“If you can’t carry it, you can’t bring it!” my dad scowled at my 8-year old self. Thus began my life-long goal to travel lightly.
To an 8-year old, this harsh criticism hit hard. How could I choose between my favorite Breyer plastic horse and a pair of blue shorts? But dad’s heart was in the right place, and I learned the skill of packing light early.
The truth is, it’s not the clothes and the every day items we need when we travel that cause our bags to get heavy. It’s the items we pack for the “just in case” scenarios we run in our minds.
What if it’s colder than we thought? What if I need a dress? What if the battery runs out? What if my bra strap breaks? What if I can’t find X (shampoo, lotion, undies, charging cord)?
The fear of not having exactly what we want exactly when we need it might be a little, uh, American? My American consumerism ideals had me so brainwashed before I left for world travel. I thought I’d never be able to find the things I need and love, and I’d have to succomb to low quality replacements or I’d, gasp!, have to go without!
The Truth about the World
Everyone in the world uses exactly the same stuff that everyone else does. We all have the same needs. Sure, the brands might change a bit, but everyone wears pants, needs batteries, buys socks, dons jackets, uses lotion, charges phones, and generally consumes necessities just like everyone else.
So the solution is that as a light packer, you don’t need to carry the things you might need. Because, dear traveler, you can find those things in the local bodega. Once I realized this little piece of magic, I dumped almost four pounds of stuff from my bag.
The third and fourth pairs of socks.
The third bra.
The set of AA batteries.
The extra charging cord for my phone.
The extra headphones.
The extra prescriptions and meds (see below.)
Extra Q-tips, bandages, tweezers.
The bulky hoodie (just in case it got too cold!)
Even, gulp, my hiking poles (I replace them at Decathlon when necessary for $5.)
I went from a 30-liter backpack to a 20-liter backpack (which I adore) plus my 40 liter carry-on. Together, my combined ecosystem now weighs about 28 pounds (backpack plus carry-on) or 13 kg. You can find my complete packing list here.
Yet despite my best efforts to shop globally while traveling, there are still a few must-buys when I return to the US. I explain those items below, and how to squeeze it all into my 13kg volume of space.
My Go-To, Must-Have Items I Buy in the US
When I return to the USA, I replenish the following items. Although I can find a few of them globally (shoes, for example), I want the versions sold in the USA at particular stores due to return policies and guarantees. I explain.
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