33 features of a perfect carry-on bag: buying guidelines
Updated March 16, 2024 If you've experienced the benefits of carry-on travel, you'll appreciate the importance of choosing the right luggage. Making a list of the features of a perfect carry-on bag is a helpful step before making a purchasing decision. Learn from my...
How to use the pack-by-numbers system to pack light
If you’d like to find ways to limit the amount of clothing you pack, have you come across the pack-by-numbers system? It’s a strategy adopted by many travellers committed to one-bag or carry-on travel. What is the pack-by-numbers system? The pack-by-numbers system is...
50 Sustainable travel products to help you reduce waste
Updated March 4, 2024 Several reports in 2021 indicated that the pandemic has influenced people to travel more sustainably in the future. This includes packing sustainable travel products in our luggage, being mindful of what’s used and discarded along the way, and...
How to travel with just one carry-on bag using nesting
Updated February 7, 2024 One-bag travel means less stuff to manage and keep secure. It translates into being more mobile on travel days. But is one-bag travel realistic? In this post, I'll describe how to travel with just one carry-on bag using the nested style of...
How to use a bungee luggage strap with a rolling suitcase
As soon as I attached the GuanjunX bungee luggage strap to the retractable handle of my rolling bag, I knew I had found my new favourite travel aid. The GuanjunX bungee had my second bag securely attached to my wheeled luggage within seconds. I was in carry-on travel...
One bag carry-on travel by nesting: how and what to pack
Is one-bag travel realistic? One bag carry-on travel by nesting is a favourite among one-baggers. It allows them to pack their clothing, shoes, tech gadgets, and essentials in only one bag for a long trip. Read on to see a detailed packing list with concrete examples...
9 Simple reasons to carry laminated copies of your passport
Updated February 4, 2024 In my travels, there have been many occasions when I've been asked for my passport and a copy was all that was needed. As a result, I've learned that to carry laminated copies of your passport is a wise choice. It keeps a passport secure until...
Allbirds Merino Wool Runners Review of a Travel Favourite
One of the tenets of the packing light traveller is to limit the number of shoes taken on a trip. Therefore, versatility and comfort are crucial along with being as lightweight as circumstances permit. For closed-toe walking shoes, Allbirds has created a favourite...
A Matador FlatPak Soap Bar Case Review for Travellers
Is the just another gimmicky travel product? Is the cost warranted? Is a zip-top bag just as practical for a fraction of the...
20 Travel-ready packing tips for travelling on short notice
Are you ready to grab an attractive travel deal at a moment’s notice? Are you occasionally asked to pack your bags for an unexpected trip with little time to prepare? For these and other scenarios, a partially packed travel bag and other travel-ready packing tips...
Top 20 tips on how to pack light
Updated December 23, 2023 For most of us, learning how to pack light, or lighter, is an evolutionary process. Getting it right takes experimentation, practice, and refinement. To help you on your journey, here are my top 20 tips on how to pack light. Top 20 tips...
15 Ideas on what to pack in a MacGyver kit for travellers
Updated December 18, 2023 If you could foil pickpockets, fashion makeshift packing aids, or repair travel gear with a few items weighing next to nothing, would you be tempted to add them to your packing list? If so, maybe you need a MacGyver kit for travellers. Why...
90 Inexpensive, packable carry-on traveller gifts in 2024
Updated November 27, 2023 Perhaps a loved one or friend is planning a major trip. Or it’s on the eve of their adventure and you’d like to give them a small gift. Maybe you’re the one embarking on a journey, and you’d like to treat yourself. Whatever your reason for...
10 Essentials of packing for a travel medical emergency
Updated November 25, 2023 Stuff happens. These 10 essentials of packing for a travel medical emergency will prepare you for when it does. Stuff happens Here's a summary of my last 'stuff-happens' story. It had drizzled on and off during the four hours spent...
A detailed description of long flight carry-on essentials
What are your long flight carry-on essentials? With your checked bag in the cargo hold or your ‘standard’ carry-on bag in the overhead locker, what do you pack in your personal item, the one that fits under the seat in front of you. Or perhaps you wear some of your...
