How to Travel Light with a Fanny Pack
We all try to pack light, but it’s easier said than done. And when on vacation, you want to look good and NOT stand out as a tourist. So how do you do it? With some simple planning and the right travel bags, that's how. Learn how to travel like a boss while saving money and time.
I’ve traveled South East Asia for 3 weeks, South America for a month (all climates!), and Europe for 3 weeks all with a carry-on bag.
So how can you pay less for flights and checked luggage, have the flexibility of low-cost transfers (easily hop on a bus, train, or low-cost flight), carry less weight (3 flights of stairs up to your AirBnb? No sweat!) and still look cool doing it? Read on below for my tips!
Packing light starts with the right carry-on travel bag. Standard Luggage’s Carry-On Travel Backpack is versatile, light, and sleek. It’s a great base because it is super light – 3.7 lbs – a benefit of its simple design and cloth construction. It doesn’t have wheels, but you don’t seem to miss them – instead you have carrying options. Wear it on your back like a backpack (that’s how I usually sport it), or use the side strap to sling it over your shoulder, messenger-bag style. It’s also sized perfectly to fit on international airline rules for carry-on size. So basically anywhere in the world you go, you know you’ll never have to check this bag. That is a HUGE time (and hassle) savings.
I like it because it’s loaded with features (expandable zip, rain cover, compression straps) & compartments (laptop sleeve, passport holder, extra zipped pockets) but it still looks super clean and simple. I’m just not into those oversized backpacker packs with a million zippers and stretchy things and attachments everywhere. These features are well thought out and help to maximize space and organization!
This is optional, but I also use Standard Luggage’s packing cubes when I’m going on longer flights and need to pack a lot in. For instance, when I went to South America last January, I used the packing cubes to separate out clothes for different climates and keep everything EXTRA compressed. I was visiting Buenos Aires and Santiago which are super hot and humid, trekking down south to Patagonia where it's MUCH milder, and then also hitting up the Atacama desert in northern Chile where it can go from-10 and +30 in one day! I put all my cold weather clothes in one packing cube, and all my hot weather clothes in a different one. #winning
For day-to-day activities, I swear by my fanny pack. When I'm on vacation, I don't need a purse full of stuff like I normally wear. I just need a small wallet with cash, ID and 1 credit card (not the zillions of gift cards, membership cards and business cards I normally carry around with me at home - ha ha) plus a few other key items like hand sanitizer, tissues, lipstick and of course my phone. Pairing down your regular purse to a fanny pack will help you save packing space, plus it's lighter and more convenient to carry around, especially in hot climates and when you're out and about for long periods of time. It's the perfect wandering bag. And you can still look cute and stylish thanks to the fab Fanny Factory designs!
Now that you have your carry-on bag, your packing cubes and your fanny pack, what are you going to fill them with? Good question. In part 2 of this blog post, I've cover some of the ways I cut down on space while still having a lot of variety and fun outfits that can work for day and night. Stay tuned!