Weekend getaways. Around the world cruises. Business trips to the four corners of the globe. What do they all have in common? Pretty much nothing, except our collective countdown-to-travel panic packing. Few among us can claim to be the kind of calm traveler who rejects racing thoughts. Most of us imagine the worst. From hotel floods and airport closures to being stranded on a desert island for six years. We all tend to overpack.
Overpacking adds weight and bulk. If you’re happy to randomly take some of your possessions with you to see the world, carry on. But if you’d prefer to strip things down to the essentials, you need to learn how to travel ultralight.
Only one pair of glasses – here’s how
Glasses cases take up space. Wouldn’t it be nice to replace those cases with a single pair of multi-purpose glasses? Progressive glasses tick all the boxes. If you haven’t heard of progressive glasses, they offer the perfect mix of lens focal zones to suit all eye prescriptions. And there’s one distinct advantage to this type of glasses over bifocals.
Long-sighted people can see better in the distance. Short-sighted people are better at making crisp and clear sense of things when they’re close up. Bifocals offer dual lenses with a clear horizon line across the middle of the glasses. Fed up with that unwieldy line? What you need is one lens that progressively transitions into a second lens. That’s why progressive lenses were invented.
You can even use the middle transition part of the progressive lens to find the ideal focus for looking into the middle distance. Say goodbye to two lenses separated by a stand-out line, and say hello to one lens that does it all.
Just-in-case items can be bought
There’s an all-pervading feeling that something utterly out of the norm is going to catch us off guard when traveling. It’s natural to feel a little exposed when we’re out of our comfort zones. But here’s the thing. You’re not going to be invited to the opera. The evening wear and extra shoes you packed are likely going to be overlooked and unloved. There’s also a vanishingly small chance that you’re going to get round to cracking open your emergency 10-hour flight delay hardback copy of War and Peace.
Travel documents, toiletries (and medicines), a way to pay, and clothes for three days. That’s all you need. Pretty much anything else can be bought.
They’re called travel-size for a reason
We’re all guilty of looking at travel-sized toiletries and thinking, “Cute, but it’ll run out”. The fact is that travel toiletries will last a few days, after which you can replace them. One set of travel toiletries is more compact and less heavy than full-sized toothpaste tubes and shower gels, even if you have to buy replacements two or three times. Think that’s too fussy? Don’t think you’ll be headed to a supermarket while you’re away? If you’re planning to travel in a decade this side of the moon landing, and if you’re planning to eat, you’re probably going to frequent the occasional retail environment.