8 Proven tips on luggage tags, trackers and other tools
Updated October 29, 2023 It's not uncommon for another passenger to take the wrong bag from a luggage carousel or overhead locker. Or, for your checked or gate-checked carry-on bag to not arrive with you at your destination. The inconvenience associated with these...
7 Practical reasons to shrink-wrap luggage and 7 useful tips
Updated October 25, 2023 When flying home from Istanbul, one of my travelling companions decided to shrink-wrap her newly purchased bag. It was her standard carry on, weighing in at a few kilograms heavier than Turkish Airlines’ carry-on limit of 8 kilograms. Given...
Laundry packing list and laundry tips while travelling
Updated October 23, 2023 One of the strategies, and challenges, of packing light is to manage if, how, and when to do laundry. The clothes you aren’t wearing are the clothes you need to schlep around from place to place. An essential key to packing light is to pack...
18 Tips on organizing a 3-1-1 bag for toiletries and cosmetics
Updated August 5, 2023 Restrictions on liquids, aerosols, gels, creams, and pastes are an ally of the packing light traveller. Toiletries can be space and weight guzzlers, so it could be helpful to look upon the restrictions as additional motivation to pack light....
22 Best personal carry-on bags according to travel bloggers
Updated August 2, 2023 Most carry-on travellers have two bags. Their personal item is stashed under the seat in front while their standard carry-on bag is stowed in the overhead locker. For insights on the best personal carry-on bags, I reached out to travel...
14 Packing tips for travelling with glasses and sunglasses
Updated August 2, 2022 If glasses are an essential part of your everyday life, they will be just as necessary, if not more so, while travelling. If you're relying on eyewear to read signs or a menu, find your way in an unfamiliar environment, protect your eyes from...
15 Easy ideas on how to pack small things in your travel bags
Inexpensive pouches and other lightweight packing organizers offer simple solutions to how to pack small things in your travel bags. They'll keep small things organized, secure, accessible, and protected from damage. I’m talking about stuff like charging cords, lip...
10 Useful reasons to travel with dry bags
Updated May 5, 2023 A lightweight dry bag is a useful multipurpose item worth its weight in gold if you need to keep something dry. But what are the other reasons to travel with dry bags? What is a dry bag? Dry bags are designed to keep gear organized, protected, and...
Functional and lightweight shoe bags for the packing light traveller
Functional and lightweight shoe bags in a fabric with a little stretch means it’s possible the bags can mould to the shape of what’s packed inside with no wasted space. After an extensive search for these characteristics, I settled on [easyazon_link...
Avoid overpacking: pack light with these 40 ideas on multipurpose travel gear
Updated January 24, 2023 If it’s destined for your bag, it needs to earn its keep. Multipurpose travel gear allows you to pack less, and lighter. Gleaning as many uses as possible from each packed item means that other things can be left at home. Looking for...
14 Best ‘standard’ carry-on bags according to travel bloggers
Updated July 19, 2022 What are the best 'standard' carry-on bags in the 35- to 50-litre range? A standard carry-on bag usually rests in an overhead locker during a flight. It's different from a smaller 'personal item' that is typically stashed under the seat in front...
6 Disadvantages of the ‘buy-it-there’ approach to packing light
Updated April 4, 2022 I’m not a promoter of ‘buy it there’ as a packing light strategy. There may be occasions when buying things at a destination makes sense, but for the most part, I find it’s a strategy with several flaws. What does ‘buy it there’ mean as a packing...
Tame dangling straps with Web Dominator
Updated January 23, 2022 If you've ever used a backpack, you've likely wondered how to manage all that excess webbing hanging from the pack. If so, wonder no more. Tame dangling straps with Web Dominator. The [easyazon_link keywords="Web Dominator" locale="US"...
