I like to travel light. When other people pack to go anywhere, from an overnight stay to an around the world adventure, they always over-pack. I feel the reason for this is the "What am I going to need?" mentality when packing rather than the "What's going to fit in my bag?". A lot of people I've come across tend to lay out all the things they want to take then find a bag that fits it all in. I go the opposite way. I find a bag that I will be happy carrying around on my journey then see what I can fit in it. If it doesn't fit, it doesn't come.
To the left is my new toiletries bag. It cost me $3 from Cheap as Chips. It came with three little bottles to put shampoo, shower gel, moisturiser etc in. It even has a funnel to help refill the bottles. I thought it was terrific! A great deal better than my last toiletries bag, which was just a zip-lock sandwich bag, although it is quite considerably smaller. I didn't think much of the size as it was next to even smaller ones. Scale had thrown me.
I bought it, took it home and started filling up the bottles with various liquids. It was only when I started needing my expert level Tetris skills to fit everything into the little bag that I realised I had an issue. It didn't matter which way I twisted and turned, my toothbrush did not want to fit.
Going by my packing ethos of "if it doesn't fit, it doesn't come", I had to think of a way to make it fit. After a few minutes of evaluating the situation I realised that you don't really use a full toothbrush. The end part is just taking up valuable space. So a quick trip to the shed, 2 minutes with a hacksaw and my toothbrush finally fitted my toiletries bag. Success! Now to see what else needs culling....
I learnt early on in my travelling life that washing machines were available all over the world. You don't have to pack clean clothes for every day of your trip. A few pairs of underwear, some t-shirts and shorts is all I'll be needing on this trip. They can be washed many times. Take note though: all items of clothing that I have chosen are metal free. There are no flies, buckles, zips, buttons or belts to be seen. This isn't just for ease of me getting dressed, this is to ensure no delays at security in the airports. There's nothing more annoying than standing behind someone at security who is taking forever to remove their shoes/belt/coat/watch and then still sets off the alarm because they have forgotten their phone is still in their pocket. People need to dress for the occasion. Flying no longer requires you to dress up. In fact, in today's travelling climate it is frowned upon. If you are wearing anything more than slip-on, non-metallic shoes, elastic-waisted pants, a t-shirt and weather permitting, a jumper then you are very over-dressed and will be a pain to your fellow passengers. Keep the whole flying experience casual and simple.
This is Melinda. She is all that I'm taking on this trip. She's been on many adventures with me and so far hasn't missed a beat. She holds about 7 kgs of stuff. This really is all you need. Well, it's all I need.... I hope. Time will tell. In realism, all you need is access to cash and a passport. Everything else is just a bonus.
You definitely don't need all this!
