The Travel BuddhaPacking for vacation is an art, but before you pack your bags, you’ll need to decide what to pack for vacation. If you are struggling to decide what to bring, I’ll make it a heck of a lot easier for you. There are some specific considerations that you should take into account. Once you balance these four considerations, deciding what to pack for your next vacation will be easy.
My experience backcountry hiking and camping has improved how I pack for vacation. When you’re hiking in the backcountry, packing the wrong items could have serious consequences. There are no quick trips to the store to pick-up something your forgot to pack. You also have to carry every ounce of weight you take with you, sometimes for many miles. You want to be certain you have exactly what you need, without overpacking. Consider the purpose, size, weight, and amount of what you pack.
Pack With Purpose
The first, and most important consideration when packing your suitcase, is PURPOSE. What is the purpose of the item you are planning to pack? If the item doesn’t serve a purpose, it doesn’t matter how big it is or how much it weighs, it shouldn’t be going with you on your trip. So, you’ll need to determine what purpose or purposes does the item address or fulfill. As you ask yourself this question, keep these other related considerations in mind:
- Does packing the item fulfill a necessary or strongly-desired purpose?
- Can this item fulfill more than one necessary or strongly-desired purpose?
- Is there an alternative item that is smaller or lighter that you could pack to fulfill your necessary or strongly-desired purpose?
This portable travel fan is an item I take with me nearly every time I travel. There are other travel fans, but this particular addresses all the points above. Being perpetually overheated person, this fan is invaluable when flying or staying in stuffy hotel rooms. I won’t say I absolutely need it, but it fulfills my strongly-desired purpose of staying cool and comfortable (purpose 1). As an added bonus, it has a convenient built-in led flashlight (purpose 2). Even more, in a pinch, I can plug my phone into it and use it as a backup power bank (purpose 3). I have not found another item that is smaller or lighter that provides this much purpose.
The concept of packing with purpose also applies to other travel factors. What is purposeful will also depend on your destination, the duration of your trip, the season, weather & climate, and the activities you’ve planned. A snowboard in Hawaii likely has little purpose. You get the idea.
The Size & Weight of What You Pack
Only after determining purpose should you consider the SIZE and WEIGHT of the items you pack.
As we get older (and hopefully wiser), considering the weight and size of the luggage we drag around is even more important. Our mobility, dexterity, and patience (at least in my case) are on the decline. Heavy, cumbersome luggage is like the world’s longest tether, limiting your freedom and mobility when traveling.
The Amount of What You Pack
Really? You need five pairs of bluejeans for a long-weekend? When you have the right travel clothing and gear, you can travel with so much less and sacrifice very little.
Why Knowing What to Pack for Vacation Matters
I’ll use an example from a travel experience of long ago. It’s an example of what happens when purpose, size, weight, and amount is ignored…
My first wife and I once traveled to France. She did not have the same prudent suitcase-packing philosophy that I did. She was insistent that, in addition to her carry-on bag and backpack, she also needed to bring the largest/heaviest full-size roller suitcase on earth. Holy-hell. Imagine the fun time we had cramming into miniature, retrofitted Parisian elevators with all that luggage. It was only half as fun, as lugging it up the stairs of even smaller hotels that had no elevators. Sadly, the cobblestoned streets of Avignon were simply too much for one of the overburdened wheels to bear; it snapped off clean at the base. The struggle to remain mobile only worsened.
It’s a funny memory, but it wasn’t fun at that time, and it did inject an unnecessary amount of stress, aggravation, and effort into the vacation. Adding insult to injury, at least half of the items that my ex packed never came out of that cavernous suitcase. In fact, that oversized suitcase is the reason my first wife and I divorced (okay, I’m just injecting some drama… it was different baggage that caused that).
“WASP” (Weight, Amount, Size, Purpose)
So, now know how to decide what to pack for vacation, but will you remember this the next time you pack your suitcase?
Here’s an easy way to remember the key concepts when packing your bags for your next trip… Remember “WASP” (Weight, Amount, Size, Purpose). Just remember that Purpose is the absolute most-important criteria when packing. No other packing criteria matters if an item does not serve a purpose.
** One additional factor when deciding what to pack for vacation… Be sure it’s a-ok with the TSA.