Probably my ideas about packing as light as possible are going to go over like a lead balloon with some of you.
I keep it as light as possible, partly because I am vertically challenged, as they say, and not very strong. Those two things make heaving my carry-on bag onto the overhead rack on an airplane a hit or miss proposition. Some days and times I can do it, and on others I can’t and have to depend on the kindness of strangers to help.
A second, equally important reason for packing a lightweight bag or two is that it makes it much easier to deal with getting on a train, walking to my lodging, and getting upstairs or downstairs where there is no elevator. (Call them “lifts” in Europe please.)
Even if you are less budget-conscious than I am, and you take a taxi from the train station to your hotel, you still will need to corral your own luggage through train stations or airports.
Packing minimally also makes it easier to pack up and leave a hotel. There are fewer individual items to find, forget, or lose, and when you arrive at your next location, you won’t spend as much of your precious sightseeing time getting organized.
If you are used to packing for a road trip in the U.S., or you have only taken cruises or short trips to one city internationally before, get used to a wholly different way of traveling and being in the world.
You will be so glad you did.
I’ll get into details as I write more specific articles for this section. Links to all the packing articles will appear just below this.