Travel Tricks for the Novice Sightseer

At some point you have to leave the house in order to get somewhere a bit far than the usual quick trip to the mall, school, work, or gym. You may have finally decided to join the bandwagon of neophyte travelers and start a life in the outdoors. Or, you probably just want to dip your foot in the pool somewhere. Either way, you have to prepare for the trip, and one of the first facets of preparation includes choosing what you have to bring along.

On one of my trips to an island resort a few years back, i still sharply remember a friend who brought along a massive suitcase, the kind of luggage not really fit for beach travel. And to top it all off, when she opened the bag, i saw that she even brought a large can of air freshener. I'm not saying that it's wrong to carry along a can of fumigant. However, i would like to enjoy my trip minus the bag that can turn me into a hunchback.

So here are a few packing tricks with the backbreaking weight off your back.

1. First off, some of the things that you need to carry will depend on the destination that you picked. If you intend to go to a cold place like for instance Baguio, you may want to pack a jacket or a pullover, things that you will never bring to a beach trip.

2. Pack early, at least ten days prior to your trip if you can. And then, a week before the date, leave half of what you packed behind.

3. Categorize your belongings and pack them using compression bags. When you classify your travel stuff, you eliminate unpacking everything each time you need something.

4. Clothes. Choose clothing that are lightweight and those that dry quickly. Bring clothes that are comfortable for walking around. And, there are garbs that are both great for cool and warm weather, and clothes that can be fold really small.

5. Bag. Why is that most of us have the tendency to pack whatever size bag we have to the sheer exploding limit… it must be some kind of sacrosanct law of physics. The trick is to first choose a smaller bag, fill it up until it is almost bursting at the seams. And then, a day before you leave, transfer all these items to a bigger bag.

Keep these things in mind:

In the end, the gauge of a relaxed traveler is based on how light he or she packs.

Wherever you go, you will be carrying your luggage more than you think you will. You need to carry your bag and enjoy walking the streets and enjoying the view for an hour at the least.

Packing light saves time and money.

When you pack heavy, you can be easily spotted as a tourist, an easy prey to bad people.

Many of the things that you intend to bring are most likely available in the area where you are going to. Soap, toothpaste, deodorant, razor, these items are usually provided by the hotel or they can be bought at the corner convenience store.