25 Ideas on how to assemble an emergency preparedness toolkit for travellers
Updated May 21, 2021 Setbacks happen, even to the most seasoned among us. Having an emergency preparedness toolkit can go a long way to lessening the impact when adversity strikes. What’s your state of readiness for dealing with an emergency? What’s in your...
15 Reasons to pack light and enjoy carry-on travel
Updated April 7, 2021 Do you marvel at those who seem to effortlessly glide through their travels with just carry-on? Do you aspire to pack light (or lighter) but don’t know how to go about it? Getting in touch with the many reasons to pack light is a start. Some...
Is the Osprey warranty any good? It’s so good, I’m now a customer for life.
When I was thinking about buying an Osprey Farpoint 40, I wondered if the company’s highly touted warranty was any good. The warranty wasn’t the key reason I chose the Farpoint 40, but it was an important factor. Little did I know at the time that I’d need to test...
Save money for where it counts: cruise dollar store aisles for travel products
Updated March 6, 2021 Shopping for a travel adventure doesn’t have to be a purse-emptying experience. If you know how to cruise dollar store aisles for travel products, it’s surprising how many items you’ll be able to scratch off your packing list. And if you love...
Join the carry-on travel movement: pack light and tight with packing organizers
Updated February 26, 2021 Pack light and tight with packing organizers to bring order, convenience, and efficiency to packed luggage. Squeezing socks, underwear, and charging cords into shoes or nooks and crannies can make great use of tiny pockets of unclaimed...
Are you travelling with expired toiletries? Avoid doing so with these 14 tips
Are you travelling with expired toiletries? If you’re not monitoring the expiry dates of the cosmetics and toiletries in your toiletry travel kit, you could be. Risks of using expired toiletries and cosmetics Which products have expiry dates? It’s a rare product that...
Pack light with bar shampoo
Choosing the right toiletries is a pivotal piece of packing light. If you’ve struggled with the challenges of carrying liquid shampoo, perhaps it’s time to pack light with bar shampoo. Advantages of a solid shampoo bar Compared to liquid shampoo, a shampoo bar has...
Is a sling bag a good travel bag?
Is a sling bag a good travel bag? If you’re struggling to find the perfect combination of day bag and in-flight personal bag, a sling bag could be a good fit. I figured it was worth investigating, and here are the results. What’s a sling bag? It’s a one-strap...
Packing tips from Nomadic Matt
I recently had the good fortune to tap into the vast experience of one of the world’s foremost experts on budget and solo travel. Over the past decade, Nomadic Matt has backpacked his way through almost 100 countries and territories with a carry-on travel bag. He...
The best compression packing cubes ever made
Updated October 9, 2018 Have you ever been shy of the free-shipping threshold and gone looking for something useful to add to your shopping cart? That’s how I stumbled across the Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter Compression Cube Set. Little did I realize that for an...
Packing list for a safari in Southern Africa
Everything I’d read pointed to a challenging experience pulling together a packing list for a safari in Southern Africa. Avoid black or dark blue clothing so insects won’t mistake you for a tasty buffalo? Skip rolling luggage in favour of a travel backpack? Treat...
Packing list for Madagascar
Ashley Dempster is passionate about packing. So much so, if it’s a choice between what she looks forward to more – packing or the actual trip, packing definitely has the edge. Needless to say, preparing a packing list for Madagascar, and the packing experience...
Packing list for New York City
I admit it. I’m a packing list junkie. I never tire of devouring other travellers’ lists for insights and ideas. The destination or length of the trip doesn’t matter, as I seem to learn something from each and every one. If you can relate, here’s one more. It’s an...
Packing list for South America
The seed was planted in Dar as Salaam, Tanzania. A Consular Officer at the time, Dominique Lombard came in contact with many travellers on the adventure of their lives, and realized that doing something similar was definitely within her reach. After short trips within...
Designing the perfect travel purse
Have you ever purchased a travel product and found it wanting with respect to one or more important features? Or, perhaps you’ve found yourself thinking, “Now if I had designed this, I would have eliminated/added/changed...” Well, maybe it’s time to give up on some of...