Essentials only: How to avoid overpacking for a weekend trip

Packing light for a holiday may seem like the easiest thing in the world, but if you’ve ever done it yourself, you’ll know that the real difficulty comes from not adding a lot of extra stuff to your bag. While you’re packing, a lot of things can seem necessary, after all, you’re going to be away from home, but it is definitely not fun having to haul around several large suitcases and bags, especially if your vacation is a brief weekend getaway. On top of that, you will likely have to pay extra for your flight, and who wants to spend extra money when it can be avoided? Learning how to avoid overpacking and bring only the essentials along will simplify your trip, eliminate the anxiety of leaving something behind in your hotel room, and make the unpacking process more manageable when you return home. 

If you’re a chronic overpacker, it may seem like a hopeless endeavour, but a good strategy is all you need to get started. 

Make a list 

Before packing your suitcase, you should establish what you need to bring. Making a list of all the items you should bring along will make things easier and ensure you won’t be tempted to add a lot of extra stuff on the spur of the moment. To guarantee your success, you should start working on this at least a couple of days prior. This way, you have plenty of time to add items you may have forgotten about and remove unnecessary ones. Planning guarantees that you won’t pack everything the night before leaving, when you’ll probably feel tired and apprehensive, meaning you’ll end up stuffing your bag with a lot of pointless things. 

Some essentials include phone chargers, adapters, a first aid kit, your wallet, an eSIM France to eliminate roaming fees, and, of course, your passport and other documents necessary for travel. Creating such a list removes a lot of the stress that comes with packing since you can get distracted otherwise and can end up panicking on the way to the airport since you don’t remember whether you brought your charger or not. 

Start early 

Some people start assembling their luggage several weeks before going off on a trip, but that’s for the packing pros. Ordinary people cannot hope to aspire to this level of discipline, but they can try to be more organised. One way to do it is to start packing a few days to a week before departure. It can sound like a chore, but you must find the motivation to do it, as it’ll save you a lot of trouble. When you start packing early, you will most likely end up with a much better selection of items. 

If you change your mind about something, you can simply remove it from your luggage instead of bringing it along on your trip. You get the opportunity to think about the items you carry, something you don’t want to stress about right before heading out. Moreover, it can allow you to come up with different packing methods that are more efficient. For instance, you may find out that using some packing cubes is what your luggage has been missing. 

Clothing 

Clothing tends to take up most of your room in your bag, as most people often bring too many items along. To avoid this, think about what you will actually want to wear, what the weather is like at your destination, and what you plan on doing. If you’ve got an elegant dinner planned out, for instance, you’ll need to bring something a little more formal, and if you plan to spend your days lounging at the beach, there’s no point packing a cardigan “just in case.” Ideally, your clothes should be comfortable and not feel constricting even after you’ve spent several hours wearing them. 

If you want to go sightseeing or hiking, you’ll need appropriate shoes that offer feel and arch support so that you don’t have to deal with aches and pains that can put a damper on your entire holiday. You should also not be afraid of doing laundry on your trip. Depending on the type of clothing you need to wash, you can do it yourself in your hotel room sink or look for the nearest launderette. Don’t bring too many of the same item either. That means you most likely won’t need five pairs of jeans and about a dozen tops. 

Useful tricks 

Instead of filling your bag to the brim with a lot of items, it can be helpful to learn about making your travels more comfortable by bringing along some things you might not even have considered in the first place. For instance, a pair of binoculars can be of great help if you go trekking and are in an area where you can spot birds or animals. Bringing some healthy lunch snacks during a road trip will keep you feeling energised and refreshed, and the good news is that you don’t have to worry about carrying them on the road back as well. A reusable water bottle is a must whether you plan to walk around cities a lot or go camping. 

Some of the things you should bring also depend on the transportation you’ll use. For instance, if you’re going on the sleeper train, you mustn’t forget about ear plugs, an eye mask, and slippers. 

Travelling is amazing since you get to see new places, discover new areas, and taste new foods. It can be both fun and educational to travel, and it provides you with a break from the usual routines that can lead to burnout if you never have a break. However, packing your luggage is not so fun and, in fact, can become a rather frustrating thing. Bringing along too many things is a common complaint, and if you’re guilty of this as well, then you know that abandoning this habit is tough. 

Having a plan and starting to pack at least a few days before you’re supposed to leave can help quite a lot, and while it may be difficult getting started, you might actually form a habit that will help you in the upcoming years.