With the current baggage fees that many airlines charge, it’s no surprise that travelers of all stripes are constantly looking to minimize the number and reduce the weight of the bags they bring aboard. It’s not always easy to pack all of your necessary items into a single carry-on bag, but it can be done with a little planning.

Start with Your Luggage

Purchasing a semisoft bag that meets carry-on size restrictions is a wise investment. These bags are flexible, but they still retain their basic shapes, making them ideal for overhead storage. You should also remember that while your carry-on is regulated by both size and weight, many airlines allow an additional personal item that only needs to meet size requirements, so you should be sure to bring a bag, briefcase, or purse that can hold some of your smaller but heavier items.

Write a List

Sure, you might assume that you have every item you’ll need for the trip detailed in that noggin of yours, but it’s worth the time to pause and see if you have all of your bases covered. Writing out a list is the most efficient way to ensure that you’re not only packing everything that you require but that you’re weeding out items of lower priority. Organizing the content of your luggage as a checklist makes it extremely easy to notice redundancies and give you the opportunity to ask yourself, “Do I really need this?”

Pick Out Your Clothes

One of the most time-consuming portions of the packing process is deciding what you’re going to wear – and for good reason. If you’re heading out on a business trip, you want to make sure that you impress clients, and if you’re going on a vacation, you need to be prepared for whatever weather Mother Nature throws at you. But you need to limit yourself to absolute necessities. Come to terms with the fact that you might wear the same pants or don the same suit twice during your trip (provided you’re not seeing the same clients again), and remember that you can wash your clothes during your visit, even if it does mean packing a little detergent and cleaning your clothes in the hotel room shower. These facts alone should help you cut back on the number of articles of clothing you take.

Additionally, be sure that every top and bottom you take along can be mixed and matched with the others on your list. Those khaki pants, dark wash jeans, and button-down shirts are about to become your new best friends because they make it easy to match an outfit, no matter what clean clothes you have left.

Banish Bulk

The final, if obvious, word of advice is to leave anything that will really weigh you down at home. When it comes to clothes, you’ll need to swap that heavy coat for several layers of light, long-sleeved shirts. You should also limit yourself to two pairs of shoes because each pair can weigh upwards of a pound or two. If you’re on a business trip, wear your dress shoes to the airport and pack a pair of light sneakers; if you’re on vacation, you might want to wear a pair of tennis shoes and pack some flip-flops.

As for the other items you’ll be toting with you, you might want to swap out your laptop for a tablet or netbook in order to substantially cut down on the weight of your carry-on. The same goes for toiletries; purchase convenient travel-sized packs of all your necessities rather than taking along full-size items, and the eliminated weight will start to add up.

Peg Smith is an experienced writer who has written for a number of notable publications. As a lifestyle expert, Ms. Smith is able to offer advice and insight on a multitude of topics, including those pertaining to travel.

Peg Smith is an experienced writer who has written for a number of notable publications. As a lifestyle expert, Ms. Smith is able to offer advice and insight on a multitude of topics, including those pertaining to travel. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34678-d217441-r94756810-DoubleTree_Suites_by_Hilton_Tampa_Bay-Tampa_Florida.html

Author Bio: Peg Smith is an experienced writer who has written for a number of notable publications. As a lifestyle expert, Ms. Smith is able to offer advice and insight on a multitude of topics, including those pertaining to travel.

Category: Travel
Keywords: travel, travel light, packing for a trip, vacation