Please, teach me the art of packing light
my paper | Mon, Oct 17 2011
Tips on how to pack light.
WHEN it comes to packing a bag for other people, I can honestly say that I rule.
One friend of mine, who travels to London every six months or so to see her boyfriend who lives there, always calls me for help in the packing process.
One friend of mine, who travels to London every six months or so to see her boyfriend who lives there, always calls me for help in the packing process.
"You need to come over," my friend - who's admittedly a bit messy - will say, breathing hard into the receiver. "I've overpacked! You need to edit my clothes down!"
And edit I will.
I will pull outfits together for her, mercilessly make her toss out that extra black T-shirt, and axe that party dress she really won't use twice.
I even make her fold her underwear - which she, if left to her own devices, crams into a corner of the suitcase - into neat piles.
By the end of each session, her suitcase will usually contain half of what she originally intended to take with her, and she will thank me with a generous portion of her mother's home- made bee hoon.
Alas, when it comes to packing, I have a hard time being tough with myself.
If I am given a 20kg weight allowance, I will use every gram of it on the flight out alone.
I never know how it happens. Is it that extra handbag I always take with me, thinking that I'll carry it to a fancy dinner, or that large-ish bottle of shampoo I thought I'd die without?
Problem is, I just don't know when to stop adding to the "must-take" pile.
Yet, in my wildest dreams, I travel with nothing more than a backpack - just like a clever friend of mine who will not travel with anything more than that (she hates waiting at baggage claim).
But let's be serious: I'm just not that kind of gal.
Still, I really don't want to turn into Rachel Zoe, who tweeted a photo of the 13 bags she took with her to Paris Fashion Week last month.
The art of packing light is turning into a matter of practicality as some airlines clamp down on baggage allowances.
Most will also no longer turn a blind eye to the extra kilos you thought you might get away with.
Plus, in an age of budget travel, who doesn't like to travel with 10kg instead of 20kg, helping to save that extra buck?
And edit I will.
I will pull outfits together for her, mercilessly make her toss out that extra black T-shirt, and axe that party dress she really won't use twice.
I even make her fold her underwear - which she, if left to her own devices, crams into a corner of the suitcase - into neat piles.
By the end of each session, her suitcase will usually contain half of what she originally intended to take with her, and she will thank me with a generous portion of her mother's home- made bee hoon.
Alas, when it comes to packing, I have a hard time being tough with myself.
If I am given a 20kg weight allowance, I will use every gram of it on the flight out alone.
I never know how it happens. Is it that extra handbag I always take with me, thinking that I'll carry it to a fancy dinner, or that large-ish bottle of shampoo I thought I'd die without?
Problem is, I just don't know when to stop adding to the "must-take" pile.
Yet, in my wildest dreams, I travel with nothing more than a backpack - just like a clever friend of mine who will not travel with anything more than that (she hates waiting at baggage claim).
But let's be serious: I'm just not that kind of gal.
Still, I really don't want to turn into Rachel Zoe, who tweeted a photo of the 13 bags she took with her to Paris Fashion Week last month.
The art of packing light is turning into a matter of practicality as some airlines clamp down on baggage allowances.
Most will also no longer turn a blind eye to the extra kilos you thought you might get away with.
Plus, in an age of budget travel, who doesn't like to travel with 10kg instead of 20kg, helping to save that extra buck?
No comments:
Post a Comment