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Traveling is one of the many things that one can do in order to get out of their monotonous routines, apart from their other hobbies and partying. There are a lot of perks of traveling to different places, for instance, you get to explore a new place, know about its distinct culture and locals, you get to eat new cuisines, and what not.
As a travel freak, I love to visit new places. I especially take out time for my vacation within every two weeks and go out of town, state, or even country. Some of my traveling stints have even lasted for 3-4 months. However, in all my traveling expeditions, one of my main concerns, just like many other travelers, is packing my stuff.
In the beginning of my travel endeavors, I used to take a lot of my belongings with me, which I realized over time that I don’t even require most of the stuff I pack. And, during treks and camping, it is exceptionally crucial to pack as light as possible, including other regular trips as well.
Thanks to my traveling experience and distinct voyages, now I’m aware of the advantages of packing light. Now, I can pack everything in just a backpack as opposed to former times when I used to carry 2-3 bags for just one trip.
There are a lot of merits of traveling light. It not only keeps you physically and mentally healthy but also helps you to walk fast. Therefore, I’m writing this blog post to tell you guys about the various merits of packing light.
1. Teaches you to live a minimalist life
We all have some priorities in our life. But how often do we actually give our real priorities the priority? The answer would be in negative for a lot of people out there. When you pack light, you also get to learn how to live a minimalist lifestyle and focus on just the essentials in your life by weeding through the unnecessary items that weigh you down or distract you. This is one of the ways of getting closer to what you value the most.
Through this, you get to learn how you can do away with external things and be really happy. By packing to the minimal, you know how to edit your life down and carry only the minimal possessions, which can ultimately teach you that what you really require is already within you and not outside. When traveling with just a backpack, you are forced to adopt an austere way of living, no matter whether you need it or not.
2. Economical
Besides other things, traveling light will also save you money, majorly the fees charged by airlines for checked baggage. To save this money, I would suggest you carry just one backpack or carry-on while traveling to anywhere in the world for any number of days. You can easily put all your stuff in one bag only and most of the airlines let you carry one personal item and carry-on absolutely free of cost.
Buy some good bags for traveling and save your money on your trips. Additionally, you should buy some packing cubes when shopping for bags so that you can keep all your stuff organized within one bag. Read the reviews for the best packing cubes available in the market in order to buy the best ones for yourself.
If you do not carry one bag while traveling, you can easily spend a lot of money on just your bags. Do you know that domestic flights charge up to $100 per bag as per the airline you’re traveling in? Moreover, a few international flights also charge fees for checking baggage nowadays.
Additionally, people who have multiple or heavy bags have to rent a cart or dolly or even hire a porter so that they can take their baggage around easily, which adds up to the cost. Moreover, they also prefer a taxi or private car for traveling, which costs more than traveling in a public transport.
3. Physical ease
Packing light can relieve you of a lot of physical stress since you do not have to lug around a huge backpack on your back, carry your hand luggage on your shoulders, or pull that bulky wheelie around you. This can make you really exhausted, reducing your enjoying time on your vacation.
Moreover, carrying a lot of bags means your hands are all engaged, along with your body. Experts suggest that heavy lifting can also lead to injuries, such as herniated discs and strained muscles. On the contrary, when you pack light, you can easily take everything anywhere with you while traveling. This means you can do more things without getting drained as otherwise.
4. Relaxes your mind
Believe it or not, traveling light soothes your mind particularly people who remain anxious in their journey thinking about the security of their luggage. When you carry just one backpack, you can rest assured that it is tucked away in the overhead compartment, which is within your reach anytime. On the contrary, hauling heavy luggage can make you restless as well as uncomfortable.
5. Convenience
With less luggage comes the flexibility of traveling easily in trains or planes. With only a small duffel bag or backpack, you can easily manage your luggage. You do not have to stand in lines, which can take up to an hour sometimes, at the luggage carousel. Lesser luggage can help you pass through many lines.
6. Comfort and mobility
No matter how long is your jaunt or how far you are traveling to, a lighter baggage means it is easy to move around and be comfortable at the same time. When you’re carrying just a backpack or a small carry-on as compared to a heavy luggage, you can easily dodge other travelers at the train station or airport terminal. And, remember that you have to carry your luggage to the airport, from the airport to your hotel, and back, which means you can save all these hassles when you pack light.
So, these are some of the main reasons why you should travel light and pack only the bare essentials that you will use in and need for your vacation. Do not carry everything you feel you might want, rather just focus on the necessary items so that your baggage weighs little to nothing.
