Travelling Light: How To Travel For 3 Months With Less Than 30kg Between Two People
Photo by Naomi Ibuki
One of the recurring themes in the comments around here is the fact that so many of you are struggling to decide which books to take and which books to leave.
My advice? Don’t do what I did the first time round and lug a hulking great business/marketing manual around (all 2kg of it) thinking that it’d be great to have as reference material but never using it once (and that was alongside a number of other books too).
Since that first, ill-fated packing experience when we ended up fed-exing a 12kg box of our stuff (including that book) back to the UK at great expense, we’ve got packing light down to a fine art.
This time round we’re carrying less than 30kg between us in one small suitcase (weight = 17kg) and our laptop backpacks for the next 3 months.
Want to know what’s in it? Here’s a summary of how we travel light…
Clothes & Shoes - his and hers
The emphasis for all our clothes is on doubling up. Smart-casual trousers can be used for smarter occasions or casual and a pair of darker jeans can also do the same thing. Similarly, darker cotton sweaters can double up as evening ‘going out’ tops where shirts are not required attire. The Pareto Principle really does work here as you will often find that even with such a small wardrobe, you will still only end up wearing 20% of your clothes for 80% of the time.
His:
3 x t-shirts
1 x collared shirt
1 x cotton sweater
1 x long sleeve cotton t-shirt
1 x pair of board shorts
1 x pair of cotton trousers
1 x pair of dark jeans
5 x pairs of underwear
3 x pairs of socks
Hers
2 x t-shirts
1 x board shorts
1 x black skirt
1 x pair of jeans
1 x pair of smart/casual trousers
2 x cotton sweaters
2 x pairs of socks
5 x pairs of underwear
Shoes
1 x pair of flip flops each
1 x pair of smart casual shoes (Hush Puppies) for J
1 x pair of smart flat shoes for me
1 x pair of trainers each
Toiletries
This is one area where we’ve saved lots of weight. Previously I packed 3 or 4 bottles of spares thinking I probably wouldn’t be able to get my favourite organic toiletries; I was right but I’ve also decided that (a) it’s just not worth the extra weight and (b) having a shorter, more travel-friendly haircut means I don’t use half as much anyway!
So these days aside from our toothbrushes, we carry travel-sized pots of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, face wash and deodorant which is typically enough to last for the first few days until we can stock up with bigger versions.
Business Equipment
1 x Sony Vaio laptop + charger - I would definitely consider carrying a spare charger/adaptor with you as these can be hard to find in more remote places.
1 x Macbook + charger
1 x mini notebook laptop - this is an old Samsung Lifebook laptop I’ve had for years but is tiny and a ideal as a back up should we need it.
2 x portable hard drives for back up storage
2 x wireless mice
2 x USB memory sticks
1 x Canon digital camera + charger
1 x portable wireless internet router
2 x international adaptors
Pencil case with J’s art stuff
3 x sketch pads of different sizes for J - don’t ask me why he needs 3 different sizes
4 x notebooks - we both like to have 2 different notebooks each
A small EagleCreek half cube cell phone chargers, 2 x USB cables, 1 x laptop lock
2 x quad-band mobile phones
1 x business/inspiring book each - mine is You Squared by Price Pritchett, Jonathan’s is Process Recess 2 by James Jean
A stackful of business cards
Other
1 x small first aid kit
1 x spare pair of eyeglasses + eye prescription details
2 x sunglasses
1 x 8GB iPod Nano + headphones (a new addition, got it for Xmas!)
1 x magnetic travel chess set
Some jewellery but not my “nicest” stuff
2 x wristwatches
The benefits of travelling light are many…
- You only ever have to wait for one piece of luggage to come through - very advisable if you’re ever on connecting flights given the likelihood of delays these days, especially transiting through the US.
- You can manage to carry what you have when trolleys aren’t available, you have to pay for them with local coins that you don’t yet have or you need to walk a way to the taxi/bus queues.
- You’d rather not spend ages packing and unpacking in every new place you arrive.
