Best Tips to Travel Light

Packing for a trip with only a small suitcase? Trying to streamline your packing for an extended trip? Or, on a tight schedule and wanting to cut down on queueing at the airport? Either way, you’ll need to know how to travel light.

Traveling light is a useful skill. It’s particularly handy for business trips, when cutting down airport time can be crucial, and adventure holidays when you don’t want to be weighed down by baggage. In this article, we explore how to travel light for a vacation, business trip, or touring holiday.

At flynas, we make it a priority to handle your baggage as diligently as we attend to your on-board comfort. With our lowest fare finder, you can explore budget-friendly flights to incredible destinations worldwide. Or, enjoy the unrivaled luxury and VIP treatment of our premium class flights.

Travel Essentials

Traveling light with only a carry-on has many perks. There’s no waiting in line to check your baggage or retrieve it at the carousel. It’s as simple as grabbing your bag and heading to security.

This is especially helpful when every minute counts between connecting flights. Or, when you’re juggling a tight business schedule. Whether it’s a quick weekend getaway, an international vacation, or a business trip, our top packing hacks and tips show you what to pack in a carry-on.

Choose a Suitable Bag

Carry-on baggage must meet the dimension and weight requirements of the airline. At flynas, your cabin baggage can weigh up to 7kg.

Packing light doesn’t mean cramming as much as possible in a carry-on bag. The design of your chosen bag must make it easy to fit and retrieve items. A case (or bag) with internal compartments simplifies organization and makes it easy to locate things.

Getting around an airport often involves lots of walking. Ensure your bag is easy to carry or has wheels. It must also be tough enough to withstand frequent handling. Pay special attention to things like the quality of the zippers, stitching, and level of protection for fragile items. Remember, fabric bags are lighter than hard-shell ones.

Make a Packing List

A packing list is one of the core ingredients of packing light. It helps you remember all the important things and eliminate non-essentials. A minimalist packing list ensures you have what you need without adding unnecessary items.

Essential Travel Items

Basic toiletries, medication, and electronics are essential things to pack for traveling. By following our top tips on how to pack light, you can save loads of space.

• Decant your toiletries into small containers or buy smaller ones. Try to stick to sizes of 100ml.
• Take medications out of their bulky packets.
• Pack small electronics — a phone or tablet instead of a laptop (if possible). Remember, each device and all the cables add to the weight of your carry-on.

Clothing

You may be wondering how to pack clothes for travel in a carry-on. Firstly, consider the weather and your activities.

Pack versatile clothes. Multi-purpose outfits ensure you have something for everyday wear and a special dinner. Crease-free clothes are great for carry-on bags. You should also look at temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking items. It’s easy to wash quick-drying fabrics, hang them overnight, and have them ready for the next day.

Consider mix-and-match options, such as three shirts and two pairs of pants that go together. Complementary sets like these can easily get you through a week of sightseeing.

One of the best packing hacks for clothes is packing cubes. They keep everything tightly packed to save space and protect them from accidental spills. Roll your clothes instead of folding them — you’ll be amazed at how much space you save! Wear bulky clothes, such as jackets, coats, and hiking boots, on the plane to save even more space in your carry-on.

Yes, You Can Have Too Many Pairs of Shoes

Know the saying “one can never have too many shoes”? Well, when it comes to packing light, you really can. As with clothes, the versatility rule applies here. At most, pack two pairs; one for everyday wear and dining out and one for special activities such as hiking. Remember to wear the heaviest pair on the plane.

The ‘Just-in-Case’ Packing Trap

How many times have you been on a trip and ended up wearing less than half of the clothes you packed? We tend to fall into the trap of “just-in-case” packing — just in case it rains, just in case we dine out, just in case we hike — the list is endless.

Pack only the items you need. Consult your list and remove all the “what-if” items you added.

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