Jul 20 2008
Packing Lessons I’ve Learned on This Trip
When I stay in a place longer than a couple of nights my stuff tends to take on a mind of its own and slowly creep across the floor of the room. Usually it also finds itself strewn across tabletops, other dorm beds and some of it has even set up a temporary home in the bathroom.
I have way too much stuff with me on this short one month trip and even more crap awaits me in Beijing. Something has gone terribly wrong with my packing and I’m not going to make the same mistake on future trips.
My Chinese travel buddy has a tiny backpack that’s not even full and she’s even carting a huge laptop around with her! I have learned a few packing lessons on this trip and have some advice that hopefully I will actually listen to next time I pack.
‘Just in case’ doesn’t usually happen - I’ve discovered that carting a sleeping bag around the world ‘just in case’ I need it really doesn’t work for me. Same goes for dressy shoes. If I need any of these things ‘just in case’ type things while I’m travelling, I can always attempt to buy or borrow them.
Take only things I know I’ll wear - I’ve learned not to take things I’ve never worn in my life because I think the mood will finally strike me when I hit the road. It won’t. I can’t stand the heat and have a couple of lightweight tank tops that I love, they fold up super small and I can buy them in China so I think I’ll stock up on a few more. I know I like them, I know I wear them, and they’re great for hot places. I’m not that concerned if my fashion sense seems to be a bit repetitive… I’m going to stick with what works for me.
Most places have sinks and soap - If a place doesn’t have a washing machine, at the very least they should have a sink and some clothes washing soap. In China all of the places I’ve stayed have let my travel buddy have some soap for free. Doing a quick load of sink laundry every few days means that cutting down on clothes is possible. It doesn’t take too long and if you have lightweight things, washing done in the morning will be dry before the next day.
All those super small travel sized things add up - Buying things in travel sizes is great. Buying 20 things in travel sizes is not.
The post office is my friend - I will be heading to Sydney during the winter in 2009 and really can’t be bothered going on a shopping spree once I arrive (I hate shopping). I have friends there and plan to send a few of my winter-y type clothes over to be reunited at a later date. It’s cheaper than buying all new stuff and it saves me having to carry jeans and other heavy clothes around boiling hot Asia.
If I have a big backpack I will fill it up - I already have my backpack and I’m not about to head out and buy another one. Instead, I’m going to attempt to put my smaller add-on backpack on the inside of the big one, rather than the outside. I put my laptop and camera in my small bag and it means that when I get on a plane, bus or anytime I might be separated from my big bag, I can grab the smaller one and not have to worry about it. Aiming to have space to put it inside my big bag will really force me to pack well.
I will never be free from art supplies - This is a hard one for me. When I left Canada in 2001 I had a slew of art supplies with me that I proceeded to take around the world with me twice and use about three times in total. I finally rid myself of them when I left London only to buy some more when I found a cheap art store in Beijing. Now I am lumbered with them again hoping that, one day, I actually use them. I guess art supplies are my weakness and I should accept that. I just wish they weren’t so heavy and bulky.
I’m ready to become a super light packer! I’ve seen the benefits and I want in. Dreading having to carry my backpack around really limits me and I want the freedom that comes with packing light. I have even more crap back at my apartment in Beijing and I can’t wait to get back and purge it from my life!
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I've been travelling since January 2008 living off earnings from the web. Follow me as I bum around Asia and beyond, getting up to mischief and working online as I go. 
pack light!! pack light!!! that’s the way to go.
Thanks for all the great tips on my blog too about london! Sorry I haven’t been by to visit as recently!
Without a shadow of a doubt adopting the small rucksack inside the big rucksack is the best thing I ever did for a trip to India. Of course I still took way too much stuff, but towards the end I was able to visualise the small rucksac sized empty space in the big bag for bringing back a few pressies for friends and family.
Still enjoying reading your posts, Thanks.
Oh dear Kirsty - are you never going to learn: PACK LIGHT! I wrote a whole website about this very topic LOL I take one of soap:shampoo:body wash - any one will do to wash you, your clothes and your hair! Take 3 tops and 2 bottoms: the downside is that they will wear out and you will need to replace them on a long trip the up side is that I travelled 6 months in South America with a day pack- its dead easy to do- you will never go back when you master it
On each of my trips my pack got smaller. In the end I was down to a 32L pack. Well, that was actually _too_ small (for me anyway), so I’m now back at 38L. That’s definitely big enough for a year long trip. It really makes a difference. I have to chuckle when I see backpackers stepping off the plane in steaming hot Bangkok with a 75L pack and wonder how many T-shirts and flip-flops they could possibly have in there.
I was thinking this morning about attempting to take a month long trip to Burma with my super duper small backpack. The one that attaches to my big backpack. Plus another across the should type bag that’s more of a purse/camera bag than anything else. I’ll dump my big backpack (which will be packed MUCH lighter than usual) at a hostel or something in Chang Mai, leave my computer behing (shock! horror!) and then go for it.
I’ve seen the light! I’m excited.
When I travel I only bring a few clothes. 3 shirts, 1 pant, 1 short, etc. And I am wearing most of that, instead of it being in my bag. The downside to this I have found is that you cant always find a washer. But if you get to the point where you are getting a little smelly, you can always go buy a cheap shirt to get you by.
This may be extreme but I hate lugging around a lot of stuff. All I have is a small backpack.
What is the least amount of stuff anyone has takin on a trip, lets say, longer that 1 month?
My husband and I thought we were packing light when we moved to Madrid, just 1 suitcase and two backpacks, but even three weeks later, I realize I really didn’t need those dress shoes. Or the set of plates and silverware. Or all of the books I brought. You know they have all that stuff here!
Now when I travel out of Madrid, I just bring a small backpack with my laptop, camera and a change of clothes. I pick up the toiletries where ever I am and avoid having to check luggage. It’s great! Plus I can lug around my stuff without having to go checkin to the hostel right away.
Austin buying things is always an option but I really, really hate shopping.
Christine… silverware! That’s a new one, haha. Buying the toiletries on arrival is a great idea. It’s so annoying having to check a bag just because of liquids.
I love the idea of mailing your winter gear! I’d never thought of that… but it makes perfect sense. Why lugg it around when you won’t need it untill you get someplace cold?
Great tips… Watch out for the art supply stores- they’re owned by Satan *grin*.
I learned the art of packing light VERY quickly. Somehow both last summer and this summer , I packed a single back pack for 2 persons for 6 days and , best of all, i didn’t forget anything lol this year I was brave enough to buy toiletries in Vienna so I didn’t bother carrying those wt me either