Traveling light
16 July 2025
I travel 1-2 times a month and for many years, have just carried a backpack. It makes it easy to walk, use public transit or rideshare. Others appear to be hostage to their luggage.
The New York Times had a great article on packing ultralight, see here.
My tips are below:
I keep a travel checklist that I review before every trip. It covers all travel tasks, such as telling my family and neighbors, testing my "Find my iPhone” app and watering the plants. I also list all the clothes, bathroom stuff and electronics to bring.
After returning, I review the list to see what I didn’t use and could skip next time. If I need something unexpected, I can buy it, though so far that hasn’t happened.
I wear as many clothes as possible on the plane so I don’t have to pack them. In the past, I have worn 2-3 dress shirts for business travel, double socks, double Tshirts, etc. Depending on the weather, I’ll wear a coat too, using the pockets to stash extra items.
At my destination, I wash daily. My clothes are quick dry, and in a pinch, I can use the hair dryer.
I shave daily, but use soap instead of shaving cream.
I wear gym shoes and for beach trips, bring beach shoes to avoid damaging my feet. But no other shoes.
At a recent wedding, I wore the suit jacket on the plane, packed the pants and had my girlfriend carry the dress shoes in her bag (a small cheat, I’ll admit).
Beyond packing, I’ve learned to anticipate problems without panicking. Flights get delayed or cancelled, seatmates can be unpleasant, rideshare drivers may be odd, the weather may be off and lodging may have issues. I doublecheck details in advance if possible, but then let it go. Aside from the occasional delay, serious problems have been rare.
Do you have any ultralight travel tips to share?
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