Travel Light
Traveling light is a must in today's bags for profits war at the major airlines. A single checked bag can cost you upwards of $90 depending on the airline, the weight of your bag, and your status with that airline. It always amazes me to hear flight attendants complain about people carrying on bags and not having enough room in the over head for all of them. At $90 a pop who wouldn't bring on all they could?
I can travel indefinitely with one back-pack that fits easily in the overhead compartment of most commercial planes. That bag not only handles my clothes but my computer and it's gear as well. The exception to that is when I am on a photo-trip and need my gear.
So, the tips for lighter travel:
1) Roll your clothes. You can fit a ton more by tightly rolling your clothes. Once rolled and in your bag, pound your bag on the floor a few times to compress your clothes toward the bottom of the bag. There, now you can fit even more.
2) Don't pack what you won't wear. Wearing the same shirt or pants multiple times when traveling is acceptable as long as you take care of them. Simple hang your clothes up each night spray with a little DO of some kind and bingo, your good to go another day.
Pack clothing that is duel purpose. I have zip-off pants that convert to shorts and have a liner which eliminates the need for underwear. Not quite commando. There are also some great shirts these days that pack tight, don't smell after one wear and are light weight and cool (temperature cool). It's up to you to make them COOL.
3) My friends love to hear me talk about this one. Dry-fit underwear, yes, I said dry-fit underwear. Two reasons, one they roll up tighter than any cotton ones, and two, you only have to pack a few for a long trip. There are several brands out there but I like ExOfficio's brand. They are compact, light weight, don't hold odder, and are fast drying so you can wash them each night and wear again in the morning. In fact there motto is: 17 COUNTRIES. 6 WEEKS. ONE PAIR OF UNDERWEAR. OKAY, MAYBE TWO. Take it from me, they work. I now use up little to no space in my bag by packing two and wearing one for a week long trip that I used to pack 8 balky cotton models for.
Stay thirsty for travel my friends.
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