Having travelled both ways, I can definitely say that travelling light wins. If you’re ever short on something, you can usually buy it and the fact that many of you will have decluttered and pared down your possessions to start your location independent life should make packing light a breeze!
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Comments
@ Neil Matthews - we both carry a spare set of clothes (light t-shirt, trackie bottoms, underwear), the toiletries and our laptops (with accompanying must-have cables) in our hand luggage so should our case ever go missing, we’d be set for a couple of days at least.
I guess it’d have been useful to map out what gets packed where…but bascially we ensure that we carry everything we’d need to keep the business stuff going in our hand luggage as a precaution.
@ Shane - funny, lots of people are partial to a bit of duct tape but I’ve never carried it nor needed it. Perhaps I’ll try it and see how useful it will be. Yes - you’re right, ziplock bags are great - I tend to have a handful in my hand luggage for emergencies and also useful to give to fellow travellers when the authorities decide to be difficult/stingy.
I’m a big fan of traveling light as well. One problem I’ve encountered is laundry. Hotels often charge a fortune for it, and laundromats are sometimes hard to find. Can you talk about your strategies for getting laundry done in a strange land?
This is my first comment here; I’ve been lurking for a while and found this post particularly timely. I’ve been in Buenos Aires for nearly 8 months with 2 large suitcases and my laptop bag, and as I spend this week packing up to move (nearly) everything to another city in Argentina (Mendoza) for at least the next few months, it’s feeling like I have an awful lot of stuff! I know how to pack light, but working on the road certainly means I need things I didn’t take on my round-the-world backpacking trip, and I like to have a variety of clothes if I’m staying in one place for a while, but perhaps I’ve taken it to the other extreme. I’ve used/worn nearly everything I’ve brought with me, but I certainly could have done with less. If I start to move around more like you guys do, I will certainly reconsider my packing style!
SO true. When I was backpacking for 65 days through Europe, my pack was WAY too heavy because I couldn’t stop buying clothes 
It was a pain to raise it over my head during train rides or to walk through crowded trams with a giant pack on. It also sucked to climb 4 flights of hostel stairs because they had no elevator.
It was such a shock when I got home! I got so used to living out of a backpack, I was so overwhelmed by my closet when I got home.
But don’t you ever get tired seeing the same clothes over and over again?
@Never The Same River Twice - we stay in furnished apartments that usually have laundry facilities (it’s one of J’s criteria - as he does our laundry!!!) so it’s not typically an issue for us. However, on occassions when we don’t (i.e. when we first arrive and sometimes stay in a hotel), I use travel wash (or even shower gel) to wash basic underwear. We had a cold water washing machine in Grenada for 3 months last year which wasn’t ideal - and was basically the same as handwashing (minus the work) but we managed!
@Amy - hurrah! Thanks for the comment - I love it when lurkers become commenters as (to me) it means I’m doing something right. It wasn’t always our intention to move around as much as we did for the first 7 months last year - but having done it with a big case and far too much stuff, we decided it’d just be easier to travel light - even when we’re staying for longer in a place. If we need more clothes, we can always go out and buy them - although we really are extra sure we need them before we do.
@Cindy - my brother (who has 2 full & 1 large chest of drawers full of clothes) asked the same about getting bored…honestly? No - working from home in the UK, I typically wore the same sorts of things anyway! Clearly, I’m not into fashion but can scrub up when needed…we’re not big on partying at night or going out to bars often so we don’t need so many of those sorts of clothes. Here in Dubai that’s what I’ve really been lacking but knowing that I’m not going to need them in South Africa, I haven’t bought any more.
I have to admit though….when all I saw was J in his board shorts and t-shirts for 3 months, seeing him in jeans and a shirt was very exciting Almost like a new man!!!
Lea
Re: Your comment about J in jeans:
LOL It’s the little things that will add that oomph in the relationship, right?
