MoneyMagpie Editor and financial expert Vicky Parry shares hacks to travelling light and saving money on your summer holiday
Checked luggage adds fees to airline travel and if you’re travelling in a group it can even impact the size of taxi you need from the airport, too. It’s really easy to travel with just one cabin-sized bag for a week or more, if you’re savvy about it.
Extra benefits to travelling light
Travelling with a single cabin bag doesn’t only save on luggage fees. You also don’t waste time waiting around for your bags at your destination, or run the (costly) risk of lost luggage.
It’s also much easier to adapt your travel plans if you’ve got everything you need with you. Checking your bags means you’re often restricted if last-minute changes come up – but if you’re hand luggage only, you could blag an upgrade on an earlier flight or be easily transferred to an alternative flight if there is a cancellation on your booking.
Remember you can wash clothes
Nobody wants to do a full laundry load on holiday, obviously. But there are some items that are quick and easy to wash and dry in any type of accommodation, meaning you can save space in your bag by bringing less. If you’ve bagged a cheap holiday deal, why not keep the money-saving going with a quick wash instead of paying checked luggage fees and overweight fines?
Underwear, swimwear, and t-shirts can all easily be washed in a sink and hung up to dry. Laundry detergent sheets take up zero space in your bag and are perfect for washing a few pairs of pants mid-way through your holiday.
Plan a capsule wardrobe
Make sure everything you take matches and coordinates. This means you can take fewer items overall to create several different outfits. Make it a rule that everything you pack must be used into at least two outfits, and remember to include the clothes you’ll wear for travel.
A good outfit for travelling in would be your undies, trousers or shorts (not jeans), a t-shirt, trainers, and your cover-up or jumper. Jeans are uncomfortable over long periods of time sitting down, and can be too hot for stuffy transport.
Then all you’d need to pack would be:
- One pair of jeans
- Two swimsuits or trunks
- Three pairs of undies
- Two t-shirts
- A dress or smarter shirt
- Sandals
With the above, you could have six different outfits just with the three t-shirts and two pairs of trousers, or twelve if switching up your shoes also. Washing your underwear and t-shirts halfway through the week helps you extend the wear without much effort, too.
Look for multi-tasking items
Whether it’s a dress that can be worn three ways, trousers that zip off into shorts, or a cover-up that can be worn as a sarong, a scarf, or even a dress, pack items that have more than one purpose.
Think about other multi-taskers, too. Charging blocks can take up unnecessary space, whereas fold-flat multi-chargers let you charge your phone, watch, and earbuds all in one go, without taking up a lot of space in your bag.
Go light on tech
Be smart about the tech you travel with. Do you need your laptop, or will a tablet suffice? If you’re travelling with others, could you split tech responsibilities and share the load? For example, if you’re travelling with someone who also uses hair straighteners, arrange for one of you to bring them instead of both.
If you both want to watch the same show on a tablet while you travel, consider the Twelve South Airfly Pro headphone splitter, which turns any audio jack into a Bluetooth compatible device for up to two pairs of headphones.
Think about your holiday reading carefully
One thing that could benefit you travelling light is an e-reader. If you’re not taking a tablet and find your phone too small to read on, an e-reader like a Kindle or Kobo lets you take thousands of books with you in a tiny package. The battery life on them is excellent too, and you won’t take up excess space in your bag with your holiday read paperbacks.
If you’re more of a magazine-by-the-pool person, consider getting a two-month free trial to Readly. This gives you access to thousands of magazine and newspaper titles, including past issues, and can be read on your phone, laptop, or tablet. You’ll save a lot of cash on buying magazines, won’t need to take any extra tech, and can cancel any time before the paid subscription starts (£12.99 a month once the trial ends).
Buy toiletries at your destination
Unless you’re going somewhere really remote, remember that you can purchase essentials when you arrive. Shampoo, shower gel, sun cream: all of these will be available at your destination.
If you have a specific product you absolutely can’t live without, decant from the larger bottle into a travel-safe mini size bottle or jar.
Use packing cubes
Compression packing cubes help reduce the space your stuff takes up and also makes your bag far more organised. It’s particularly helpful when rummaging for something you need while you’re travelling, too.
If you don’t want to invest in packing cubes, pick up some ziplock bags at the supermarket. This will still keep your items organised (and a little waterproofed), with the added bonus of being easy to see what’s inside.
Be smart with your bag choice
Some cabin sized bags advertise themselves as being ‘under seat’ size, but also have a rolling frame. Don’t go for these! The frame takes up far too much valuable space. Instead, look for a soft-sided duffel or cabin-sized backpack.
If you prefer a hard-sided cabin bag with wheels for the overhead luggage rack, go for one designed to maximise internal space. The Gomatic Method Luggage range is minimalist on the inside to give 20% extra packing space in the same external dimensions as other cabin-approved bags.
Check the fabric of your bag, too. A heavy canvas or leather bag will add unnecessary weight to what you’ve got to carry around – but a bag that’s too thin could split during travel. Always check the luggage rules for your airline and your ticket type before you travel.
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