packing light
I travelled to India recently for a week-long business trip. I usually only travel abroad with my family, but this time I was travelling on my own. On family holidays, we pack a big suitcase for all three of us, and I always have to carry something or other for my wife or daughter in my hand luggage - toys, snacks, various paraphernalia. That's all completely fine, but it was something of a treat for me to travel with only the essentials.
I packed a small rolling suitcase - the kind that will fit comfortably in an overhead luggage compartment - and I also brought a day backpack for carrying my laptop to and from the office. Fully packed, the suitcase weighed under 6kg.
In my suitcase, I packed:
- Outfit for each day, plus one extra
- Sweater (for the flight)
- Swim trunks/gym shorts (the hotel had a pool)
- A few toiletries
- Medicines
- Laptop and charger
In my backpack, I packed:
- Book
- Headphones
- Phone charger
- Passport and visa documents
For the suitcase, I use packing cubes, which are great, and roll up all my clothes into neat little lines. Of course, I had a few other basic items with me - car keys, house keys, wallet. The only "luxury" item I packed was a sleep mask with built-in Bluetooth headphones, so I could listen to something while going to sleep.
Packing so light made it extremely easy to keep the hotel room clean and tidy. I usually don't unpack my suitcase, except for hanging shirts in the wardrobe, and I have a small travel case for my toiletries which keeps them contained. In fact, the only fly in the ointment was having to pack the gifts that my colleagues gave me to take home! But, a nice problem to have.