How to Survive with Fewer Things When You Travel

What if I want woolly socks?

What if I want to wear a Hawaiian shirt?

What if I need extra boots?

What if I need more pajamas?

What if I'm asked to a gala and I don't have a tuxedo?

What if I go sailing and don't have the proper shoes?

What if I want to go spelunking and I don't have ropes?

Will people know where I'm from? Better pack four or five more Oregon shirts!

Yes, some of these questions are totally ridiculous, but if you're an overpacker, it might be hard to figure out which ones. This post was really inspired by my husband who was coming up with outrageous reasons one would need to have a bag they could fit into if they weren't moving to a new country. Every time I go to the airport, I tend to see at least one or two ladies (and sometimes guys) hauling a bag so large that if it didn't have wheels, they wouldn't have gotten it out of the house. It always makes me wonder what on Earth they could possibly have in there and need for a normal vacation. 

Eric calls it overpacking due to a fear-based lifestyle. All those 'what-ifs' up there were his (joking) way of identifying an overpacker's train of thought before traveling and when they purchase said huge suitcase. I used to be a chronic overpacker, but I never had a suitcase that I could live in. So, what causes people to pack so much they need such a large bag? Are they uncomfortable with leaving home? Do they worry what will happen if they don't bring half their house with them? Do they freak out if they forget something and then have to figure out where to get it in a foreign place? I have no idea, but what I do know is that not having all your creature comforts is part of the wonderful things about travel. Bring the bare minimum of stuff you need to be comfortable and feel free from your other belongings. 

Here I am with everything (minus my purse) that we brought with us for a two-week vacation. That's not just my stuff, that's our stuff. I don't want to bog myself down with too many bag or heavy bags or have so much from home that I never need to leave my room. The only things I brought that were not totally necessary was a movie I had from Netflix (for downtime) and a bag of tea, sweeteners, oatmeal and rink packets. I could have purchased these at my destination, but they took up little space and it was more about convenience. I don't need a whole box of sleepy time tea or a huge thing of sugar/sweetener when I travel. I might need these things in transit and not everyday, so I don't want to waste money at the store buying them with my normal trip purchases (usually eggs, bread, butter, bananas and milk).

Maybe some travelers feel like so much a fish out of water when they are in a new place that they feel they need to feel like they're at home to enjoy their trip. I'm not sure. I just know that it's much easier to be comfortable in a new place, to me, if I get out and see what the locals are doing and get a lay of the land. I don't expect my destination to be like home, nor do I want it to be, otherwise, why travel at all? I choose some of my favorite pieces to travel with, a few pair of good shoes and a couple optional articles, like some accessories I love, a scarf and a packable jacket I may need if it gets chilly. Enough to feel like myself, but not so much that I feel overwhelmed by everything I've packed and that it all is appropriate for the activities I have planned. I don't need a sparkly dress with me if I know I will mostly be visiting museums. I also don't need high heels for walking miles and miles everyday.

Think about what you'll be doing and not so much the "what ifs', because, chances are, you may not even get to everything on your list of things to do, much less those what if opportunities. After walking for 8 or more hours during the day, are you really going to want to put on some fancy shoes that are barely comfortable for an hour when you have just been sitting on your couch all day? Bring some flats or wedges that are cute, but go with everything you have brought with you, so you can look dressed up and not want to cut off your feet.

In lieu of a formal dress, that you may only wear once (if that), why not pack a pair of black jeans? Not only will they work for everyday wear, but can look dressy and work with any number of different tops. Of course, if you travel with an LBD that you wear during sightseeing (I have a great one from Lucy), then you can dress it up with a few well-placed accessories to take it from day to night, like I did with this GoLite dress.

The more you think about it, the easier it is to travel lighter and still have many of your favorite items with you on your trips so you aren't feeling so much like you're out of your element and not quite yourself. You can still have a clothes personality with fewer items. For more help on how to stretch your wardrobe, check out this post. Figure out what you absolutely can't live without - maybe it's simple and useful like your iPad, maybe it's something more basic and personal like your fuzzy slippers - and then leave the rest at home. For me, it's my iPad mini, netbook (gotta stay connected), warm socks or booties for the room and a few random snacks from home.

What can't you live without when you travel? 

Managing Your Passwords Online

If you think about it, you probably have 50 or more online accounts, all of which require passwords to get in and change your info or to post as yourself. Do you have 50+ different passwords? If you're like me, you don't. I have four varying passwords for all my accounts, because some require numbers, longer character length and some want special characters. Even with so few passwords, it can be difficult to remember which one goes with which account. F-Secure KEY helps you keep all your long, difficult and totally different passwords at your fingertips while keeping them safe from hackers of all kinds. You use one main password for F-Secure and it remembers all your others. Here's an info graphic on how to make your passwords uncrackable.

I hate changing my passwords all the time and they can be really difficult to even come up with, much less remember, making F-Secure invaluable in so many ways. I just got an email letting me know that Chase has been hacked and I should go in and change my password, which reminded me of this joke (warning: NSFW) about how all sites have different rules and it can be very frustrating. In case you missed my last post on the goodness of F-Secure KEY, you can read about it here. Don't forget that you can also get two months of PREMIUM service for free:

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Disclosure: This is a a sponsored post. I have been selected as a brand ambassador for F-Secure, however, all opinions are 100% my own.

