Destress your travels

Whether you’re heading away on Spring Break, a family vacation, or a long-planned-for expedition, you’ve gotta’ pack - that’s just a fact. But between the hassles you’ll likely experience at the airport security lines and at customs, and the stress of having to keep track of all your belongings, is it really worth it to bring half of your house along with you?

FREE YOUR LUGGAGE, FREE
YOUR MIND
You might think that minimizing your packing for a trip is merely a way to save space - and that is indeed true. But on top of avoiding extra luggage fees, you might find that you lighten your mental load, as well.
A recent New York Times article stated that people who have a hard time choosing what to bring on a trip are “stressing their brains to the max,” while California “clutter coach” Claire Tompkins claims that there is a direct connection between physical clutter and mental clutter. That’s right, an overpacked suitcase and too many carry-ons can affect your emotions in a negative way, not a great thing to bring along.
And on the simplest level, if you can’t easily pluck your swimsuit out of your travel bag, then you might just miss that chance to swim with the stingrays. So uncluttering your luggage is also uncluttering your life - and helping to make your vacation a lot more spontaneous and fun.

WHERE TO START?
Sit down with your vacation schedule before you pack and write down any possibilities for what you might do. If you’re going to be at the beach, with dinner at an open-air seaside cafe, then you probably don’t need more than your swimsuit, plus a sarong for the ladies and a pullover shirt for the guys.
If you’re going from an outdoor hike to a museum to dinner, you will indeed need several changes - but you can still minimize what you bring along by bringing items that can do double duty - the same pair of pants with zipper-off legs can serve as hiking shorts for guys during the day, with the legs zipped back on for the museum, and a quick press with the hotel iron to make those slacks serviceable for dinner; ladies might try a heat-wicking silk tank top for that outdoor trek. It can be handwashed in the hotel sink later and quick-dried to pair with jeans or a pretty skirt. Try to think as multi-use as possible, and you’ll find that you need a lot less.
Packing in a scheme of only two or three colors continues this idea - limiting your clothing color palette gives you a lot more outfits with fewer actual items.

PACK IT UP
How you pack your clothes can be as stress-relieving as what you bring. The zip-lock, one-way-valve plastic bags called “Space Bags” are great - you can fold several outfits, lay them in a bag, roll all the air out, and you’ve just saved yourself half of the space. Another space-saving method is to use negative space, such as the spaces in your shoes, to put such items as socks or tank tops.
If you can manage to keep your luggage to one suitcase (check airline regulations for carry-on sizes) and one smaller tote bag, you can avoid having to deal with baggage claim. Not to mention that if you carry everything on, you’re guaranteed to not be stuck in Spain without your stuff.
Even the new 3-1-1 airline regulations are no big deal for the low-stress packer; most pharmacies now carry travel sizes of everything from hairspray to deodorant, so stock up on those tiny bottles, and filling your Ziploc will be easy. The unseen bonus to the Ziploc rule is that you can use up those mini-bottles on your trip, and throw the empties away - leaving you more room for souvenirs on the way back without having to add a single bag.

ENHANCE YOUR CALM
While you’re on the plane, you’ll want to create your own environment as much as possible. Your one carry-on bag may be small, but it can still be efficiently loaded.
Planes are notorious for being dry, so bring that bottle of water and some moisturizer (yes, guys, you too), and perhaps some Airborne - a fizzy tablet that drops into your water bottle - to protect yourself from the germs that are rampant in such closed quarters. Eyeshades and earplugs are inexpensive and tiny to pack, and you’ll appreciate them when you’re sitting next to a loud snorer or when the sun’s on your side.
Aromatherapy is a great flying asset, too. Bring a small vial of whatever calming aroma you prefer. Experts recommend peppermint oil if you tend to get airsick, or fragrances like vanilla or orange if you’re not a fan of flying in general. And if you need any vitamins or medications, bring the labels or prescription papers, and downsize those bottles to a smaller pillbox.
Of course, you’ll need some entertainment, but you can even do that in a spare fashion. With so many MP3 players on the market, you can bring along music, movies, audiobooks, and pics in a smaller package than ever before.
On websites like www.minimus.biz, you can fulfill other travel needs with minimum space requirements; whether you’d like mini board games, a tiny umbrella, or even a mini roll of duct tape (just like MacGyver), compact travel is becoming more popular, and manufacturers are scrambling to meet these needs.

NOW YOU’VE REALLY ARRIVED
So now, picture this: your plane lands at your destination. You watch as your fellow passengers juggle plastic bags, full-sized umbrellas, snacks, camera cases, garment bags, and shoes, forming themselves into a herd, slowly heading towards the baggage claim carousel in the hopes that their luggage made it.
You, on the other hand, tug your one suitcase out of the overhead, smartly shoulder your sleek carry-on, and stride right through customs and out into a new city, with everything you need easily carried right on you and ready to go. Unpacking in your hotel is a breeze, too, since you’re organized, coordinated, and you even managed to relax during your flight.
Now that’s the way to start your
vacation!




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