Fairly lightly, I have to force myself not to take too many books or too much useful in an emergency stuff - string for example.

My 'souvenirs' are food too.

Light as a feather, especially when traveling domestically and I know resources are readily available. I don't understand the folks who travel loaded down, unless they are going somewhere where provisions are difficult to get.

Light.

When I visit my elderly mother I pack very ligh, as I keep an extra shaving kit at her house.

When I travel for business I try to use only a carry one and a laptop case. Soap, shampoo and other items are all available at the hotel. If I am at the same hotel for a week I don't even pack shaving cream, will just buy one at the destination.

When we lived in Germany the DW was on a 4 day trip back to the States and I talked her into just using my e-Bags carry on. Took some convincing but she took my advice. When she returned she said that was the best travel advice I have ever given her.

LAAF here. Like gfunkdave, I got it down to a single carry-on bag a long time ago, and once you've done it a few times, there's no going back.

I am female and I actually think that men have a harder time fitting into one bag, being (usually) physically larger and having larger clothes and especially shoes. Men also tend to have a deathly fear of ironing, which I do not; I have no problem squashing my clothes into a tiny space and then ironing them at my destination.

Perhaps I am in the minority of women, but I could care less if people see me wearing the same outfit twice on the same trip. I do a lot of laundry on the road, so that outfit will still be clean!

I remember reading or hearing a valuable quote from Rick Steves years ago.
He used to marvel at overseas travelers taking bottles and bottles of shampoo and soap and Cologne and after shave and shaving cream and on and on and on - like they could NEVER get them from a store overseas.
He said "Why bring them when you can buy them local? Ask yourself how MILLIONS of Europeans have managed to live without shampoo, shaving cream, and under arm deodorant for all these years."

I always travel with bare essential toiletries. Under Arm, Cologne, Razor, tiny travel size soap and shampoo, brush, travel after shave. Mostly for in case I have to stop at a budget hotel and there is nothing but soap, or if I'm stuck in an airport or train station and have to "Freshen-Up" before I move along.

Underwear? Two pair spare. Most hotels have laundry or laundry service. In a pinch? As the grandparents used to do... RINSE OUT A FEW THINGS yourself.

A friend of mine is a referee for a professional sporting organization. You should see HIM pack! Just a backpack. He's gone for days and days and travels ultra light. I admire him. Always looks fresh and polished. Just does not get into taking much. He's a minimalist. I love it. Granted his work clothes consist of a striped shirt and black pants, but heck, he spends days on the road with nothing more than a backpack.
:)

:eek:

Heck, I could do a three day weekend living out of my laptop bag. :p


I'm a guy and always figured it was harder for women. Go figure.

Well sure, ironing is Woman's Work! :eek::D

Seriously, to get out wrinkles I just hang up the shirt or pair of slacks in the bathroom after running hot water in the shower and sink to build up steam.

I'm short and small and work in an industry where the dress code is "All we ask is that you have clothes on ;)" so I can fit several day's worth of clothes into a messenger bag if needed, and I don't need to worry about ironing.

I still check a bag when I'm going away for more than a few days - but mostly to carry toiletries, and to bring back any stuff I buy while I'm away.

Last conference I went to, I packed light and checked an almost empty bag. I'm glad I did, because one of the PRs I met at the conference was giving away huge radio controlled tanks, and the geek in me couldn't say no to that gift :)

Light as a feather - well, light but dense!
 

The old travel dictum is "take half as much clothing as you think you will need, and twice as much money". That still works pretty well, and we travel with a rollaboard (usually Travelpro) and a "personal item" - works even for seven countries in six weeks, varied transport modes including aircraft, bus, rail, river cruise and river boat. "If you don't check it, they can't lose it" is another good dictum...

...unless we are on a dive trip, in which case we each check a dive bag with our gear (other than our regulators and computers, which are broken down in our carry-on). Basically, we do not want to borrow or rent others' life-support equipment or ill-fitting wetsuits, etc. Then we make sure there is an itinerary inside, an itinerary in a tag outside, two tags, a colorful belt for easy identification, photos of the bag(s) in our possession.

A great site with videos, etc. for learning how to pack light is the result of some friends who opened a travel store in the SMF area many years ago (1978) - the creator of the system has passed away, but the second generation carries on. The page with videos is accessible here. (Their prices are pretty decent as well.)

After 20 years of travel, the last 18 years with no checked bags (for any length of travel) with the small exception around the time of 9/11, I guess I would be on the lighter side. I can do a 2 week trip with only a 21" carry on, IF I get two days in a hotel where I can get laundry done. I always carry an extra pair of underwear and socks for a 1 week trip and 2 pairs if a 2 week, it's insurance against being delayed and has worked so far!

- Tim

I usually travel very light, so I can bring back all sorts of "souvenirs."

I've found that Under Armor shirts are great for leisure travel. They don't look too casual (they have collared shirts too) and they are made to remove moisture from your body, plus they wash out by hand and air dry without wrinkles. I'm sure other sports clothes companies make them too. I usually carry two of these shirts with me.

A few weeks ago, I returned from a fishing trip to AK. I arrived in Anchorage with just a backpack, but I took back 2 50# boxes of salmon and halibut I caught myself. Needless to say, I had a bunch of "friends" that knew exactly when I returned home.:p

Female, 1 month in Aus...
 

managed with one 22" suitcase and a small carryon....it did help that we could launder en route...but no big deal,,,can buy toiletries as needed.

And no, we were not backpacking, 4 star hotels, 1st class Ghan train..there are irons if needed.

Definitely a case of it depends. I try to find that perfect balance between having everything I will need and having my bags weigh too much. I don't mind checking bags on certain trips if it means I will be freer while transiting airports but still have exactly what I need. Still, it's rare that I do unless the trip is particularly long.

I am female, too, and agree with what you said. I have no fear of an electric iron.

I save a LOT of space by not taking/wearing makeup. I gave up makeup years ago, back in high school. I face the world with the face God gave me.

My "makeup"? One (1) bottle of SPF 15 cream. I live in SoCalif and am prone to skin cancer.