I’m
a novice at packing light. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that I used to bring
half of my wardrobe along with me to Europe (and on one trip, even packed them
in a non-trolley bag!). I’d like to think that I’ve learnt how to pack smarter
over time by observing how Lin and SM packed their bags, by reading articles
and blogs and experimenting on my own. I had gone on a few regional trips by
AirAsia without checking in my bag but those were usually short trips averaging
4 days and 3 nights. The challenge then for me was to pack for a trip to Europe
that lasts between 12 to 16 days.
When
I bought my RyanAir tickets in mid-March for the trip last month, I decided not
to pay for checking in my bag. RyanAir allows one cabin bag up to 10 kg with
maximum dimensions of 55 cm*40 cm*20 cm and one small bag up to 35*20*20 cm. I
had to buy a new bag (Delsey is one brand which carries luggage bags fitting
those dimensions. One downside to the Delsey is the lack of a handle on the side of the bag. That made it difficult to place the bag sideways onto conveyor belts. The upside is it has two wheels which I like as I dislike four-wheel bags. Oh, I fantasised buying a Louis Vuitton Pegase but it’s too darn
expensive and besides, it’s not light. It will eat up my cabin bag weight allowance)
and decided to debut my Speedy Bandoulière
30 as it has a strap (as you may already know, bandoulière
means shoulder strap) and it does look like a small version of the Louis
Vuitton Keepall.
So
how did I pack? I didn’t bring my Total Pillow on this trip (although actually
I might be able to squeeze it in my suitcase). Nor did I bring a loaf of
Gardenia bread as I usually do or my mug with lid. Speedy B 30 is not that big;
I was wishing I had bought the Speedy B 35 instead. Still, I was determined to
make it work. What did I pack? I packed for autumn (Sardinia and south east
Italy turned out to be hot, hot, hot though) and packed only the following in
the Delsey bag:
1. A light towel
just in case (some hostels don’t provide towels and some that do, provide very
small ones. More of hand-towel size rather than bath-towel size), nightwear,
one batik sarong (to line beds if I feared bedbugs or to be worn to the
bathroom), three pairs of socks and one pair of socks to be worn to bed in one large suitcase organiser (some call this packing
cube). I placed this suitcase organiser/packing cube flat at the bottom on the
right side of the bag closest to the wheels;
I bought a set of three packing cubes (they come in different sizes) online. This is the largest size
2. Four tops
(two long-sleeved shirts and two long-sleeved jumpers), a cardigan and my Uniqlo trousers –
and yes, I rolled them all up - in another large suitcase organiser. I used
Samsonite packing cube for this. This organiser/packing cube is placed on top
of the previous organiser;
3. Innerwear, three
scarves and one small shawl in one small Samsonite suitcase organiser/packing
cube. This organiser is wedged vertically between the two large organisers and
the edge of the suitcase;
4. Toiletries in
one medium pouch. I also brought one smaller pouch to place toiletries;
5. A LeSportsac Square Cosmetic pouch
containing my travel adapter (with USB ports) and camera battery charger;
6. A drawstring
pouch with my travel prayer attire in it;
7. A 2-in-1
novel;
8. Panty liners and sanitary pads in one plastic pouch and cotton wool pads packed in a small plastic bag;
9. Vitamins and supplements;
10. Washing
detergent and a small container of mini bath soap;
11. A packet of
3-in-1 Snickers and 3 sachets of instant soup;
I
used to put my detergent in a small square container but it takes up space and I
find I don’t use all that much detergent anyway. While sorting my toiletries, I
came across a sachet of detergent provided by Conrad Hong Kong. So for this
trip, I borrowed the idea and packed my detergent in a small plastic bag that used to contain pill
tablets (the detergent I packed turned out to be more than enough) and packed
that bag into a bigger plastic bag. I also brought a small container of bath soap
to launder delicate innerwear. As for vitamins and supplements, instead of
using pill boxes, I mixed them into two small Tupperware containers
12. A jacket
(which I just rolled instead of putting in any of my suitcase organiser). I did consider bringing my trench coat but was glad I didn’t as it was very hot in Italy and still pleasantly mild in London and Paris;
13. A small
LeSportsac bag which I used as shopping bag and to hold my water bottle and
novel (I only fit my novel and water bottle into my Speedy B when I was flying
to stick to RyanAir specifications. The Speedy got too heavy then; this bag
is to distribute weight between my two shoulders when I was out and about);
14. A foldable
travel duffle bag which I got from the travel agent after returning from my
Turkey trip;
15. A pair of flip flops and a pair of lightweight bedroom slippers;
The
total amount of footwear that I brought on the trip. I wore the flip flop to walk
around the B&Bs I stayed at and even outdoors (practical in Italy!). I’m
used to wearing house slippers so I always try to remember to pack a pair of lightweight
bedroom slippers
16. A lightweight prayer mat in a pouch. I placed my compass in the same pouch; and
17. One other
lightweight foldable shopping bag.
