Travel Series - Packing
This post will be the beginning of a series for "Planning a Trip," mostly for ones that are long-term, as that's the type of travel I like to do, but they are definitely applicable to short-term travels as well. This is a series about the steps I go through when I'm planning a trip, from the actual packing itself to researching various topics like the length of travel visas for different countries, as well as lessons and tips I've learned over my travels. Going through these steps has made it easier to plan trips with no stress whatsoever, letting me get the most out of my travels and enjoy them to the fullest, which is what traveling should be all about. I hope you find this series helpful for your own travels!
With the first post of this series, I'll be talking about packing. I've already made a post about that, so if you're curious, you can check out how I pack my suitcase in my packing strategy post. Or, more specifically, if you want to see how I pack my backpack, you can check out my Peak Design 45L vs Peak Design 30L backpack post to see how I pack those bags, as they're the backpacks I use. With the Peak Design Travel bags, I love their versatility. Not only does the 45L fit both my Peak Design Camera Cube and my Peak Design 6L Sling, but the 45L can also be compressed to a 30L bag, and I can use that as an everyday backpack for when I walk around cities and explore. This lets me bring just one backpack that has multiple uses. Then, of course, with the sling and the cubes, I can also use those as an EDC bag when I want to carry less on more casual walks when going out.
With my attitude towards packing, I always try to take the minimalist approach for a couple of reasons, the obvious one being not having to carry as much during my travels. For short-term trips, you can get away with it since you only really need to carry your luggage and backpack from the airport to wherever you're staying, then back to the airport when you go home. But for longer-term travels where you visit multiple cities and possibly countries, you probably don't want to be lugging around heavy stuff, at least not personally. I learned my lesson when I packed basically all my gear and a bunch of clothes into my 2 Peak Design Backpacks, carrying 50 lbs on my back and 25 lbs in my arms. Let me just say this: It was hell carrying all that, haha.
The key to my minimalist approach is taking only a carry-on and a personal item: the carry-on being my carry-on suitcase, and the personal item being my Peak Design backpack. The key is not checking in any bags. That not only speeds up the process of checking into the airport as I don't have to wait in line, but also ensures that the airline can't lose my suitcase. All my belongings are with me. My carry-on luggage goes up in the carry-on compartment, and my personal item, my Peak Design 45L backpack (compressed), goes under my seat, and it fits perfectly. But with that, airlines are unpredictable. There were definitely times when I had to check in my suitcase because there wasn't enough space in the carry-on compartment on the plane. That's when the carry-on suitcase comes into play. If that ever happens, I can check in the suitcase with confidence that my stuff will be safe with the suitcase's outer shell. And just in case the airline does somehow lose my luggage, I bought some Apple AirTags, one of which I put inside the suitcase. The Apple AirTags let you track any item that has the AirTags in them with your iPhone, which is always useful to have.
Moving on to the topic of packing, one big thing we all stress about is airline regulations and restrictions: whether or not we can bring that bottle of solution or whether our luggage is under the weight limit to count as a carry-on or checked bag. Whatever it is you're worried about, the important part is being prepared for it. You can easily find information about the weight limit or luggage dimensions on the airline's website and prepare accordingly. From personal experience, I've found that most airlines don't really weigh your carry-on or personal item, so you can definitely get away with packing a bit more. But for me, I'd rather not take those chances and just try to pack as light as possible. It'll save a lot of time and unnecessary stress.
And speaking of airline regulations, I always separate my electronics with batteries (and basically anything that can be damaged) from those that are pretty durable, like my tripod (or things that can't be damaged, like clothes). This way, not only do I protect my fragile equipment like my cameras, lenses, and so on, but this also lets me prepare for the unexpected random check-in that I spoke about earlier. If there's ever no more room in the carry-on compartment, and the airline needs me to put my luggage in the airplane's cargo space, then I don't have to worry about transferring all my batteries or electronics from my suitcase to my backpack. They'll already be separated from the start.
The last thing that has really helped me with my packing is actually making a checklist to help me organize my thoughts. I make a list of items that I need or want to bring. Doing this lets me "pre-pack" my backpack in my head. This also helps limit overpacking and bring only the essentials. It helps me save space in my luggage and backpack, making it easier to get my stuff under the weight limit that the airline states. Then the night before my flight, I'll check each item off to make sure nothing is forgotten, so I have everything I need. And from then on, it's only a matter of getting to the airport on time and getting on the flight.
It can be stressful when packing for a trip, whether it's long-term travel or short-term travel. But being prepared and having all your information organized will help settle down your nerves before the trip. After getting used to this type of routine, preparing my luggage and backpack for my travels has been much easier for me. The limited amount of space has also helped simplify the entire packing process, so I definitely encourage everyone to try and pack as light as possible. But even if you don't, making a checklist and researching the airline's website for their regulations is always a good thing to do.