One of the common challenges of preparing for a trip is deciding what to pack. Some people forget to bring things while others overpack.

Packing well can save you from minor or major inconveniences, such as forgetting a crucial item, exceeding an airline’s baggage weight limits and incurring last-minute additional baggage fees, or even missing a flight.

Certainly, if you want to be an avid traveler or a location-independent individual with an international lifestyle, you need to become at least decent at packing. This is a skill that you’ll build over time.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of overpacking versus underpacking, before exploring an easy strategy that could greatly help if you are an overpacker.

Overpacking vs Underpacking: Pros and Cons

First-time or inexperienced travelers tend to overpack. People who overpack tend to bring almost everything they need. Overpacking could avail you a spare piece of clothing or accessory when needed. It could equip you to better manage unexpected events such as bad weather or losing an item.

But here’s why overpacking isn’t fun. You must deal with the downsides of carrying extra weight (and the hassle of packing your overloaded bags). Some people fill their travel bags to the brim, which would pose a hassle when packing for a return trip. There may not be enough space to pack gifts and souvenirs. Even worse, overpacking increases the risk of having a panic session at the airport and paying extra for baggage fees.

On the other hand, if you underpack, you might miss out on things you need. You might encounter inconveniences. You might be forced to buy clothing, batteries, or even more expensive gadgets at your travel destination. While there are things you can buy at your destination, there may be other things you cannot easily afford or access. 

Thus you should consider your travel style:

• Are you someone who prefers traveling light and traveling with ease? Consider whether you can adapt to unexpected events and the amount of flexibility you have.
• Are you someone who wants to ensure that nothing goes wrong and you have absolutely everything you need? You do not want to be thrown off by the unexpected.

I’d recommend that you pack and travel light to travel more flexibly and less expensively. If you would like ideas, here are 11 items to leave out of your travel bag.

But here are some scenarios where packing more might make more sense to you:

1. You prefer peace of mind over light and easy traveling.

Perhaps you simply prefer the second travel style. You do not want to be thrown off by the unexpected. You want a spare set of clothes, power bank, or accessory to be always within reach in your bags.

To avoid scenarios where you lack certain comfort items or conveniences, you’d rather pack more and deal with the inconveniences of carrying too much weight and lacking spare space in your bags.

2. You do not mind traveling more expensively.

Perhaps you have a higher budget and do not mind extra baggage fees. You do not mind buying extra carry-on baggage or adding a checked-in bag.

Important side note: If you are traveling light and buying items at your travel destination, you may eventually incur more fees than adding extra baggage to your flight. Thus you should have an idea of what essentials you’ll buy overseas if you pack light, and do some simple calculations to decide on the best bang for your buck. It’s best to stick with buying cheap clothes and underwear that you can easily dispose of before leaving your travel destination.

3. Your travel plans involve diverse activities or gear.

When your travel agenda involves a range of activities, especially those with specific sets of attire or gear requirements, you may pack more extensively.

This includes situations where you engage in diverse or crucial activities that call for contingency planning. For example, if you have to participate in a hike or business meeting that requires a specific attire or gear, and it gets ruined by coffee, bad weather, or random accidents, you might need to go out of your way to handle such logistics. In such cases, rather than adapting to a bad situation, you might prefer to bring spare attires or gear as backups.

4. You have decided to bring a checked bag anyway.

Perhaps you have already decided to bring a checked bag. That may be because you want to pack souvenirs for your family/friends or you just have too much stuff in general. 

In such scenarios, you can afford to relax and indulge in packing more, knowing that you’ve eliminated the constraints and stress of trying to fit everything into your carry-on. Enjoy the process of selecting items without worrying about space limitations.

Note: If you’ve decided to pack more, ensure your luggage complies with your airline’s baggage restrictions. Weigh your bags and check their dimensions to make sure they fit within the allowable limits. In addition to adhering to baggage regulations, I’d also recommend that you consider the pros and cons of different bag types and options in order to optimize your packing.

This article was originally published on unboundist.com. If it is now published on any other site, it was done without permission from the copyright owner.

Packing Strategy

If you don’t already have a comprehensive packing list detailing every item you should pack for an overseas trip, you should make one. 

Here’s a packing strategy that helps you pack efficiently and avoid incurring extra baggage fees.

Start with a packing list and dump all the items you might need in that list. 

Categorize the items on your list. Some typical categories for travel packing include travel documents, clothing, portable office, tech gadgets, medical essentials, safety/security items, and contingency items, you name it.

Having penned down an entire list of items, prioritize the list accordingly — you can either indicate A, B, or C or just indicate ‘optional’ beside the items you consider optional for your trip.

After creating this list, start by packing the non-optional items. The non-optional items are essentials (the “A” items) you MUST take on your trip. They should easily keep within the baggage weight limits set by your airline.

• Pack the essentials (the “A” items): Starting with only the essentials, you would have underpacked. By airline regulations, you wouldn’t have exceeded baggage weight limits. If you already exceed limits at this point, re-evaluate your essentials list and make it smaller.

• Check the weight of your bags: Using a weighing scale ideally in pounds, measure your weight with and without carrying your travel bags. Then, subtract both weights to obtain the difference. Ensure that this weight does NOT exceed your airline’s baggage weight limits.

• Add more items while staying within limits: After evaluating the remaining weight and space in your bags, consider including optional items (your “B” and “C” items) from your packing list. Weigh your bag again and adjust until you’re satisfied with your packing.
  
  Note: You may have to leave some items behind, but most items are not going to be a big deal. Things like batteries, inexpensive clothing, convenience items such as tissues and wet wipes, and general medical supplies can be easily purchased at your destination.
  
• Post-trip improvements: After your trip, reconsider the items on your packing list that you deemed ‘essential’ and ‘optional’. Make a note of the items you did not truly utilize or need. Next time, you can decide to leave out those items if you like.

Here is a complete guide for preparing a backpack for a flight, entailing the items I recommend. The list is broken down into the absolute essentials, items for in-flight access, and day bag essentials. If you’re somewhat lost at this point, it will give you an idea of how to pack strategically for your next trip.

Recommendation

As long as you do not exceed your airline’s baggage limits, it is not a bad idea to pack more items for your first international trip (or your first few trips if you like), where you slightly overpack. 

Thereafter, you should adjust downwards and underpack for subsequent trips, so that you can travel light. You ‘force’ yourself to learn a less costly way of traveling and it’s easier to get around. You learn how to deal with uncertainty on trips.

Over time, international packing for flights should feel natural to you. With this skill, you do not forget things or deal with oversized travel bags.