Packing light is not everyone’s needs, and certainly not for all types of travel. luxury tours where you are staying in four star hotels and dine at the finest restaurants in the Michelin recommends wardrobe needs a much more complete than the bus tour through Benelux six days.
My way of packing light comes from personal experience related to what I have in the guides and fellow travelers.
My travel is limited by finances, for the most part. So I travel cheap. If you travel alone I stay in bed and breakfast establishments (B & B), where I can find a hand to where I want to be, and that most of the time. Otherwise, I’ll stay in cheap hotels, but clean. In the morning I’m walking through the door with visions of a latte in my mind and my backpack strap.
To travel light does not pack for the worst. Travelling in Europe in summer, you do not need a heavy coat. Spring or fall, I’ll pack a light jacket to wear under a dark jacket when the temperature drops. If you need a helmet, seriously consider a Tilley Hat. I support a strong pair of Hush Puppies or Rockport, so good and so comfortable. Three or four short sleeve shirts in summer, with long sleeves the rest of the year. Again hand washable, preferably darker colors. A matching dark tie material that does not wrinkle when it is unwound. The thing with dark colors is simply that if they are dirty, so they were dark to begin with! If a shirt is seriously tarnished, so I throw away, buy a new one.
Plan to make clothes by hand every two nights or more if possible. This way, you still own shorts (three pairs) socks (three pairs) and shirts. A small bottle of liquid soap squeezeable is always a good idea. Consider packing a lightweight plastic or nylon waterproof (the kind with a hood) if you go to the UK, which can be folded to the approximate size of a deck of cards. All electric can quickly add weight and mass of your package with voltage transformers, a variety of sockets, etc. I have a razor that lasts very long led the battery (easily three weeks) with four AA batteries, not much bigger than a pack of king size cigarettes. I’ve never seen anywhere in North America and only use when traveling.
I use a Clik for obvious reasons, plus a plastic bag paper hanging inside my shirt to a loop of thin light around my neck. I also discrete copies of all documents, including the reserves stored in a ziplock bag in my backpack. Otherwise, a credit card and a credit card, I have an American Express card, Visa, others prefer. Speaking of emergencies, keep a small sewing kit in your equipment. If you have any medications, bring a copy of prescriptions and try to get enough bottles in their original pharmacy on hand throughout the journey.








