I just got back from a month of travel. I realize that my month with 11 flights, 4 busses, 4 trains, 7 hotels, 1 AirBnB, 1 living room couch and countless Uber’s and public transport may not be everyone’s personal cup of tea, but for me it was a great adventure. My trip was mostly work, but also some time away with my wife to finally see Prague together, and a jaunt to Ukraine to see our older daughter. I have a personal mission when I travel to not overpack, but also to avoid paying any extra for luggage. A number of our flights were on Ryanair and if you are not careful, you will face the experience of shame that they bestow on the person that did not read their carryon luggage guidelines carefully enough. As well as extra luggage fees…

I have dialed in a two week trip into a carryon and have felt pretty good about this accomplishment. But this trip, I wanted to see if I could pull off a month in a carryon, including food bars and meal replacement shakes in one carryon, and a Ryanair approved small personal item. In some ways, I feel like I did a great job, but at the end of the month, I realized, yet again, that I overpacked. By this I mean that there were clothes that I packed that I never used over the course of a month of travel. This blew my mind because I want to really dial in on a minimalist approach to packing so that I can have greater freedom and reduced stress at the airport. Here’s the top four things I am learning about how to avoid overpacking…

1. Think About the Material of Your Clothes. I am sure that this will be the easiest to grasp. Blue Jeans don’t travel well. They are bulky and weigh more than other pants. I love the prAna Zion pants when I travel because they are comfortable, are light-weight and are easy to wash because they dry quickly. I also love the UnBound Merino travel shirts for everyday wear. Especially when it comes to travel in warm environments, I need a shirt that is moisture wicking and is antimicrobial. These also wash easily and don’t get that weird “funky” smell when drenched with sweat. And if you need a a nice button-up travel shirt, Eddie Bauer has got you covered with their Guide Short Sleeve Shirt. It packs down small, but the wrinkles disappear when you put it on. It also washes and dries quickly and easily.
2. Whatever You Think You Need…You Probably Don’t. I am pretty sure that the only thing I don’t want to cheat on are underwear. Everything else is negotiable. For example, I have decided that I only need two pairs of pants at most! This idea of taking one extra pair “just in case” is wasting space. I Take two pairs of shorts, and one workout short. I think the area I overpacked most was in shirts. I now have it dialed in with three short-sleeve, one short-sleeve button up, one long-sleeve shirt (lightweight so that I can also use it on the flights), and a lightweight rain jacket/windbreaker. This list feels so short…but it requires a shift in mindset that the reason there are sinks in hotels and AirBnB’s is so that I can wash clothes in them.
3. Always Pack A Couple of “Tide” Pods. We recently walked into our AirBnB in Lviv, Ukraine and they had…a clothes washer! Tide Pods don’t take up much space, but they were the hero of the night at in Lviv!
4. Your Bag Choice Determines Your Commitment. It kind of resembles the “Field of Dreams” mantra of if you build it, they will come. If you choose a larger suitcase, you will fill it. I love my Cotopaxi 35L Backpack, but sometimes I have to pull out the regular carry-on that has a little more space. I always overpack when I use the regular carry-on size suitcase. It is just the way it is. The biggest key to not overpacking is committing to a bag smaller than you think, and using that decision to force the subsequent decisions

When I made the decision to walk down this road towards not overpacking, I decided that I want the freedom it offers. When I dial this in, it is so much easier to travel and I feel less stressed. Here’s to your future of traveling light and saying good-bye to overpacking!