Packing can be the most difficult part of planning a trip. It takes a lot of thought and consideration to guarantee that there’s nothing unnecessary in a suitcase. The problem of over packing occurs when traveler over analyze a trip. There’s nothing wrong with thinking ahead of time, and anticipation what to expect from a trip. But anyone who has ever traveled to a foreign country can definitely relate to over-packing. The problem begins when travelers want to be 100% prepared for anything during the trip. The fact that a person is leaving their home for the number of days can cause a lot of anxiety for a traveler. There’s a lot of thought that goes into packing. One prominent worry is when travelers aim to bring everything and anything they’ll need on a trip. It is definitely better to be safe, than sorry. But sometimes, by thinking this way, travelers do the complete opposite to what’s good for them. If you’re looking for a luggage with lot of space, we advise you to check this.
Over-packing involves bringing too many items in a suitcase, that won’t actually be used efficiently on a trip. Travelers may think that an extra roll of tissue, or entire bottles of shampoo and conditioner can solve a future problem. It can. But it will also be unnecessary. It’ll just be additional weight in a suitcase. There are certain items that travelers should avoid packing into their suitcase, regardless of how much they believe they need it. And when traveling, it is best to travel as light as possible. This will help give a person the freedom to buy items from their trip, to bring home, as their suitcase will have the space for it.
What shouldn’t you pack?
1. Big Bottles of Shampoo and Conditioner
This is one of the biggest mistakes most travelers make. Although it’s understandable why people want to pack their shampoo and conditioner set. It’ll save them the effort and money to go out and buy a new set just for the trip. But the problem is, it’s too big and usually adds unnecessary weight to a suitcase. The big bottles are made for long-term use. A traveler shouldn’t expect to use an entire bottle of shampoo and conditioner on their trip. The best advice to avoid this is to buy inexpensive and small bottles that are suitable for traveling. Travelers should use these to carry the shampoo and conditioner. But actually carrying an entire 200ml bottle is just a waste of space.
2. Excessive amount of clothes
Trips can be unpredictable. That’s why travelers often pack for more than the days they need, in order to compensate for any spontaneous plans. But one of the worst problems experienced when over-packing, is bringing twice the amount of clothes that is needed.
The best way travelers can tackle bringing the right amount of clothes, is to pre-plan. It’s important for a traveler to consider the type of activities they will do on the trip. From this, they can analyze what to wear, according to each activity. By organizing a daily plan of the outfits that’ll be used per activity, a traveler can pack as light as possible. Of course it’s important to bring one or two extra shirts. But planning will help remove the excess clothing that is not needed, and probably wouldn’t even be used on a trip.
3. Beauty/grooming products
In everyday life, people are used to using their beauty or grooming products. For men, it’s their gel, aftershave, and colon. For women, it’s their entire make-up set, hairspray and perfume. Therefore, when people travel, they feel as if they need to bring these ‘just in case’ there is a night that may call for it. It’s completely understandable to bring the most essential beauty or groom products. But it’s almost, always a waste of time (and space).
What travelers don’t realize is that they are going to a foreign country. They will be so indulged in the beauty of a place, the new culture and the new and unfamiliar people, that they will never feel compelled to use these products. Unless a person is traveling specifically for an event that compels them to use beauty or grooming products, then it’s usually items that will just waste space.
4. Jewelry or Valuables
There’s never really a need for jewelry when it comes to a vacation. The same goes for anything valuable like expensive gadgets, electronic accessories, and things of that sort. It’ll just be an additional problem to worry about. Travelers will continuously feel obligated to worry about these valuables all through out a trip. And again, it is also an additional weight that a traveler doesn’t necessarily need.
Travelers are also discouraged to bring valuables for security reasons. There’s no telling what type of crimes are present in the place a traveler is visiting. There are many tourist destinations in the world that are targeted by criminals. And for thieves, an obvious traveler is the perfect target as they are not in their comfort zone; therefore they are overwhelmed and often distracted when walking around a place. Travelers are discouraged to bring valuable just in case anyone tries to steal their luggage or personal belongings. If there isn’t anything expensive, like jewelry or valuables in a bag, then it wouldn’t be as difficult to lose as a bag filled with valuable belongings.
Traveling is one of the best experiences a person can have. But packing isn’t always the easiest process to go through. These tips will help travelers avoid over-packing. It’s always better to avoid adding too much, unnecessary weight to a suitcase.