My Totally OCD Travel Personality

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm very serious about my travel planning and everything that goes along with it like packing and making reservations for everything possible right away. I'm totally crazy when it comes to planning a trip and I'll do 95% of all the work myself, because I'm a control freak that way. Not only that, but if I could do it all a year in advance, I'd totally do that too. So, if you'd like a look into my OCD travel personality, I'm giving you a peek at it and you'll probably realize why my husband just leaves me to it, for the most part.

Make a packing list the second I know my destination

I want to know everything about where I'm going and you'll catch me checking out the average temps and figuring out what staples I'll need for my trip. I like to plan out my carry-on as soon as possible, so I know what I can fit and what I can't. I keep a generic packing list on my computer at all times, but I revise it with every trip I take, print it out and try not to deviate from that list. Not only does it help me feel organized, but also not to overpack.

Pack a little bit each time I do laundry and/or buy something for travel

Yup, if I'm traveling 3 months from now, I know I'm not going to need certain things and I normally have some basics in my bag at all times, like underwear, socks, a rain jacket and toiletries. So, once my packing list is made, I pull out everything that's clean and put it in a pile with my carry-on. Often I'll buy a few new things to take with me, making packing a little more fun. 

Book, book, book everything as soon as possible

This is really where I have problems. I know that some things either can't be booked that far in advance or are cheaper closer to travel time, like airfare, but that doesn't' stop me from looking. If I could, I would book everything as soon as I know my destination, like 6 months out or a year, more. I get really excited about traveling and like to lock everything down and be ready. 

Repack everything

When I have everything I plan to pack in my carry-on or in a pile next to it, I will pull it all out and repack it just so it fits better and I can cross stuff off my packing list for real. I live by the rule that practice makes perfect, and I find that packing is an at. You can only truly get good at it by doing it...over and over. Also, by packing stuff multiple times, it makes it a lot easier to repack on my way home knowing how everything fits.

Plan snacks

I love food and I love saving money. I know that when I travel, if I don't have snacks, I'll be dying for them on the plane, even if it's only a two-hour flight. If I have snacks, I feel prepared and usually have all those snacks for when I get to my destination. 

Acquire and/or make snacks

Like my packing list, I can't wait to have all my snacks together. I'm two weeks out from a trip and have a whole resealable container full of homemade snacks in the freezer. Purchased nibbles are good, but I recently have been making my own stuff, like muffins, scones and granola bars. Not only can they make a healthy snack for travel, but they are great for breakfasts and to toss in my day bag for when one of us gets peckish in between mealtimes. (It's usually me.) It's good to have something that isn't junk food.

Look for perfect places to eat - including airport(s)!

So, my food love is all-encompassing. While I'm waiting to be able to book airfare and other stuff, I sometimes plan a whole day around a place I want to eat. If I can make a reservation, I'm all over it. If we have a long layover, I like to stake out all the great-sounding restaurants or cafes in the airport we can eat at. Knowing where I'm going to eat is exciting to me, especially if it's a place I've been waiting to eat at for a while and  it's a bit of a splurge. 

Read everything I can find on internet about destination and make wish list of things to do

It's true. I usually research restaurants and food options before I even start looking at all the other activities and attractions. I spend an embarrassingly large amount of time researching my destination. I like to do regular touristy things, but I also like to see what unusual things there are in the area, because sometimes those are better than the normal popular sites. 

Whittle down list by reality of time and what spouse doesn't want to do

Once I have a good list of awesome things, I run them by Eric to see what he would also like to do and then pare down the list to something more reasonable and budget-friendly. If I have some items that are in the if-we-have-time-this-would-be-cool list, then I put them on a different list, in case we have the extra time on our trip.

Search, search, search for discounts and sign up for daily deals emails

Anything that requires admission, I look all over for deals that will make those rates smaller. Sometimes you get lucky and find them on the websites for the thing, other times you can find discounts through places like Groupon or a travel site like Hotwire or BookIt.

Possibly repack after making sure stuff crossed off on packing list is actually packed 

I know you probably think this is crazy, but I have, more than once, thought I had packed everything on my list and then realized I'd forgotten something essential, like socks or a charger. It's this reason that I go through and make sure everything I checked off is really in my carry-on. I'm a packing freak. I admit it, but the few times I've actually missed packing something I needed, I wasn't able to actually buy the things I forgot where I was. 

yes, we're nerds that take some bad photos, but we still have fun

Make a tentative schedule until airfare and lodging are set

Now that I have everything set, like what to do, where to eat and when we'll actually be there, I make a schedule. I'm all for going with the flow, but I have never gone anywhere without having at least some idea what I'm going to do each day. I like to make the most of my time at my destination, and sometimes places aren't open all days, so instead of flying by the seat of my pants and just doing whatever when we get up each day, I see how everything fits together, so I don't miss out on important things I want to do. 

Then make an official schedule (TripIt)

Once I'm satisfied with my schedule draft, I make it official by using TripIt, so I can print out my itinerary and also have it on my phone. It also allows me to share my trip with friends and/or family. Perhaps a travel schedule doesn't feel all that fun to most people, but believe it or not, usually we end up being so efficient with schedule that we have time for those if-we-can-fit-them-in things I have a list of.

Okay, that's my overly involved travel planning style. Luckily, I enjoy doing it and Eric is fine just taking a backseat and waiting to see the schedule and going along for the ride. Do you have a crazy travel personality or ritual?