I
placed the last four items (foldable travel duffle bag, prayer mat, flip flops
and bedroom slippers and shopping bag) in the external compartment of my Delsey.
I wore a short-sleeved top and a light shirt on the flight (to and fro KL), a pair
of trousers and scarf.
This was how everything looked like packed.
Apologies for the blurred photo
That H&M bag contains my shawl, my bucket hat, eye cover and ear plugs
Suitcase when zipped up
All packed up and ready to go!
In
my Speedy, I had the following:
1. Pochette
Accessoires (the old one, not Pochette Accessoires NM) containing my LeSportsac3-Zip Cosmetic pouch (which I used as my lightweight travel wallet as I find it
very convenient. I placed my cards in the bottom most compartment, foreign
currencies and Ringgit in the medium compartment and another set of foreign
currencies in the biggest compartment), my key pouch, passport and iPhone;
2. A pouch for my
iPad mini, Apple Lightning and SIM eject tool;
3. A 4-in-1 Reader’s
Digest book;
4. My water
bottle;
5. My sunglasses;
6. A small
H&M carrier bag which contained my shawl, bucket hat, eye cover and ear
plugs; and
7. My Leica
camera (I put it in another LeSportsac Square Cosmetic). Yes, I still prefer
taking pictures with my camera.
As
you can imagine, my Speedy was quite heavy already; hence why I brought
along another bag to hold my book and water bottle at any destination.
At KLIA on the morning of departure. You can’t see my LeSportsac bag but I was toting it behind me
For toiletries, I brought the really mini travel sizes where I could find them. I also packed sample toiletry sachets. Miss Jeslyn Gouk, Counter Manager of Sisley skincare counter at Isetan KLCC, taught me how to use these sachets. Do NOT tear at the usual tear point (sorry, I’m not sure what it’s called). You need to bring along your small sewing kit (most good hotels provide this in the room) and some paper clips. Use the needle to poke a small hole in the sachet but don’t poke through! You can then squeeze the required amount from the hole before folding the sachet and securing it with the paper clip(s). It saves you from unnecessary wastage than if you had just ripped the sachet open. This method ensures you squeeze just the amount you need and trust me, those little sachets can actually last you days. In my ignorant days, I once brought a sachet, tore it open at the usual point and ended up throwing the rest of the content away as I didn’t know what to do with it. Thanks to Miss Jeslyn, I know better now.
My
toiletries. I also brought along some lubricant eye drops in single-use
containers and a couple of sachets of shower gel. As for fragrance, I brought it in solid form so I didn’t have to
declare it at security. I also brought a small bottle of Carrie Junior baby oil
as it’s very dry in Europe (bottom left-hand corner, next to eye drops. I love
the scent, it smells so much better than Johnson’s baby oil)
Where
previously I didn’t know what to do with sample skincare sachets such as this apart
from a one-off or overnight use, I now find them very convenient. Just use the
needle from your travel sewing kit to poke a hole (top right-hand of
this photo, in red circle) and squeeze out the required amount
Then
use paper clips to securely close the sachet. No spillage or wastage - guaranteed!
For
more tips on how to pack when travelling to Europe (maybe not applicable if you
follow a tour), go here and here. For an infograph, go here or refer below.
One
trip obviously does not make me an expert on packing and travelling light and I’m
still learning how to further improve this. Still, I managed to reduce 5 kg off
my bag weight about a decade ago and a further 5 kg on this trip. Me, who used
to worry about not packing enough and bringing more clothes than necessary and skincare
in regular size!
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