UPTOURIST

If you’re a girl planning to travel this summer, deciding what to pack can take longer than your holiday itself. With baggage check-in fees costing more than the flight itself in some cases, more and more girls are choosing to travel light with just cabin baggage alone, saving themselves money which can then be spent on doing more once they reach their destination.

If you’re thinking of ditching the checked bags and taking only your hand luggage away with you, here’s how to plan your packing list to make the most out of your restricted space.

Clothes

If you’re going on a beach holiday, the clothes part of your packing should be easy. All you’ll really need to take is shorts, vest tops, dresses (see Axparis.com for some amazing must-have dresses this Summer) and of course, swim wear.

If you are travelling to a colder climate, it can be a bit trickier to pack your case without going over your weight limit. Layering is the best idea as you can take off or put on layers of clothing as needed depending on the temperature, so rather than taking woollen sweaters, take layers of thinner clothing instead which will weigh less and fold smaller, allowing you to take more in your bag.

Shoes

Shoes can be the biggest pain to pack when you’re travelling with just cabin luggage. Flip-flops and sandals can easily fit into the bottom of your case, but if you want to take some heavier shoes it can become a bit of a problem. Most cabin cases will have two sections, one for clothes and one for shoes – utilising these can help you to pack more.

If you’re travelling to a city destination, packing just one pair of shoes in addition to the ones you wear on the flight can often work out just fine.

Makeup and Toiletries

Packing your makeup and toiletries can be one of the biggest challenges when you are travelling abroad with a cabin bag alone. Due to restrictions at airport security, you’re only allowed to take 100ml of each liquid substance and they must fit into a small zip-lock bag which you’ll be given in the airport.

You can also buy similar bags cheaply which can be used. To make packing this bag easier, stick to dry make up options such as pressed powder foundation and pencil eyeliner rather than their liquid counterparts. This will free up room in your zip-lock bag for essentials such as soap, shampoo and sun-cream.

Everything Else

Ladies can often find it difficult to travel light – after all, there is so much that we need to take! Items such as hair dryers and hair straighteners could take up a lot of room and weight in your cabin bag, so it’s a good idea to buy specially designed travel versions which are smaller and lighter whilst still doing the same job. It’s also advisable to check what your hotel offers before packing – you may have a hair dryer in your room.

There are other things that you can minimize for the sake of traveling light; travel money is one example.  Carrying plenty of cash around with you is quite a hassle – not mentioning quite risky, too. While travel cheque can solve a part of your problem, it may not be as flexible as you expect.   There are better alternatives, such as online peer-to-peer foreign exchange services. Such services enable you to travel cashless, especially when you have accounts at your destinations.  Just send over the fund from your home to your overseas accounts via your laptop or smartphone; simple and convenient.

Share your best light travel tips in the comments!