Sunday, May 15, 2011

Travel Light: How to Pack Below 15kg



If you’re travelling on the cheap via budget airlines, you should know by now that one MAJOR concern you have is baggage allowance. You are allowed a hand carry item of 7kg and a check-in item of 15kg.

Here, I’ll teach you how to keep your baggage within the 15kg allowance or below.



Ruck Sack. You may think that any backpack will do, as long as it serves its purpose of keeping all your stuff intact, and that you can swing it on your back. That’s what I thought too. But when I discovered this backpack, it made all the difference! It takes in consideration women’s body shape, and it claims to give you the “perfect anatomical fit”. That, and the “oh so light!” factor which sheds off the extra pounds from the standard packs we’re used to.
http://deutergb.co.uk


Clothes. This is where the bulk of the bulge comes in. It may vary per person and you may disagree with me at some point, but as a guideline, here’s what I usually bring with me:

a.     2 Convertible pants: If the weather gets warmer, you can just unzip and it automatically turns into short pants. They’re not as bulky as jeans, and they can look a bit formal when paired with a nicer shirt.





b.     5 Shirts:  2 dri-fit (which dries easily when I need to wash them), 3 plain colored wrinkle-free shirts.

c.      5 pairs of undies: thin cotton or those silk lace (which also dries fast) you can easily buy in Divisoria; and some bras

d.     Thermal underwear (during winter or heading to nippier destinations)

e.     Lightweight jacket (which acts as a wind-breaker or to fend off the full-blast air conditioned buses in SEAsia)

f.      Hat. Protect yourself from the sun, please! If you can find wide-brimmed hats made of local materials that can be tucked in your pack, those are perfect.


g.     Sarong / Malong. Acts as a skirt, or a blanket, or a towel.

h.     Scarf. Self-explanatory but I will have to write a different post for this.  




Footwear. This depends where you’re headed to, and what type of activities you’ll be doing. If your itinerary is adventure-filled and you’ll be doing a lot of trekking, then a pair of hiking boots is a must. If you’ll just be trotting along street market stalls in SouthEast Asia, then flip-flops will do. For poshier scenarios, pack a lightweight girly shoes .





 Toiletries. I usually transfer liquids or gels in smaller plastic jars (less than 100mL).
a.     Towel. This is the one I super LIKE. Lightweight. Absorbent. No synthetics. And it’s PHILIPPINE-made!
b.     2-in-1 shampoo and bodywash. It’s organic!
c.      Facial care. Cotton, toner, moisturizer, + sunblock!
d.     Sanitizer. For just about anything!
e.     Feminine products

Rid yourself of worry about having to pay excess baggage. Stick to this short list, and you’ll be surprised that it won’t even reach 10kg! That ‘ll give you enough space for your souvenirs to bring home from the trip J. Your mom will love you for it.

In the next article, I’ll give you the lowdown on what’s in my carry-on

 
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