When some people pack for a just few days away, it looks as if they’re planning on being gone for weeks, but many people would rather pack light to avoid worrying about luggage claims or vehicle space. If you can’t live without having a different outfit to wear every day of the week along with a few pairs of shoes, than these packing tips won’t help your situation. No amount of careful packing will enable you to cram a closet full of clothes and a shoe rack full of shoes into a duffel bag. I prefer traveling light to save space, and the following information provides tips on packing to save space for those who can survive for a week or longer on just the bare minimum with nothing more than a single duffel bag.
Packing a Duffel Bag
If you plan on traveling light and want to save space, consider packing a duffel bag instead of a bulky suitcase. A duffel bag is soft, pliable, and it will conform to the room you have rather than take up valuable space while traveling. It’s well worth the investment, and after traveling light with a single duffel bag rather than a suitcase, you’ll want to use it every time. A duffel bag handle is easy to throw over your shoulder and carry through the airport, and it’s easy to take it in and out of a vehicle if your plan on traveling by car.
When packing a duffel bag, don’t worry about folding shirts and pants. Obviously a duffel bag isn’t rectangular or square in shape, and most are generally rounded, so instead of wasting time neatly placing folded clothes inside, roll them up. Folds create more wrinkles than rolling, and your clothing will fit nicely in the bag when tightly rolled and carefully placed inside.
Filling in the Spaces
When traveling light and saving space, roll and fill your duffel bag with larger items first such as pants and sweatshirts. Next, roll and place t-shirts and other smaller articles of clothing in the bag. It’s also possible to roll and pack dress shirts, and although they won’t come out of the bag completely free from wrinkles, most hotels and motels offer complimentary irons and ironing boards for touching up clothing. Extra space in the ends can be filled with undergarments and socks.
Don’t Pack Disposables
Don’t bother packing items such as shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, mouthwash, toothpaste, and deodorant. These items take up a great deal of space, and when traveling with just a duffel bag, they can become messy. Also, many airlines have restrictions regarding toiletries and other bottled items.
Instead of packing disposables, after reaching your destination, buy travel-size products that can be used and disposed of shortly before your return trip. Most hotels and motels provide complimentary soap, shampoo, and conditioner, so you might not need to buy these items anyway. Travel-size products are inexpensive, and even if a small amount of a particular product is left, it isn’t a great loss, and you’ve saved a lot of space while traveling light with a single duffel bag.
Are you still wondering how you can survive for a week or more with just a duffel bag of clothing and necessities? Many hotels and motels offer coin-operated laundry facilities, and you can easily wash the clothing you’ve worn instead of traveling with multiple pieces of luggage. The price you’ll pay for single-size boxes of laundry soap, fabric softener, and to use a coin-operated washer and dryer is a small price to pay in return for traveling light and saving space with nothing more than a single duffel bag.
