All holiday travellers desire to travel light but it is more important nowadays when airlines impose high surcharges and even some flights restrict carry-on baggage for security reasons. The Society of American Travel Writers recently came up with 10 tips to reduce the weight of your luggage when traveling. The first test is asking yourself “Do I really need to carry this?” if item passes this test you can apply the 10 recommendations listed below:
1- Stick to single color scheme when you pack, this will reduce the need to pack multiple pairs of shoes, bags etc. Choose dark color that does not show dirt, and brighten with light accessories.
2- Carry heavy items on yourself, like your coat or heaviest pair of shoes. Make sure you have lighter layers inside so you can shed when it gets warm on the plane.
3- Pack synthetic microfiber clothing; they are light, you can easily wash in a sink and they will dry overnight. Furthermore they will not wrinkle so you don’t need to iron them or carry extra clothes if you don’t like wearing wrinkled clothes.
4- Allocate a budget to buy new lightweight luggage; older bags were made of heavy materials, however new bags are stronger and weigh half of their older counterparts.
5- Whenever there is no restriction to have a carry-on bag or limit for its weight, pack all heavy items in your carry-on bag. Cameras, books, shoes, medications are ideal to carry with you and to lighten up your luggage.
6- Pack only small bottles of shampoo and toiletries and buy them at the destination. In your carry-on bags, you can carry only one plastic zip-lock bag that includes 3.4 ounce (or less) bottles. Packing bigger bottles in your checked in luggage is something you should avoid, they can spill and spoil your clothes, and surely will increase the weight of your bag.
7- Rather than packing your best clothes, it is smarter to pack your older clothes, shoes, underwear etc. You can wear them during your trip and toss them away before you return home. You’ll have extra room for your souvenirs and less dirty laundry when you come back.
8- Don’t pack for all possible weather conditions, you can easily find a shirt in Egypt or an umbrella in Istanbul if it unexpectedly rains while you are on tour in Turkey. You can always buy inexpensive local clothes and wear them during your trip.
9- If you purchase some heavy items – such as carpets in Middle East – ship them to home. You’ll pay less and won’t bother with carrying them around.
10- Use lightweight clothing such as fleece instead of wool; they will provide the same warmth without extra weight.
Turkay Aykut is the Sales Manager of Anatolia Tours & Travel Co. offering private and escorted tours to Turkey, Greece, Morocco, Dubai, Oman, Egypt & Jordan. More information at http://www.anatoliatravels.com/