Packing light - when budget travel restricts the wardrobe
So little can go a long way - almost all the clothes I had to wear for three weeks. Credits: Simone Preuss Opinion Many of us will be faced with one choice this spring or summer - pay for extra luggage on air travel or not? Most (budget) airlines have caught on to the fact that they can make good money by restricting their luggage allowance, in other words: have people pay for the stuff they want to carry on or check in. Budget-conscious me recently decided to go with the bare minimum allowance - one small carry-on bag (40 x 20 x 25 cm) for a three-week trip to four different countries. Given the diversity of locations - remote areas, mountain climates and big cities - I had to pack for all eventualities from warm summer days to cold mountain air. Jeans, t-shirts and a sweater were must-haves; also the leggings and yoga pants. A dress and a couple of tunics were nice-to-haves, as was the lightweight jacket. I most deliberated over taking a big, warm shawl (190 x 80 cm). Best decision ever to take it though as it doubled as a blanket and yoga mat cover. Most places I visited were colder than usual at this time of the year, so I really needed it. Though it did seem bulky and take up half of the bag space, it got squished down once I placed my laptop on top. What made it into the bag after all? Here is my final selection: 1 fleece jacket 1 shawl 1 lightweight jacket 1 cap 1 muffler 1 pair of jeans 1 sweater 1 tank top 1 dress 1 yoga pant 2 t-shirts 2 full-sleeve tunics 2 pairs of leggings 3 pairs of socks 3 bras 6 panties When I set out, I wore most of the clothes on me - one pair of leggings under the jeans, paired with the sweater, under which I wore one of the t-shirts and the tank top, which doubled as an undershirt. I find a little muffler around my neck is a must when travelling due to draughts. I also wore the fleece jacket and decided to pack the lightweight jacket. Colour coordination is absolutely essential - with so few choices, one cannot afford to have colours that clash or not match. Sticking to one or two ranges makes it easy to mix and match and gives outfits a more elegant look (dark blue and olive worked for me, even for socks). Pro tip: If you are not sure if you will have the opportunity to swim, take some underwear along that could double up as swimwear if need be. So for women, a matching bra and panty in a quick-drying material may work nicely; same for men with shorts in a similar material. My precious! This lovely shawl, gifted to me by a friend, was a trusty travel companion. Credits: Simone Preuss What was missing? Could I have done with any more items? Yes, socks for sure! I had packed expecting to not need socks on warmer days but that never happened. Also, I lost one sock in a waterfall and was left with only two pairs halfway down my trip. Sometimes I also wished I had an extra, thicker pair of socks on colder days or at night. Was there anything I did not need? I can honestly say that there was no item of clothing that I had not worn or that I did not need. I should have probably swapped one of the tunics for a t-shirt, which is more versatile. Instead, I borrowed a t-shirt from a friend to supplement my wardrobe a bit. Did I miss dressing up or having to wear the same sweater for three weeks? No and no. I actually managed to do a bit of dressing up with the dress I carried that could be worn by itself or with one pair of leggings on colder days. In terms of the sweater, I made sure to take one that I really liked (even after wearing it almost every day for three weeks). Every item also has to be comfortable. Fashion may kill pain but there is no space for uncomfortable, scratchy or non-functional items when one is on a clothing budget! Could one scale down even further? Absolutely! If one is visiting friends - especially if they are about the same size - another option is to downsize further and borrow what one needs. That would make for light travel indeed! Or leaves room to buy - maxed out as I was in terms of space, I did not buy anything - no clothes, no souvenirs as I did not want to leave anything behind instead. This could be a good rule of thumb when buying anything new - buy only when you are discarding (responsibly of course) something old. Another option is of course to rent clothes - many brands or specialised companies like Rent the Runway, Stitch Fix or Lena the Fashion Library have come on the market with attractive subscriptions. However, this requires careful planning and coordination. Would I travel with this little again? For sure. What I absolutely loved was not having to lug a big suitcase around, being able to whizz past check-in lines at the airport and not having to wait at the luggage carousel. And then there is the whole need vs. greed debate. Scaling down drastically, even if only for a few weeks, forces one to come to terms with how much we actually need (not much) and to think before we buy more. So thumbs up for light travel! A
Opinion
Many of us will be faced with one choice this spring or summer - pay for extra luggage on air travel or not? Most (budget) airlines have caught on to the fact that they can make good money by restricting their luggage allowance, in other words: have people pay for the stuff they want to carry on or check in.
