Packing tips while travelling that all minimalists should follow: Part2 - Smart suitcase packing tips
Previously, I have written about the packing tips for each bag including the coffee bag and hygiene products bag.
This time, I would like to share information about the bigger picture; how to pack a suitcase smartly.
"Packing tips while traveling that all minimalists should follow"
I am moving to Sweden from Japan with only one suitcase and one big backpack; nothing else seriously.
Based on my own packing method as one of the most extreme minimalists on the earth, I would like to show you how to pack smartly in this article.
Why packing tips are so important?
The reason why packing tips are so important is that if you know how to pack smartly, you can simply decrease the belongings on your trip with the least necessary items.
At the same time, you want to know how to organize things in the suitcase properly so that you can unpack them easily.
If you want to decrease the quantity and increase the quality of your belongings, please refer to the article "The best items for digital nomads: must-have 10 minimalism items".
I have introduced 10 items that all digital nomads/minimalists should have to enhance the quality of their minimalism life.
If you are struggling to organize your suitcase, let's take a look at the first step with me.
Tips for packing a suitcase
3 tips you want to remember regarding the packing tips for a suitcase are...
- Follow the 1 category 1 bag rule
- Fill your suitcase only with the bags
- Don't forget local purchase
Let's break it down to each step.
1. Follow the 1 category 1 bag rule
When you prepare for your packing, you want to start by understanding your itinerary and imagining what is going to happen during your trip.
Then, you want to decide the categories that you need to bring.
For instance, you would not bring your laptop for your holiday vacation unless you are a digital nomad traveling and working at the same time, right?
However, you will need something like clothes, hygiene products and so on.
Let's say you will bring clothes, and hygiene products; two categories this time.
Then, you want to choose 2 small bags that can contain the items that you want to bring.
If you could pack your belongings very smartly, you would realize that you may not need a suitcase; you may be able to just go with your backpack.
You can notice that all of my small bags are different shapes and different colours.
Easy to be found.
More advice from me is that when you choose the small bags, you want to choose the different colors so that you can correlate the colors, or shapes, of the bags to the category, and it is easy to unpack.
The quantity of the items differs depending on the duration of your trip.
For example, this is the coffee bag that I introduced in the previous article.
I made it to put everything I need for brewing the coffee but those are the least items; and literally, I can live with this forever because those are the only coffee tools that I own actually.
As I have written in the article Minimalist lifestyle tips: thinking about the meaning of "Less is more", having the least things does not mean you are mentally or financially poor.
The important point is to think about "How can I maximize the quality of my life with the least things to own?"
2. Fill your suitcase only with the bags
The next thing you want to pay attention to is that you use small bags to pack things and those are the only things that can go into the suitcase.
This means that you can not randomly through your belongings into the suitcase right before you leave your home.
If you pack your belongings randomly into your suitcase, it will be very easy to lose your things, and also it will be a total waste of precious time on your trip.
See how organized my suitcase is.
Also, if you do not organize your suitcase well, you will not able to unpack easily because you don't know the location of each bag.
If you do not want to lose your time searching for the thing in the suitcase, it would be better to follow this rule.
3. Don't forget local purchase
If you forget something, you do not need to worry because you can always purchase the basic daily necessities at your destination; unless you are not going to the middle of the desert.
The tip to reduce your belongings when packing the suitcase is to always think about "Do I really need this item this time?"
You may realize that you have been on a trip with tons of belongings and you actually used only a small portion of them.
Summary
The below 3 rules are so useful for your traveling packing.
- Follow the 1 category 1 bag rule
- Fill your suitcase only with the bags
- Don't forget local purchase
Please leave a comment if you have any questions.
I will see you in the next article.