This post covers a range of useful, unique tips to help the anxious traveler learn how to pack light so you can focus more on enjoying your trip and less on stressing about packing the right stuff!

Traveling with anxiety already poses its own set of challenges. But if you’re someone who likes to pack light (or wants to be one of those people), it can feel almost impossible.

You’re staring at your one pair of athletic shorts thinking through every scenario… “What if these shorts that fit me perfectly suddenly decide to be too tight and I rip a hole right down the crotch?”  or “what if I sh*t my pants five times on this trip even though I’ve never once done that since I was four years old?”. 

Yeah… we’ve all been there. We’ve all ran down the list of crazy ‘what ifs’ that simply never happen (cue the little voice in your head saying “yet…they haven’t happened yet”). 

And to that little voice I say, don’t fear me! I’m not here to tell you to completely ignore and shut down your fear. Rather I’m going to do my best to help you work with that fear instead of against it…or instead of letting it take charge.

#1 Extras… to pack or not to pack?

It’s reasonable to want to pack one or two extras of certain items. However, one thing thats helpful to keep in mind is that in this day and age, you can buy almost anything almost everywhere. Seriously.

Now it may not be the exact type you love, but should you actually sh*t your pants five times on one trip, I’d take the bet that you won’t care exactly what brand of underwear you have to buy. 

Whenever I’m packing I take a look at the extras I want to pack and remind myself, “If I absolutely needed it, I could buy it there”. It’s not a super sustainable method, but the truth is you rarely *if ever* actually need to buy the thing. Plus you can always thrift it. I love finding cute thrift stores wherever I travel!

Additionally, most hostels, hotels and airbnbs have a place to do laundry. If they don’t, there’s usually a place close by to do it at. I typically pack either an empty packing cube or reuse a plastic grocery bag to put my dirty clothes in, then empty out my daypack to bring it to a laundromat. You can also get one of these travel-friendly laundry bags too!

#2 Pack light with packing Cubes

Packing cubes are the holy grail for helping you pack light. Why packing cubes rule:

• They help you organize different clothing items (shirts in one, pants in another, socks and underwear in the smallest)
• Help keep your clothing items wrinkle free
• Help you fit more into your bag: regardless of whether they are designated compression cubes or non-compression cubes, they will allow you to fit at least an extra outfit or two (sometimes more!)

My packing cubes are an odd assortment of brands that I’ve had for many years now. They do the trick just fine so I haven’t invested in new ones (reuse as long as you can!). If you don’t have any lying around, these are probably the most similar to what I use as I can’t find the exact ones.

The few times I’ve traveled without packing cubes have been complete and utter chaos…

#3 Start with your ‘must-haves’

My ‘must haves’ fall into categories. The first is that one clothing item you know you’re going to end up wearing 50% of the time. On beach trips this is usually a flowy dress or my athletic shorts and and a loose tee for me. The second includes clothing items you know you’ll need for certain activities (hiking, swimming, running, one nice night out, etc). In order to pack light, really narrow down your must-haves before you even start looking at your clothes (or else you’ll start convincing yourself you have more ‘must-haves’ than you really do!)

#4 Stop packing outfit-by-outfit and start creating mini capsules

You may have seen the Pinterest photos of capsule wardrobes floating around, well these also work great to help people pack light!

I pack 4-5 bottoms and 3-4 tops on every trip. How do I decide which to bring? I start with my essentials. Let’s use my recent trip to Puerto Rico as an example:

I knew I was going to be doing lots of outdoor activities, like hiking, so I packed my athletic shorts, a pair of shorts that are cute but comfy, and some sleep shorts. I brought my linen pants for going out and cooler evenings, my lightweight hiking pants for the rainforest.

For my tops, I wanted to make sure that each top I packed went with all of my bottoms. I picked a basic black tee and white tee, two graphic tees and one tank top. I’m not a big tank top person but if that’s your thing, switch out the graphic tees for tanks.

All in all I only have ten items, but I can make 25 different outfits! That’s the basic principle in how to capsulize your travel wardrobe to pack light and get the most out of your carry on.

#5 Don’t venture too far from your norm when trying to pack light

It’s tempting to start packing for a trip and think about all those cute vacay pics you’re going to snap and start packing a bunch of clothing items that you never wear normally. Spoiler alert, whatever reasons that kept you from wearing it at home are still going to exist on vacation. Pack what makes you feel confident and comfortable. Comfort is huge for me on vacation, I’m there to relax and enjoy myself after all!

#6 Stick with your gut to pack light

Go through the following list of questions, and if you’re hesitant to any of them put that item aside. Once you’ve finished packing as light and essential as you can, you can revisit certain items if you still have room.

• Is it weather-appropriate?
• Is it in your top 3 favorite [insert clothing item here]?
• Will it take up a lot of space in your bag?
• Do you plan on shopping while you’re there, and if so, plan on getting an item like this?
• Is it a bright color or unique pattern? If it’s too unique and you can only wear it once, it’s a waste. Keep in mind that unique pieces are easier to spot being reworn in photos so if that’s something you don’t want, don’t bring it (though I think we should really normalize rewearing outfits, even on instagram, in 2024. Sustainability is cool, people!)

If you’ve made it all the way to the bottom of this list… you get a surprise bonus tip!

#7 Wear your bulkiest clothing items on the plane!

This may seem obvious, but I don’t just mean the one item that’s bulkier… I mean totally put aside your ego here and be okay with looking a little ridiculous on the plane (the airport is kinda like a twilight zone anyways…no one cares).

For me this means I usually wear my hiking shoes, sweats, bulkiest t-shirt, sweatshirt, and if I had to pack for cooler weather, my outer jacket on top of this, and my baseball hat (the rim doesn’t pack down as well).

It can feel kinda hefty, but the plane normally gets cold anyways. Even if your destination is hot, you won’t have to be outside long between the airport to the hostel.

I hope this list has been helpful, just know you are not alone in your packing anxieties! These are all tips and tricks I utilize every time I pack for a trip, and they’ve really helped me narrow things down and make decisions. 

What’s your favorite tip or trick for packing light?

Shop the products mentioned in this post:

• Packing cubes
• Laundry Travel Bag