Summer often brings an increase in both personal and academic travel, as the shift from a regular class schedule often lends time for study abroad, extended conferences and workshops, and other events. I have a lot of this type of travel going this summer, and sometimes I’m home for what feels like only a few hours before I need to repack my bag for the next event. With all of the extra fees for airline travel, there’s more incentive than ever to pack light for every trip, without paying checked-bag fees or exceeding limits on weight and size for carry-on luggage. This has given me a lot of experience with careful minimalist packing. There’s a lot of advice out there on traveling well with one carry-on bag: Rick Steves advocates packing light for international travel, and the One Bag site is entirely dedicated to minimalist travel. Modified versions of these approaches have worked well for me for everything from six-week travel abroad to week-long workshops and conferences.
Some things that don’t tend to be on those one-bag packing lists that I’ve found particularly important for academic travel include:
- Appropriate adapters for presenting from a laptop or tablet
- A stash of at least some business cards
- Battery packs for recharging tablets or phones during long days in venues with few outlets
- A travel blazer (good for both professional-dress events and freezing conference rooms)
Here are a few of the strategies I’ve found most helpful in reducing what I carry during travel:
- Keep a packing list. I used to make notes for every trip, as if each one really had different requirements, and inevitably I’d forget something. Now I have a Google docs spreadsheet dedicated to my master packing list, and I find that I rarely need to add anything on to it. A one-bag starter list like this one can get you going, but a good way to plan your personal list is to take a moment after your next trip and write down everything that you brought with you. What didn’t you use? What do you wish you’d brought? If you start your list right after a trip, you’re more likely to remember important supplies for next time.
- Be realistic about your travel habits. Even minimalists often overpack by bringing supplies for things they never get to: in my case, I’ve been hauling exercise clothing around Russia under the assumption that at some point I would have both the access and the energy to go to the gym. With only a few hours left in my trip as I write this, it’s safe to say that won’t happen. I always leave unused items at the bottom of my bag and make changes to my spreadsheet for next time, and someday maybe I’ll get to downsize my bag to another level.
- Invest in one bag you love. I used to rely on a closet full of suitcases of different sizes for different types of travel. Now I take the same Timbuk2 backpack everywhere. If travel is a regular part of your job, it makes sense to invest in one sturdy, comfortable bag that suits all purposes -- I like the Timbuk2 bag because it is durable, with a well-structured space for a laptop and a rain cover for serious weather. If you do a lot of international travel, choosing something smaller than standard US carry-on sizes can be important to meet as many airline requirements as possible. Wirecutter has reviewed several bags at a range of budgets that can fit the task.
What are your strategies for packing light in academic travel? Share your tips in the comments!
[CC BY 2.0 Photo by Flickr User Paul Lewin]