Cheers,
Cindy
Well done - I think for some people it really requires to be miserable with a huge backpack or over large briefcase before they realize how little they need. Travelling as 2 is much lighter than travelling solo too - you can share lots of stuff - we shared a laptop - but I don’t think that is going to last for 2 much longer - he wants to use too.
Hi there - we’re now into our second week of settling into Thailand - and we struggled like mad with excess luggage fees on the way… Of course, despite the advice - I still over packed on the clothes front I just couldn’t bring myself to leave some of my favorite items behind.. BUT - needless to say - I’m not using them at all….
We ran into another problem with our luggage though. We are both divers with our own equipment. And Paul has underwater photography equipment too… I think just these items alone nearly take us up to the max!! and with far more restrictions with carry on luggage these days - we really struggled…
No doubt will fine tune the art of travelling light - WITH dive equipment as we go along… at least I hope
@Cindy - you’re so right!!! It’s the little things that count…especially after 14 years together 
(yes we were teenage sweethearts!)
@Lissie - you’re right…pain is always a great motivator and there’s no greater pain than having to lug a HUGE backpack around in 40 degree heat!! Couldn’t imaging sharing a laptop though…think it’d end in divorce!
@Freebirdpro - nice to hear from you…how is Thailand?? You sound a little like my Dad (who incidentally has also just arrived in Thailand - Phuket - for 2 months) and his photography equipment. I think you’re right…it’s def a learning experience and you only have to be hit paying a few hundred quid for excess luggage once before you realise that over-packing just isn’t worth it!!!
Hi Lea, have been reading your blog for a while and decided that since I’m already LIP somehow - working in a foreign country doing stuff that I can do from anywhere - I might as well do like you and take it further as far as abandoning the idea of having one single place of recidency. It will happen early this spring. I have a few questions I couldn’t find answers to: First, is your goal to settle somewhere, eventually? Second: Why do you bring that wireless router - don’t your computers have integrated wi-fi cards? Or is it for security or other issues? Third: How do you solve the internet access problem while on the road, do you buy online minutes and use your own computers, or do you go to internet cafés mostly? I’m worried about the monthly bill if I can’t find open networks…
Thanks for letting me read your blog and have a great stay in SA.
Hi Illodude - thanks for commenting. Nice to hear from another LIP!
In response to your questions…
1) Our goal is to ultimately find 2-3 places that we’d like to buy homes and then travel between them throughout the year. Of course, this depends on firstly finding those “ideal” places and secondly having the money to buy them!!
2) Yes, we do have wireless-enabled laptops but the portable wireless router is a little thing that plugs into a normal ADSL router and makes it wireless, so we can turn a normal router into a wireless connection wherever we stay, meaning we don’t have to be physically connected to the router all day.
3) We always try and stay in accommodation (furnished apartments) which have high speed internet included. On top of that, I use the Boingo wireless service for travelling. Sometimes we sign up to a wireless roaming service of the place we’re in for a month so we can roam around the city in coffee shops etc. or sometimes, like in Dubai, this is free! The last resort for us would be to go to an internet cafe - but that’s mostly because for me it’s not suitable when I’m speaking to clients - however that is always something we’ve considered doing if we can’t get internet in the place we stay.
Where are you currently based and where are you planning to travel to?
Hi again and thanks for giving away all the secrets.
I’m in Paris but I mainly do illustration work for clients in Norway. I included my website this time. One of the good things in France is awesome adsl speed (24 mbit really cheap) and free phone to most countries with the broad band connection, so it will be a transition to rely on skype and wireless for the future. I don’t have any particular plans but I’d like to stay close to nature - and where climate is ok for working outside pretty often (well the occasional snowboarding session would be just fine, too). Thought about Panama or Nicaragua in order to learn more Spanish, but let’s see. From there, improvisation. By the way, I have friends who rent a garden flat and several rooms in their lovely tropical jungle house in Wilderness, South Africa, so if you think about driving up the garden route to Victoria make sure to drop by! http://www.amaza-aluhlaza.co.za
You use one small suitcase between you, a brilliant idea, but how have you planed for the contingency of loosing your case?