Budget-conscious me recently decided to go with the bare minimum allowance - one small carry-on bag (40 x 20 x 25 cm) for a three-week trip to four different countries. Given the diversity of locations - remote areas, mountain climates and big cities - I had to pack for all eventualities from warm summer days to cold mountain air.
Jeans, t-shirts and a sweater were must-haves; also the leggings and yoga pants. A dress and a couple of tunics were nice-to-haves, as was the lightweight jacket. I most deliberated over taking a big, warm shawl (190 x 80 cm). Best decision ever to take it though as it doubled as a blanket and yoga mat cover. Most places I visited were colder than usual at this time of the year, so I really needed it. Though it did seem bulky and take up half of the bag space, it got squished down once I placed my laptop on top.
What made it into the bag after all? Here is my final selection:
- 1 fleece jacket
- 1 shawl
- 1 lightweight jacket
- 1 cap
- 1 muffler
- 1 pair of jeans
- 1 sweater
- 1 tank top
- 1 dress
- 1 yoga pant
- 2 t-shirts
- 2 full-sleeve tunics
- 2 pairs of leggings
- 3 pairs of socks
- 3 bras
- 6 panties
When I set out, I wore most of the clothes on me - one pair of leggings under the jeans, paired with the sweater, under which I wore one of the t-shirts and the tank top, which doubled as an undershirt. I find a little muffler around my neck is a must when travelling due to draughts. I also wore the fleece jacket and decided to pack the lightweight jacket.
Colour coordination is absolutely essential - with so few choices, one cannot afford to have colours that clash or not match. Sticking to one or two ranges makes it easy to mix and match and gives outfits a more elegant look (dark blue and olive worked for me, even for socks).
Pro tip: If you are not sure if you will have the opportunity to swim, take some underwear along that could double up as swimwear if need be. So for women, a matching bra and panty in a quick-drying material may work nicely; same for men with shorts in a similar material.
What was missing?
Could I have done with any more items? Yes, socks for sure! I had packed expecting to not need socks on warmer days but that never happened. Also, I lost one sock in a waterfall and was left with only two pairs halfway down my trip. Sometimes I also wished I had an extra, thicker pair of socks on colder days or at night.
Was there anything I did not need? I can honestly say that there was no item of clothing that I had not worn or that I did not need. I should have probably swapped one of the tunics for a t-shirt, which is more versatile. Instead, I borrowed a t-shirt from a friend to supplement my wardrobe a bit.
Did I miss dressing up or having to wear the same sweater for three weeks? No and no. I actually managed to do a bit of dressing up with the dress I carried that could be worn by itself or with one pair of leggings on colder days. In terms of the sweater, I made sure to take one that I really liked (even after wearing it almost every day for three weeks). Every item also has to be comfortable. Fashion may kill pain but there is no space for uncomfortable, scratchy or non-functional items when one is on a clothing budget!
Could one scale down even further?
Absolutely! If one is visiting friends - especially if they are about the same size - another option is to downsize further and borrow what one needs. That would make for light travel indeed! Or leaves room to buy - maxed out as I was in terms of space, I did not buy anything - no clothes, no souvenirs as I did not want to leave anything behind instead. This could be a good rule of thumb when buying anything new - buy only when you are discarding (responsibly of course) something old.
Another option is of course to rent clothes - many brands or specialised companies like Rent the Runway, Stitch Fix or Lena the Fashion Library have come on the market with attractive subscriptions. However, this requires careful planning and coordination.
Would I travel with this little again? For sure. What I absolutely loved was not having to lug a big suitcase around, being able to whizz past check-in lines at the airport and not having to wait at the luggage carousel.
And then there is the whole need vs. greed debate. Scaling down drastically, even if only for a few weeks, forces one to come to terms with how much we actually need (not much) and to think before we buy more. So thumbs up for light travel!
