Travelling light is a fine art, but one that can save you time, money and stress.Travelling light is a fine art, but one that can save you time, money and stress.

You’re going abroad for a mere two days and don’t want to have to wait to pick up your suitcase, or to have to lug a huge suitcase through the Tube/Metro/randomly densely populated street.

Or, you are going abroad for a longer period of time but want don’t want to have to pay extra on top of the extremely cheap flight you managed to nab.

Or, you are going to be on the move and simply have to travel light.

Either way, you can only take hand luggage. What to pack?

These shoes were made for walking

I don’t know how many times I have taken too many pairs of shoes abroad with me only to bring them back without ever having worn them.

Shoes take up lots of space, so firstly make sure you wear your chunkiest pair while actually travelling.

Secondly, try to think through how much you really do need a second pair of shoes.

Many times I take a pair of evening shoes with the intention of wearing them in, well, the evening, but end up either not having time to go back to where I’m staying to change, or, even if I do, still end up wearing my comfy day shoes.

Because you’re gorgeous

Toiletries. Possibly the only good thing about the strict restrictions about the amount of liquids you can carry in your hand luggage (some airports only allow one bag of liquids) is that it automatically makes you travel with small amounts of liquids.

You can still go overboard, so make a list of what you really need.

Admittedly hotels have gotten skimpier with their toiletries, so you will probably need to pack shampoo and conditioner.

Or, you can cheat, and buy the miniatures after you go through security.

Having said that, you will still need to carry the stuff.

So if you plan to shop, still make a list, so you won’t be tempted by the miniature organic aloe vera foot cream, at half price.

Layer cake

By no means am I implying you, or anyone reading this, is a fruitcake. What I am alluding to is clothing (because layering your clothing is sweet).

Take different layers in order to vary your outfits. You may be travelling across various climate zones, or you may simply be spending a day in a very warm office, in a very cold country.

Take different layers to vary your outfits and never underestimate the power of a sarong

So, your outfits combo could look something like two camisoles, a long-sleeved T-shirt, a sweater and a cardigan, which can be combined in various ways.

You might also consider actually wearing the majority of your bulky outfits.

One friend told me that in order to maximise space, she went skiing for five days with just hand luggage, and wore salopettes, a ski jacket and boots on the flight.

With a knapsack on my back

Never underestimate the power of the sarong. This doubles up as a scarf, tablecloth, picnic blanket, knapsack, shawl, changing room screen, the list is endless.

Keep rolling, rolling

Rolling, rather than folding your clothes, is an amazing technique I always adopt, which saves me huge amounts of space.

Also make use of all the nooks and crannies, such as putting socks inside your shoes (if you did take that extra pair).

It is a clever idea to consider the fabric of your clothing too.

Alex Jimenez, travel expert and founder and editor of TravelFashionGirl.com advises that you look at each item’s fabric and consider its quality, thickness, weight, wrinkle factor, transparency and texture.

The ideal clothes are durable, take up minimal space and weight and do not crease and are opaque, and match the rest of your clothing in style and fit.

Techno-marvels

Ah, modern technology can save you so much space.

There’s no need to take novels, maps or guidebooks along with you because these can all be downloaded on to your ebook.

It’s a good idea to download at least the basics before you leave the country in case the internet connection is bad or you don’t find a free Wi-Fi spot immediately.

Think carefully about how much technology you really need.

Do you need your smartphone, table and your laptop?

You may, but there are always workaround solutions: for example, picking up a lightweight, Bluetooth-enabled keyboard that works with your smartphone or tablet (it could even double up as a case) is a nifty alternative to lugging along a laptop computer.

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