You're on a budget, or flying a discount airline with carry-ons fees, or taking public transportation. Of course the best thing is to take a backpack. A backpack; isn't that limiting? Even if you're staying at a hotel or with relatives, the idea makes sense and here's why:
1) Instead of lugging suitcases and roll-ons from the airport, you can save money taking local transportation, and henceforth from place to place.
2) As a stranger, you're less conspicuous without a suitcase. Hands free and sights ahead, you're less prone to pickpockets or pandering.
3) Keeping track of less in a strange place is freeing; you're not rustling through things at a hostel, or bothering others when arriving at midnight.
4) Too many clothes accumulate as dirty laundry, cluttering your suitcase, and your life further into your trip.
5) With too many things you spend more time on appearances, instead of the experiences and learning you hope to find.
Yes, backpacking simplifies, creating a more relaxing trip. But the secret to success lies in the planning. Evaluating your real needs, everything you pack becomes multi-purposed or interconnected.
Take your clothes. How many do you need? As a tourist, you don't see the same people daily, and your travel mates aren't there to judge. So bringing the minimum will suffice, (especially when hostels have laundries-close relatives too).
I recently returned from a 7 night trip to Costa Rica. We flew Spirit so the free backpack was limited to what could fit under the seat. Still, I had enough room with my school size pack. And with my leave behind method (more later), I had space to take home 2 bags of coffee too.
Here's what I took: 1 pair of jeans 2 pairs of shorts `1 pair of swim trunks
5 t-shirts 1 long sleeve shirt 1 thin rain jacket
6 pairs underwear 4 pairs of socks 1 thin (souvenir towel)*
1 pair flip flops plastic sneaker covers, toiletries, a water bottle, and a small fabric grocery bag.
I stuffed things into the pack, no PJ's, extra shoes or anything else. Of course I also had the clothes that I was wearing- I wore the bulkiest. I rolled things tight, securing with rubber bands or plastic in bags. By the time I finished, I had a fluffy pillow, but one that pushed adequately under my seat.
We arrived in San Jose late and took a cab to our hostel. In the morning I transferred my shirts and flip flops to the fabric bag. Four of us traveling by rental car, there was plenty of room. As we continued on our journey through the days, my pack became lighter and lighter. I was leaving things behind, rather than storing them as dirty laundry. Yes, the leave behind method is what I learned from a friend.
All of us have clothes wearing thin, or not the most attractive, socks with holes, or fraying underwear. Why not save them for your next trip? As the days went by I parted with them one by one, shorts, shirts, underwear, extra toiletries and finally the towel.
I flew back with my rain jacket, swim trunks, water bottle, some toiletries- and my coffee. At the airport I looked the student simply on a day trip.
So think about it, next time you have that urge to fly across country. Save yourself some hassle and money. Take a backpack; it's so much easier
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