Don’t want to check your luggage? The obvious answer is to pack fewer clothes. Here are five ways I’ve learned to travel lighter.
1. Send stuff ahead if possible. Particularly if there are items you can live without for a few days before you leave home, shipping them to your destination will take a big load out of your luggage.
2. If you’re taking a suit, wear it on the plane. Suits take up a lot of space, so wearing one will free up more room for other things. Planes are cold in any case (and airlines are no longer giving out free blankets) so your jacket will keep you warm. Also, you’ll look more professional, which means that if there’s an upgrade to be had, you’re more likely to be the one to get it. And if the suit gets wrinkled, you can always have it pressed, or press it yourself when you get to your hotel.
3. Take basic black and a variety of accessories that will make a variety of outfits. For example, adding a scarf, a contrasting jacket, or a really great belt will change any basic black dress into something entirely different.
4. Keep shoes to a minimum. They’re heavy and they take up space. If you stick to basic colors in your clothing you should be able to get away with one pair of dress shoes and one pair of comfortable walking shoes. Maybe add a pair of sandals if they’re light and you’re going someplace hot.
5. Take things that are hand washable. Not only will you avoid having to pack more changes than you really need, but you’ll also avoid the possibility of having something lost, shrunken, or otherwise damaged by a hotel laundry or the local cleaner. Drip dry isn’t tacky anymore. There are many wonderful, good looking fabrics that can be simply washed and hung up to dry. And if you do need to press something, either have it pressed by the hotel or most hotels have irons in every room—or available from housekeeping.
Source : DSDG
