Who has never dreamed of travelling light? Not having to drag an overloaded suitcase from the airport to the hotel, from one destination to another? Travelling light allows you to travel more fluidly and with a freer mind, without having to worry about carrying heavy and overflowing luggage.

Travelling light means discovering a destination with less baggage stress, and it also means saving money at the airport for those leaving by plane.

Here is 10 tips for travelling light.

1- Think beforehand about the contents of your luggage

It’s not always easy to pack a suitcase, to decide what to bring or not. When in doubt, you multiply and stack clothes and accessories for fear of missing out, and in the end, the luggage is much too heavy. One of the solutions to be able to select only what is essential to take with you is to prepare your luggage well in advance. First of all, take out all the clothes that you would like to put in your suitcase from your cupboards. Then, after fitting, depending on the weather at your destination and the activities you plan to do, you will gradually reduce the volume of what you selected at the start.

2- Favour a light travel bag

Travelling light means first of all thinking about getting a backpack or suitcase that doesn’t weigh too much at the base. With certain types of luggage, you can quickly reach three kilos when empty. To avoid overloading yourself, avoid taking a bag that is too big. The temptation to fill it up will be all the greater. The trick to travelling light is to prepare your luggage for a three-day trip, even if it is longer. Over three days, this allows you to plan for a change of luggage, but not too much.

3 – Select essential clothing and accessories

To keep the number of clothes and accessories in your luggage to a minimum, remember to create your outfits in advance and combine them together. This tip will avoid the multiplication of T-shirts or tops. You should also choose clothes that have several uses. The pareo, for example, can be used as a scarf, a skirt for women, a hat, but also as a tablecloth or sheets!

4 – Favour lighter technical fabrics

Limiting the amount of clothing is one thing, but you can also choose those that will allow you to travel lighter. Think about so-called “technical” clothes, which are usually made of lighter materials. In addition to this advantage, depending on their model, these clothes are also more resistant to cold, heat or even humidity and dry much faster than classic materials. The most telling example is the microfiber towel, which is much lighter, less bulky and dries very quickly compared to a normal bath towel.

5 – Don’t overload yourself with many pairs of shoes

As for footwear, unless you’re going on a hike, bring your light sneakers rather than your much heavier walking shoes, which you may not need. And add a pair of flip-flops if you’re going out in the sun.

6 – Favour all-in-one hygiene products

The toiletry kit is very often one of the elements of a heavy luggage. To reduce its weight as much as possible, opt for all-in-one hygiene products. You can easily find products on the market that act as body soap and shampoo, and sometimes even laundry detergent. Also consider replacing your usual products with samples of cream, shampoo or make-up that you have collected throughout the year when buying hygiene products.

7 – Buying on the spot

Nowadays, even when leaving for a far and remote destination, you can find around you something to buy clothes, hygiene products, shoes or medicines. So remember to buy local to leave with the minimum of luggage. And anything you don’t want to bring back, you can easily donate locally.

8 – Taking books in electronic format

Books are usually part of holiday luggage. Unfortunately, their weight is considerable. But don’t let this deprive you of your favourite hobby, because you can travel light with your favourite novels in electronic format on a reading light or tablet.

9 – Creating memo lists

Remember to make a note of the clothes and accessories you took with you on your last trip. Eliminate any that you didn’t use. You will lighten your luggage considerably and without forgetting anything else.

10 – Carry the heaviest clothes with you

One last good tip for travelling light: rather than filling your luggage with heavy clothes, carry them with you during the trip. For example, put your sneakers in your feet and leave your light flip-flops in your suitcase. Wear trousers instead and keep the shorts in the travel bag, as well as the sweater, which may be more useful outside the suitcase anyway if you have to spend the night outside for example.