Since I travel constantly, a lot of people ask how I manage to do so in a really efficient way. One of the worst problems you can have is driving yourself absolutely crazy with packing and repacking, and dealing with drama in airports (security, airline baggage restrictions, etc). A good, well honed solution for how you get where you’re going can sometimes make all of the difference. This may be surprising to some, but it can also help you enjoy the actual journey!
The internet is littered with advice (some of which is quite good). That said, there’s no one right answer here – although there are plenty of wrong answers!
As a way to explain one of the methods of my madness, this series will focus on what I must take in a particular scenario. Spoiler alert: it’s not complicated. We’ll begin with The Weekend.
The Weekend
What I would call “The Weekend” is your bog standard 36-96 hour trip. The short version of this could be a business excursion that takes you away for a day for a meeting. At the other end of the spectrum, you have the ultimate power weekend: a jaunt to the other side of the world over in order to stretch your national holiday into a quasi-vacation.
Regardless, I would typically use the same gear for anything within this time span.
The Gear
Victorinox Flapover 3 Drawstring Backpack
I picked this up at Selfridges in London, on a vacation where my old backpack had finally bit the dust after 12 years of service. I needed to find something that was high quality, looked to be long lasting, and could carry all manner of different equipment. Typically, I travel with a limited number of electronics, but having a safe home for this equipment is also important.
After trying on the entire range of mid-size backpacks in the store, I opted for this model. It has a dedicated laptop sleeve which can be used to house your computer and charger at the back, while also providing excellent back padding and support. There are multiple pouches inside, and the back can expand and contract by way of the vertical zipper and drawstrings, in the event that you really need to cram a lot of stuff into the backpack. I use the three internal sections mainly to house chargers/cables, headphones & snacks, and documents/medicines respectively. Everything is very well organised inside of a uniquely good looking article that fastens shut by way of two buckles closing a hatch over the top. Lovely.
Hideo Wakamatsu Flash Carry-On
As suitcases go, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many that are more compact and yet more functional. The appropriately-titled Flash comes in a beguiling, glittering silver color, and more than holds up to various scuffs you may incur in the air and on the road.
The bag boasts two zippered sections, opening to a main compartment for clothing and a smaller, padded section. This latter section provides easy, protected access to electronics and documents respectively.
A good packer can fit about 5 days worth of clothes in here, assuming you don’t bring a change of walking shoes, or have heavier objects like sweaters or coats that need to be packed. But at a minimum, you should be able to carry enough to get through a 3 day weekend with costume changes included.
With four wheels, this bag glides easily through most terrain. I would say it’s a more joyful experience to pull along on hard floors rather than carpets. The lengthy handle and horizontal orientation of the suitcase means that you can stack your backpack on top and pull both along with one hand, relieving pressure on your back for long walks. Finally, it’s equipped with a TSA-approved lock.
Beats Studio3 Headphones
My advice regarding noise cancelling headphones is to just try and find a good solid product that works for your priorities and at your price point. At the end of the day, the single most important factor is the noise cancelling, and that’s where these Beats get the job done for me.
Personally, I prefer over-ear headphones to in-ear noise-cancelling options. Your priorities may lead you to a pair of headphones that are heavier or lighter, look a certain way or cater to a certain type of music. But what nobody wants – especially me – is to sit on a flight and have to endure screaming children/adults/animals, whether it’s for 30 minutes or 13 hours.
The Chestnut Vacuum Storage Bags
When you’re someone who packs light, these bags are a lifesaver and an absolute necessity. First of all, it’s just tidier and hygienic to have somewhere that you can separate clean from dirty clothes over the course of your trip. But more importantly, while you may find a million great souvenirs from your trip, none of them will be air (especially if you went to Bangkok!). So, you don’t need to waste space packing air in your suitcase when you can essentially vacuum seal your dirty clothes.
What I like about this particular model is that it doesn’t require you to bring a pump. You simply use the plastic fastener at the top to make sure the double-zip is completely sealed, and then roll the air out of the bag. This significantly increases the amount of space you will have in your bag to bring something home, even if you’re traveling with a small suitcase like the Flash. The variety pack I use contains 28″ x 20″ bags as well as 24″ x 16″ bags. The 24″ x 16″ bags are the bags I would bring on a trip of this duration, with a small suitcase.
Lion Hiepita Otona-yo Headache Patches
While this may seem like an odd inclusion, I find these patches absolutely critical on my travels. Whether you’re a migraine sufferer like me, or just someone who gets the occasional tension headache, these cold compress patches are a great add to your packing list.
This type of compress is popular in many Asian countries. The best version I have found comes from popular Japanese brand Lion. Especially if you don’t speak Japanese, you’ll want to make sure to get the box with the adult’s face on them, as they also come in a lesser strength version for children. Or, of course, you can just order them from Amazon. (Note: Amazon orders sometimes tend to take quite a while to deliver, as they can be fulfilled through third-party sellers from Japan.)
A box will normally contain either 6 or 8 pouches, with two patches in each pouch. Once you open the pouch, you can peel off the plastic protective film and simply apply the compress. These patches really have helped me mitigate headaches while traveling, as the cooling gel provides a pleasant, soothing effect. This is a big help when it comes to resting either on the plane or in the hotel, in order to combat some effects of jet lag.
Note
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