International Travel Tips

travel luggage

I just got back from some international travel. I had a great trip, met lots of different folks, and saw lots of amazing sites. The only items that came back with me was one green wool sweater and some pictures. The sweater was a result of misjudging the weather and being cold. The trip got me to thinking—maybe I should document some international travel tips?

The first rule of international travel is pack light. There are lots of places, such as the train stations, that are not handicap-friendly, and require you to pick up your luggage to walk down and up flights of stairs. If your luggage is small, you will find this much more convenient.

How do you pack light? Here’s my methodology:

  1. Decide on a coat or sweater, or both.
    • Depending upon the weather, decide on which coat or sweater or jacket to bring.
    • Never more than two items unless this is a business trip where business jackets would be appropriate.
    • Now that the outer garnets are selected, selected two colors which go with these garnets.
    • Also, while you are thinking about it, selects hats, caps, or scarfs that you might need. Those large synthetic scarfs you find in the airport malls are perfect — because they can be used as mini-blankets on the plane as well as scarfs.
  2. Put everything you want to bring on the bed.
    • Make an outfit for each day of your trip. Put this outfit on top of your bed. Try to stick to the “base colors” in step 1.
  3. Remove half the things you placed on your bed.
    • Did you select anything bulky? Remove it and replace it with something easier to pack.
    • Did you select anything that wrinkles. Remove it and replace it with something that does not wrinkle easily.
    • Did you select anything that clashes with your outer-wear? Remove it and select something that matches.
    • Did you select more outfits than days in the trip? Remove excess outfits.
    • Did you select two similar skirts or pants? Remove one pair, remembering that if you are site-seeing, you won’t be getting particularly dirty. So, you can use the same pair on two different days.
  4. Consider washable items and short sleeves.
    • Synthetic shirts are washable in hotel sinks and dry easily. Replace two cotton shirts with one synthetic shirt.
    • Short sleeve shirts take less space than long sleeve shirts. Even in winter, I pack short sleeves, to reduce luggage bulk.
  5. Add shoes and socks.
    • Cotton socks get damp quickly when you are walking around. They don’t dry easily.
    • Consider using smart wool socks which dry more easily. This helps reduce the number of socks you need to pack.
    • Select the shoes you need. Wear one pair on the plane. Have a maximum of one alternative pair in your luggage. If your clothes are requiring you to pack lots of shoes, re-evaluate your clothing selections.
  6. Try packing your selected items.
    • Try packing the items you selected. How do they fit?
    • If they don’t fit in a carry on bag, go back to step 3, removing items.

Remember that foreign countries have laundry mats, and that many international hotels also have dry cleaning services. So, if your trip is longer than 10 days, plan to use these conveniences, and pack less clothes.

The second rule of international travel is don’t purchase anything. The reasons for this are twofold. First, anything you purchase you will have to pack in your luggage for the remainder of the trip. Second, anything you purchase is probably available on Amazon. Basically, there are very few original items that are worth the effort of importing yourself. Better to save your back, and use your travel budget to experience local foods, pay for transportation costs to investigate interesting local sites and museums—things you can’t take back with you.