They arrive with no check in baggage just a simple, small size bag and they breeze through the security with no care in the world and then store there bag simply under their seat. When at the destination, they skip the baggage collection completely, whizzed through security and everything goes so smoothly, doesn’t it sounds great?

Pack your bag to be check in size for every trip, just doe it.

You can be that person.

Design your life around packing light by thinking light and you too can have a better travelling airport experience.

When packing light, bear in mind the airlines weight limit and size dimension. I normally try to aim at 8kg as a target as this is the lowest I have stumbled across and its a good mid weight to carry on your back and works well.

Here are my top tips on packing light and getting around not having to check in luggage:

Liquids

1 litre = 1kg. With most airlines only allowing 7kg, two bottles of water is taking 15% of your allowance away which is allot! Pretty much all airlines are not even letting you take it on as hand luggage anyway, but it’s important to remember this for all liquids such as soaps and alcohol that you buy at duty free. Think about this simple knowledge and it will help you to be weight free. The best solution is to buy a pack down plastic water bladder that is as light as a feather and with a capacity up to 2 litres you can fill it up when you arrive in the destination which helps the environment and cut costs on buying drinks abroad.

The bag itself

Many people forget the simplest thing about packing light and that’s to weigh the bag itself. One bag I have come across recently that is advertised as a check in the bag was 4kg, yes 4kg! That’s half your allowance down the pan in one.

Always check the weight of the bag before you buy. Wheelie bags can be the biggest problems as the cheaper they are, the heavier the plastic and metal components get. Sports bags are normally the best option to get as they are designed to be light and comfortable to wear. For the lightest bag for 7kg within the measurements is the blue plastic Ikea bag is the best and only 25p! I’ve used this one a couple of times when living in a place for a long amount of time and having too much stuff. This works a treat, but that gives you an idea how how much the weight of a bag is.

Books

Have you seen how bulky books can be, They are bulky beasts. Avoid them and don’t bring them. Instead, look at getting digital versions of books by buying an Amazon kindle. Cutting out books can be a good thing for your baggage allowance. If you can’t live without a good paperback email your hotel or hostel in advance and see if they have a customers library, you can use, most of the time they have, sweet!

extra bulky Clothes

Wear bulky items, not only can they take up a lot of space they can be heavy as well.

Heavy jackets are not included in the allowance, so wear them. Use this to your advantage if planning on going skiing or diving where equipment can be bulky and heavy. Its free weight that saves space in your bag. Just remember you have to wear it so make sure you’re comfortable with that.

This can be helpful if your bag is overweight as you can start filling your pockets with heavy items like cameras and power supplies ECT and it won’t be included in your allowance.

The above is just a simple guideline to get you started towards packing for a lighter bag and I hope it helps.

If you have any tips for packing for a lighter pack please post your recommendations in the comment section below, thank you.