I received so many helpful responses to the question I posed to fellow travelers, “How do you pack light?” that devoting only one blog post to the topic wasn’t enough to cover everyone’s packing suggestions. So in addition to Items to Lighten Your Luggage, here are a few more ideas to keep you traveling light:
Electronics
“iPad with separate Bluetooth keyboard (instead of a laptop). Will still tote along a digital point and shoot camera, but to be honest, I could probably get by just using my iPhone 5 (and do, at least for video).” – Dick Jordan, talestoldfromtheroad.
“iPhone – replaces a number of functions, whether or not you have a local SIM card (think cached maps, compass, guidebook, e-book reader). Also, the powerbank to help charge it.” – Chris Backe, oneweirdglobe.
“Laptop, camera, Kindle. That’s it!” – Aleah Phils, solitarywanderer.
“Kindle Paperwhite!” – Christina Pivarnik, enjoypt.
“Portable light for illuminating dishes and beverages in a low light situation. My light fits in the small zipper compartment of my purse, weighs about 3 ounces and is the size of a credit card.” – Linda Kissam, TheWineChixs.
“Olloclip for iPhone. It allows me to skip taking my big camera at certain times.” – Troy Petenbrink, metroweekly.
“A universal charging cord!” – Roger Paige, thefocusedtraveler.
“My 11″ Macbook Air is my number 1 indispensable travel item!” – Keri Reid, skigypsy.
“My iPod so I don’t have to listen to anything I don’t want to on planes. I use Skull Candy headphones. $10-$15 and I can’t hear anything beyond my music…and they come in pretty colors!” – Kristin Kendle, wanderlustandlipstick.
“If possible, going from a laptop to tablet is a very wise choice. I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 in Feb. and although I do need to use the laptop for a few things, I am 96% using the tablet for work. I love it and cant say enough about how it has simplified tasks for me that I used to hate doing.” – Eden Rudin, reallytrulyliving.
Miscellaneous
“Always carry Duct tape- for fixing a crack in a suitcase, wrapping wine bottles so they won’t break, and once I used it to keep a car trunk down that wouldn’t close.” – Debi Lander, bylandersea.
“I’ve had a plastic spork/spoon/knife in my bag for at least 5 years- cost $5.00 at Eddie Bauer, but is unbreakable and comes in handy eating anywhere outside of a restaurant!” – Kelli Mutchler, goneworkabout.
“I always include the Dream Essentials Escape Luxury Sleep Mask. I bought it to travel with but now sleep with it every night. I can’t sleep without it and it’s wonderful eye holes.” – David DiGregorio, stylehiclub.
“I know it sounds weird but I always bring a clipboard. Especially if we have several places in a row that we’re visiting. I keep all the reservation info clipped to it. It’s easy to slip into the back of my bag, next to a magazine or book and Super easy to find when I need it.” – Tiffany Pitts, snickerpants.
“Moleskine notebooks and Fisher pen.” – Nan Devlin, avidtraveler.
Travel Buddies
” Spuddy . . . travel yoga mat.” – Gayle McCarthy.
“Pirate Monkey!!” – Amy Trotter.
Wander on!
Nancy
What are your favorite travel items, wanderboomers? How do you pack light?
Great article Nancy and thanks for adding my input as well. Always a great thing to see how others pack; you never know what you may learn.
Thanks for including my recommendations! I don’t pack light, but the ones I mentioned are always in my bag 🙂
I love picking up packing tips from travelers like you, Aleah. I’m always learning ~
For sure, Roger. I’ve picked up so many valuable tips by discovering what other travelers like yourself are doing to lighten their luggage.
I always pack light. My phone , charger and my book reader – That’s it! Thank you for sharing this article. Best regards!
Think of what you’re saving on the costs of checked bags, Marian! Thanks for commenting.