The Baggage of Baggage: Why Traveling Light is the Ultimate Life Hack

In this second article on Travel, I talk about traveling light.

We’ve all been there.

At the check-in counter, breathlessly rearranging your life into three suitcases, an overstuffed backpack, and a “small personal item” that could knock out a rhinoceros if swung right.

You came for a vacation, not a workout. So why does your luggage weigh more than your existential crises?

It’s time we talked about traveling light — the ancient, mythical art of leaving things behind. And no, I don’t just mean your dental floss and dignity.

Let’s unpack this (pun, proudly intended).

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Why Travel Light?

1. Because Your Spine Deserves Love Too
   Dragging a 28kg suitcase up cobblestone streets in Florence is not the Roman holiday you imagined. It’s chiropractic foreshadowing.

2. You Will Use 33% of What You Pack
   That third pair of jeans? The one you “might” wear in case of a denim emergency? It’s going to become close friends with your unused gym wear and that “just-in-case” novel you never cracked open.

3. The Airport Dash Becomes a Breeze
   When you’ve got one backpack and a smug smile, you can jog past the Duty-Free perfume sprayers like you're in an action movie. Jason Bourne, but with deodorant wipes.

4. It’s the Zen of Travel
   Packing light is minimalism with wheels. It's Marie Kondo-ing your journey. If it doesn’t spark joy and fit in a carry-on — it stays home.

5. Airlines will make you Pay

   The airlines have started charging for everything except for using the toilets (don’t tell them) and surely you don’t want to be paying for clothes you are never going to wear!! Also too many bags means higher chances that the airlines lose a bag; you thought you were going on a vacation only to find out that your suitcase went on a world trip while you were working on insurance claim forms!!

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Tips for Traveling Light Without Feeling Like a Monk

1. Ruthless Math: The 3-2-1 Rule

• 3 tops

• 2 bottoms

• 1 pair of shoes (okay, maybe two — I’m not a monster)

For a 5-day trip. Obviously

Mix and match like you're a fashion influencer. Bonus points if everything you pack is in neutral tones and wrinkles like a diplomat.

2. Travel Cubes = Happiness Cubes
They turn your bag into a Tetris masterpiece. You’ll feel so organized, you might even forgive yourself for forgetting your toothbrush (again). Another trick is to roll your clothes; they take lesser space and don’t wrinkle much either!!

Chaos vs. Cube-topia

3. Toiletries: The Sample Life Is the Best Life
Who needs a full-size shampoo? You’re not opening a salon in Budapest. Use hotel stuff, or better yet, embrace the buzzcut. Invest in travel-sized toiletries or reusable containers. Not only do they save space, but they also prevent the dreaded shampoo explosion.

4. Layer, Don’t Lug
Instead of packing a jacket for every temperature zone, layer like an onion — stylish, travel-ready, mildly tear-inducing. Also unless you are an insta fashionista, no one cares about what you are wearing on a holiday!!

Spiritual enlightenment weighs 7kg

5. 🧺 Laundry: Embrace It

If your accommodation has laundry facilities, rejoice! Even when it doesnt, handwashing is just as easy; after all no one wants to carry stinky clothes!! You can pack even less and do a few mid-trip washes. It’s a small price to pay for a lighter suitcase and happier backs. How else will we survive for 7 weeks in one suitcase?

You really want to do laundry here?

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But... What If I Miss Something?

You will. It’s part of the adventure.

You might forget socks. Or your charger. Or your pants (true story — DM me). But you’ll also discover that humans are incredibly resourceful. They sell pants in most countries. I checked.

Besides, the worst-case scenario is that you buy something locally, and now it’s a souvenir with purpose.

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The Emotional Baggage Angle

Traveling light isn’t just about ditching heavy suitcases. It’s a metaphor, folks. For leaving behind stress. Expectations. That voice in your head saying “What if you need your hair straightener in a rainforest?”

Pack only what you love, need, and can carry without weeping.

The rest? Let it go, Elsa-style. (my daughter will be really proud)

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How We Survived 7 Weeks, 10 Cities, 3 Kids & 1 Suitcase

From San Diego sunshine to NYC skyscrapers to London fog—with pitstops in Vegas, Zion, Bryce Canyon and a few hotel laundromats—we did it all with just one check-in bag. For five people. No, this is not a magic trick or an ad for vacuum bags. It’s just the art of traveling light, monk-style.

Photo by Juan Cruz Mountford on Unsplash

The Packing List That Shocked a TSA Agent:

1. 2 bottoms, 3 tops, 5 inner-wears each. Mix, match, repeat. (Math checks out: 2 x 3 x infinite patience = endless outfits.).

2. One set each of swimwear, workout gear, and nightwear. Optional: wearing your workout clothes to bed and pretending it’s multitasking.

3. One thin jacket per person. Yes, it snowed in Bryce Canyon. In MAY. It builds character.

4. One good shoe (worn), one slipper (packed). Because we may be minimalists, but we draw the line at barefoot buffet breakfasts.

5. One family toiletry bag. Refillable bottles with stuff for a few days. Hotels provide the rest. You do not need to carry 800 ml of shampoo across the Utah desert. Zip lock bags and vacuum bag are saviours!

6. Diapers (2-day supply), protein bars, meds. Buy as you go. It’s called living on the edge.

7. Our secret weapon? Laundry. Every 4 days, we washed clothes. Inners, more often. Did it get tedious? Yes. Did it save us from dragging five wheeled bags up a London tube station staircase? Also yes.

8. And if we forgot something? We bought it. The world is your backup suitcase.

So the next time you’re tempted to pack four "just-in-case" jackets, pause. Breathe. Channel your inner Marie Kondo meets Navy SEAL. Travel light. Live large.

Because life’s too short to wait at baggage claim. (And too precious to spend untangling headphone wires from neck pillows you didn’t need.)

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Coming up next week:

How to travel with less money and still create magic.

Spoiler: You don’t need a luxury resort when you’ve got a picnic blanket, a well-timed sunset, and kids who still think hotel ice machines are peak entertainment.

Until then, may your suitcases be light, your plans flexible, and your children's meltdowns scheduled during boarding, not turbulence