as a beach towel. Ikea has throws like this starting at $10.

12. If you are super organized but have low faith in technology, a) get a wireless phone charger b) print your tickets, itenery, key addresses and phones/codes and have it ready. Yes, on paper. This way, if something happens to your phone your trip will not be impacted that much

13. If you are going to Europe or a new destination, research if you need a power adapter. You will pay more for it at the airport assuming they will even have it.

Safe and happy travels!