I. Why to travel light:

Packing skills are necessary because the space is limited and you are not allowed to take a carry-all which is overweight and oversized. Therefore, every passenger wants to pack light, or at least, they wish they could. He who would travel happily must be packed lightly.
 
1. Traveling light means serenity:

You can save time and energy packing things and you know exactly what you have, and where they are. Unlike those hapless folks with too much baggage and panicked expressions at the airport, you can walk confidently through the checkpoint. Be the one-bag traveler, you have fewer unnecessary things to worry about.

2. Traveling light means security:

With a lightly packed luggage, you don't have to check your belongings time and time again. Checking your luggage is really a boring job and you don't want to ruin your peace of mind. The less frequently you open your luggage, the safer your belongings are. One thing you have to keep in mind is that you are traveling, not shipping goods. The difference between travel and shipping goods is easy to imagine. So light luggage can largely reduce the theft and damage.

3. Traveling light means economy:

With a light luggage, you will not be charged with the extra fee for your luggage. You don't have to pay porters to carry stuff around for you. You don't have to take taxis or limos. Instead, you can take more public transportation, or even walk. By doing this, you can have more contacts with the people and places that you intend to visit.

4. Traveling light means mobility:

You have more freedom to go around and enjoy the local views. You can easily deal with delayed transportation and missed connections without worrying about what will happen to your belongings. You can be the first one to leave the airport for your destination, leaving others wait for baggage delivery. And you have more time to compare the hotels and decide on the best one, because there are lots of vacant rooms awaiting you.

II. How to pack light:

The actual content of your luggage depends on your own needs and the type of your traveling. You can cross out and add item based on your needs. No matter what plan you have made, stick to it. When you pack, follow the instructions below. As you have your plan at hand, the next step is to pack them carefully and compactly. How could we put so many things into the small luggage? Novices may get frustrated at their first attempts. So, here we offer an introduction of the packing skills.

First, set aside the pieces you intend to pack. Make sure that they are clean and ready to be packed. If you have many items listed but there is no hope to store them all, you can contact your travel agent about the hotel amenities to see if they offer the optional items like hairdryer. Second, beat your brains to work out how to make things smaller. For example, photocopy certain pages and maps from the guidebook instead of bringing the entire book; bring a regular toothbrush instead of the electronic one. Some first-aid kits cannot be replaced with anything else. After all, life is the most important. Third, fill the empty space with small items. For example, the insides of shoes are perfect for socks or underwear.

1. Packing clothes

Try to fold your clothes to save space and prevent wrinkling. Wrinkling to a large extent is determined by both the clothing fabrics and the way in which the clothing is folded. Learn and practice the skills of folding T-shirts, jeans, skirts and sports coats. You can try to roll them up or overlap two pieces of clothing flat and then fold them into each other to avoid wrinkles. Another practical method to prevent wrinkling is also easy. You can place a piece of tissue paper between each layer of clothing. Also, try to place the items that can be worn first on the top. Plastic dry and clean bag also helps to reduce wrinkling, and it looks great and is easy to find.

Another alternative solution to wrinkles and unwanted creases is the use of the bundle-wrap technique. This kind of wrapping skill involves the careful wrapping of clothes around a central core object. The tension created in the fabric can significantly reduce the chances of wrinkling. Here is the detailed procedure of doing a bundle-wrap:

1) Select the item as the core of the bundle. For example, you can use an organizer pouch. The core's size will be determined by the configuration of your bag and the amount of clothing to be packed. Then, try to form a sort of "base" around which your clothes will be wrapped.

2) Follow a specific order. Wrap the outside of the bundle with larger and more tailored garments, and wrap the core with less easily wrinkled pieces. The best place to form the bundle is on a large flat surface, such as a bed. Take the item and lay it out flat and face down on your bed. Wrap it in any direction you like. Continue with the remaining garments.

3) After that, place the core on top to form the center of the bundle. For sleeved garments, wrap one side of the garment around the bundle until it ends up underneath the bundle. As you don't want them to get loose, you have to wrap the bundle firmly.

4) The last step is to place the resulting bundle in your bag and tie it in securely. When you get to your hotel, unpack your garment as soon as possible to prevent further wrinkles. Let the clothes have a "relax".

2. Packing Liquids

Now that liquids are restricted to a limit in carry-on luggage in all the airlines, you have to find a leak-proof way to pack them into the luggage. Any strongly sealed bottle has a chance to leak in the airplane, because air pressure in the airplane can change under certain conditions. So you have to look for well-designed caps. You can try to place bottles containing liquids inside one or more sealed plastic bags, just to decrease the chance of leaking.

3. Packing Shoes

Shoes are perhaps the most difficult items to pack, considering their weight, awkward shape and strange smell. Most of the travelers need no more than two pairs of shoes, one pair for formal occasions and the other for leisure. But remember you still have one pair wearing on your feet. So minimize the number of shoes you are taking. Try to wear them. Use shoe bags to carry your shoes, because they are lightweight, and inexpensive. It is usually best to pack a pair of shoes tightly together with the heels at opposite ends.

4. Other helpful tips:

1) Get rid of jewelry and flashy gold, as you don't want to attract thieves.

2) Always carry travel documents, medication and other valuables in your carry-on luggage and never pack them in your checked luggage.

3) Label each piece of luggage with your name and telephone number. You can be contacted by the number you wrote on your luggage when they are lost.