If you are anything like me, you have read many blogs and posts about how and what to pack for a trip. Of course, it depends on the destination and the time of year you are travelling but I have a few personal favourite packing tips - three golden rules for packing:
1. Do you love this item?
2. Is it lightweight?
3. Does it do double duty?
PACKING CUBES
As one blogger stated, packing cubes are “the holy grail for travelling”. I have three sets of packing cubes and swear by them. Don’t be surprised by their size. You can pack a lot into these little cubes. I pack my items by category. For example, I pack all my undergarments in one, my tees and tops in another and my shorts and pants in another. When you need something, you just have to pull out the packing cube and you don’t have to dig through your suitcase to find it. They keep your suitcase organized.
CARRY-ON LUGGAGE
On flights, I always have my noise-cancelling headphones, sleep mask, neck pillow, a paperback novel (yes, I still read from a book) and my tablet with downloaded movies. I put all of this in a small bag within my carry-on bag (or personal item) so when I get to my seat, before putting my luggage overhead, I just reach in and grab the bag. I don’t have to keep people behind me waiting while I dig through my carry-on.
ROLL OR FOLD
This is always an ongoing debate but personally, I do both. I start my packing by rolling all the clothing items but to be honest, by mid-tour, I just end up folding the items. But I still keep everything organized because of….yes you guessed it…..my packing cubes !
DOUBLE DUTY
Everyone tends to over pack; we've all come home and pulled things out of our suitcase that we didn’t even wear on our trip. When you are on a two-week tour, moving from place to place every three days or so, you also don’t want to be lugging a big, heavy suitcase. Over the years of travelling, I have learned that it is best to pack clothes that are in the same colour scheme and that you can mix and match. There is nothing wrong with wearing items more than once on a tour. You can change the look of any item by adding a scarf or a jacket or sweater.
SHOES
This is easy for me. I have a pair of comfortable, lightweight shoes for the days I fly, a good pair of walking sandals or sneakers for the touring days and a pair of shoes or boots for a night out. On my first international trip ever, I only took a pair of sneakers and a pair of flowered rain boots. One evening, right after a day of touring on a rainy day, we all decided to go hit a pub for dinner and drinks. There I was feeling like a real tourist in my colourful little flowered rain boots at the pub. Oh well. Life’s lessons. LOL
If you remember these guidelines, you can travel lightly, comfortably and stylishly....and, maybe flowered rain boots ARE the right choice for you!
Jo-Anne Tinlin, Tour Guide, Today's Woman Traveller
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