Health and Fitness

One of the most important considerations when preparing for a trip is how much to pack. People spend far too long focusing on the amount of stuff to bring with them on their holiday, but it’s my duty to tell you simply: take as little as you possibly can. You will enjoy your holiday more and you will feel more at ease.

One reason you should avoid bringing lots of stuff is that you just don’t need it. Bring only the essentials, like your camera, your guidebook, your ticket and wallet, and some clothes. You will be able to buy things at your destination, unless you are going to an extremely isolated place. If you decide that you need something you didn’t bring, then you can buy it at your destination. Perhaps the biggest problem for most travellers is clothing, because they are not certain how regularly they’ll have a chance to use a washing machine, or they want the piece of mind of knowing that they definitely have clothes they like. Stop worrying about it. Bring a couple changes of clothes and if you need any more once you arrive, then you can likely find some good stuff or cheap stuff once you arrive.

Packing light is easier on your body and helps you conserve energy and keep your stress levels down during your trip. What if you have to walk a little further than you thought? Don’t you think it would be a nuisance to be carrying your huge suitcase along smashing into everything? Imagine that in your country of destination, it is not customary for taxi drivers to carry your bag? Of course a smaller and lighter bag would be better. Such incidents may be over fast, but they do make you somewhat less than fully relaxed and who wants to feel less than relaxed while on vacation? You deserve to have a stress-free holiday. Don’t make it hard for yourself.

One last reason to pack as little as possible is that you won’t experience so much of a loss if your bags are missing. If someone robs you of your suitcase and inside was all your best fashion and jewellery, hey you just lost all of it. If your luggage is lost in transit, then there might be some reimbursement but it will not cover everything, plus it’s just a big hassle to go buy all your clothes again. Bring the minimum and you minimize the risk of loss.

Vacation time is your time to release stress and refresh yourself. Don’t make yourself work any harder than you have to by lugging a big heavy bag around and worrying about what happens to it. Just take the absolute essentials and accept the idea of maybe going shopping at your destination if you need anything extra.