If I’m going on a Press Trip or even a weekend break with a friend, I usually get a “is that all you have?!” response whilst we are waiting in the Security Line at the airport. Because for any trip shorter than 3 nights, I only bring my Kanken backpack and what can fit inside of it. That’s it.
With most of the budget airlines really cracking down on the amount of luggage and bags that you can have, I thought I’d share my tips on how to pack minimally for a weekend break.
Clothes
If it’s winter, I always wear my heaviest coat and my scarf through security and on the flight with me. In my coat pocket, I have a hat and gloves. That way I don’t need to have space in my bag for any thick layers.
I only bring 1 pair of trousers with me, and again, I wear them for the flight so I’m not packing any jeans. It’s not that great to wash jeans anyways, so 4 days of wearing the same pair of jeans is fine. That means, I’m only packing 3 tops, 1 dress (just in case), pjs and 4 pairs of underwear (I always travel with an extra pair, just in case of delays, etc. No one wants to rewear dirty underwear).
I travel light in terms of shoes as well. I pick one pair that can be dressed up or down and that go with everything I am packing and are comfortable to walk long distances in. I wear those to the airport and I don’t pack any other shoes in my bag.
I have my Kanken backpack which I’m packing all of these things in, and I use that as my day bag 99% of the time. But if I’m going out in the evening and I need a smaller bag, my Olympus Pen camera bag doubles as a small bag/clutch.
Electronics
I don’t bring my laptop on any trip shorter than 3 nights. Any work, emails or blogging that I need to do in those 4 days can be done from my phone. I make sure that my Olympus Pen battery is fully charged before I leave for my trip, and I know from past experience that my camera can take non-stop photos for 4 days without needing to be charged.
I love the physical feel of holding a book, and I always need something to read on a plane and in the airports, but my Kindle is a godsend for packing light. I can have 100s of books to stave off flight boredom in the smallest way.
So my electronics list looks like this: iphone, charger, outlet adapter, Olympus Pen camera in its bag, and Kindle.
Toiletries
If I’m going away for only 3 nights, I travel very light toiletries wise. I don’t do my full skincare regime with all its lotions and potions. My toiletries are: a small facewash, a toner and a moisturiser with spf. In terms of makeup, I’ll bring mascara, my Glossier Boy Brow, a concealer and a lipstick. I very rarely do a full face of makeup ever, and certainly not when I travel.
Then the miscellaneous items would be a brush, a hair bobble, a hair clip, deodorant, a small toothpaste and my bamboo toothbrush. I like to save perfume samples for traveling, because I do always like to have a scent and they are so tiny that they are perfect for things like this.
Notice I don’t bring any shampoo, conditioner or razors with me. I can do 3 days without shaving and I live the no poo life when washing my hair abroad. If worst comes to worst, I’ll use the hotel sample for one night.
Last but not least I pack my wallet and my passport.
As you can see, it’s a very small list of things that I travel with. I used to be a big “what if” packer and had far, far too many things, but since I mainly travel alone, I got tired of carting around a heavy bag and having a bag that I had to wheel into the airport toilets with me since there was no one to watch my belongings.
It took a little while to get used to having such a streamlined travel kit, but now I absolutely love it.
Do you pack light?
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