People travel for many different reasons. Some travel for business and others go to see sights around the world. Some people just want to get away from it all. Whatever your reason for travelling, one of the most important things on your mind should be what you are bringing along.

There are several reasons why what you bring is essential to helping you enjoy your trip.  The type of trip that you are taking should help determine what you will be bringing along. You wouldn’t pack the same for a business trip as you would for a trip to a beach.

It just wouldn’t be practical. A lot of people find that their trip has become far less enjoyable because they brought too many things, or brought the wrong things. Everyone knows that problems with your luggage can ruin a vacation.

Many people make the common mistake of packing too much for their trip. It is hard for some people to decide what they can do without while away from home, so some choose what they see as the path of least resistance and end up bringing along a lot more than they need to.

If you want to enjoy your vacation and not go bankrupt due to excessive baggage fees, you should think of traveling light.  Packing light makes sense for a lot of reasons but here are just a few for you to consider.

1. No matter how you choose to travel, there is going to be some point during the trip where you are going to be required to carry your own luggage along.

Yes it is true that there are some baggage services available with some forms of travel, but not all of them. Those that do, like airlines, will charge you extra depending on the weight of your luggage.

If you ride a bus anywhere, be prepared to drag your own luggage around from bus to bus during transfers. So it makes sense to make your burden manageable.

2. Then there is the issue of simplicity, which cannot be stressed enough.

No matter what kind of trip you take, and how you get there, you are not going to want to worry about how your luggage gets there too.

Keeping it simple not only leaves you less to carry, there is also less to lose. A lot of veteran travelers have at least one horror story of disappearing luggage or luggage that turned up three weeks late.

Bottom line, do not bring your favourite necklace and shoes on the next trip to Asia; your companions and the Asians are not going to miss seeing you in them as much as you when they are gone for good!

3. Last but not least, packing light saves everyone money by avoiding baggage fees that all the airlines hit us with $25 down the drain here, $90 in excess weight down the drain there. Just don’t over pack and pack light for crying out loud!


Courtesy of: BUSINESS DAY