May 30, 2024
My wife and I are chronic overpackers. We tend to pack more than we need, sometimes justifiably so1, but it often leads to stressful situations. During our April 2024 trip, we spent almost an hour at the Stockholm airport rearranging our belongings in our luggage and carry-ons before checking them in. While I did find out later that the warning message I was getting when trying to self-check in our bags was that they needed “heavy” tags, not that they were too heavy to accept, the end result was the same: I was sweaty and frustrated. I started thinking about how I’d want us to pack differently the next time around.
This is a list of my packing tips for when I’m home before I set off to travel. I plan to keep it updated as I continue to travel. I hope you find them useful.
Underpack items you’re unlikely to need and will be accessible as you travel
During our April 2024 trip, we visited London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Antwerp, flying between each city. Before our trip, the weather throughout all locations was relatively cool (~30°F) with chances of rain. While I was concerned about the weather, I ultimately decided not to pack my puffy coat and waterproof boots, with the justification that (1) they took up too much space and I didn’t want to save space by wearing those while traveling between locations, and (2) I could just buy it if I absolutely needed it. All the cities we’d be visiting have malls.
This is especially relevant if (1) you’re debating whether or not to take something you might need but won’t definitely need, and (2) if you do end up needing it, you’re in a place that has it.
During the trip, even though it was cold and rained some days, I ended up not needing a warmer coat or rain boots.
Don’t pack what you won’t need (a.k.a. be reasonable)
While I didn’t pack the things I thought I could do without, I did pack one long-sleeve and several short-sleeve and athletic shirts. During the trip, I quickly learned that while I do run warm in general, I don’t run warm enough to go on chilly morning runs in short-sleeve shirts. I ended up only wearing one of those shirts just once, while the others simply took up valuable space.
The lesson here is to be reasonable and think hard about how the clothes you pack will work in the expected weather. Just because you have certain clothes doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the right clothes for the weather, no matter how badly you want them to be.
Pack for reuse reasonably
I could’ve worn those otherwise unused athletic short-sleeve shirts, but there was a problem — two of those shirts had V-necks and the other was a green tye-dye. While I’m comfortable wearing those while working out, I didn’t like the idea of wearing those throughout the day when walking throughout the city or sitting in a restaurant, or taking pictures I’d want to cherish forever. My wife is always so pretty, and I didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb next to her.
When you pack clothes, make sure you can wear them for any occasion, not just the one they’re meant for. If I’d packed some of my more “normal” athletic clothes (a maroon shirt, for instance), I would’ve at least been able to consider whether or not I wanted to wear it out for the day.
Pack less and do laundry (especially if you have a 7+ day trip)
Our three trips to Europe together have been at least two weeks each. On the first two trips, we were lucky enough 2 to have access to a washer & dryer via a public laundromat. In this most recent trip, however, that wasn’t the case. We ended up doing our laundry in our hotel room — washing it in the bathroom sink and hanging it to dry over the bathtub or with the provided hangers. It went better than I’d expected, and it was far more convenient than trying to find a laundromat or packing enough clothes to last us the entire trip without having to do laundry.
If your trip will last longer than a week, I highly recommend just packing enough for a week or 10 days at most, and then just doing your laundry during your trip. A morning at a public laundromat (hopefully with coffee nearby) is a great way to relax in the middle of a trip. While washing your clothes in your hotel room will take maybe half an hour to an hour, waiting for those clothes to dry takes longer — I recommend only washing clothes that will have time to dry for a full day before you need them again (either to wear or to pack away for your next location).
Underpack items because you will need more space as you travel
This is a big key in setting yourself up for success.
When you’re at home, you are under ideal packing conditions. You’re (hopefully) relaxed, you can very easily add or remove items as you go, and you can spend all the time and energy you need packing your belongings in a “perfect” way such that it all fits just right.
When you’re traveling, you are not under ideal packing conditions. You’re hastily packing back up so that you can get enough sleep before you head out to your next destination in the morning. There are more factors to consider:
Whatever the situation, you likely won’t be able to pack everything in the perfect way you did when you were home. So, it’s best to underpack so that you have the (literal and mental) space for imperfection. While your clean clothes will still be rolled tight in their packing cubes, you can just crumple your dirty clothes and throw them into a plastic bag so that you can get that late-night gelato and watch the stars sparkle off the lake.
Pack storage bags
This may be better suited in a bigger “packing list” post, but I want to explicitly call out the extra Ziploc bags, tote, or drawstring bag I pack always come in handy during my trip. Ziplocs are useful for storing food souvenirs or toiletries, totes are vital for quick grocery trips and picnics, and drawstring bags work as a secondary “dirty clothes” bag if necessary. All of these pack light and tight, and I often just keep these in the luggage once I’m back home from travel.
Pack an extra backpack
I have an 18L Osprey backpack which has proven itself invaluable throughout our travels. When we move between locations, I prefer to pack it into our luggage. If our luggage is too full (again, because of imperfect packing under unideal conditions), I pack items into the backpack and carry it as a small duffel bag.
My wife is a marathoner, and we’ve traveled to Berlin and London for her to run those marathons. I also like to run when we travel, so we pack athletic clothes & running shoes. As vegetarians, we also pack protein bars & powder to ensure we can get enough protein, as some places we’ve been (looking at you, Lake Como & Positano) really just don’t have sufficient vegetarian options. ↩
As in, I planned for it that way 😅 ↩