No matter what time of year you’re traveling, packing light for a vacation is tricky. However, it can be particularly challenging during the winter when you’re dealing with bulkier items. Warm clothes alone can fill an entire suitcase, leaving you stuck having to sacrifice other essentials. That is unless you know the tricks to packing light for a winter vacation.
Wear your bulkiest clothes
An excellent way to make space in your luggage is to remove some of the bulkier items. That doesn’t mean you need to leave them at home, though – you can wear them instead. Traveling in some of your bigger clothes or wearing multiple layers can really make a difference when packing. Just make sure that you won’t be too warm wearing all this stuff in the airport and on your flight.
Use compression bags
Have you ever been amazed by how much stuff a suitcase can accommodate, even when it looks full? That’s because the more you try to cram in, the less air there is using unwanted space. Compression bags can really help achieve this because they store everything in a vacuum, so they take up as little room as possible. Consider using these for things like your clothes when packing for your winter vacation. It should free up more space for other belongings you wish to take.
Utilize empty spaces
Anyone who packs shoes in their suitcase without filling them with smaller items first is simply wasting valuable space. Most footwear has plenty of room for things like socks, chargers, and other goods that would be inconvenient to pack anywhere else. Storing stuff in your shoes doesn’t make them take up more space in the suitcase, so you’d be wise to start utilizing this hack from now on.
Borrow what you can
Depending on where you’re traveling to, borrowing items might be a possibility on your vacation. If you’re visiting a winter resort, for instance, there’s a good chance that things like warm clothing, skiing gear, etc., will be available at your destination. Be sure to check this is the case first, though. You don’t want to arrive in just jeans and a t-shirt to find that there’s nothing on offer.
Take note of the weather
A winter vacation is almost guaranteed to be colder than a summer one unless you’re visiting somewhere on the equator. However, that doesn’t mean wherever you go is going to be freezing cold and snowing every single day. It’s worth checking out weather forecasts shortly before traveling to see what the situation is going to be like. You may find that your vacation may be warmer or drier than expected, in which case, you might not need certain belongings. It’s not a guarantee, but sometimes, this is a risk worth taking.
There’s no clear-cut answer for how to always pack light for a winter vacation because certain conditions can affect what you need to take with you. However, as a general rule, these tips and tricks are the ones to keep in mind when you go traveling.
