How To Pack Light & Save money

How would packing a bag have anything to do with saving money? Well surprisingly a lot, and it extends further than just saving on extra baggage with budget flights. Packing light will help you save in many ways, and will also make your traveling experiences much more flexible. Less weight means more fun. I am going to take you through a step-by-step guide, on how to pack light and save more.
 Pick the right bag. 
If you are travelling with a budget airline carrier, the charges for a 20kg checked bag can be just as expensive, or even more expensive, than the cost of the actual flight. Budget airlines make a lot of money doing this and they are rarely lenient. So it is important that you have the right size, weight, and dimensions to meet their specifications.

So if you were planning on sneaking a little more into your carry-on, take this as a heads up that you will probably get caught and you will have to pay for it. I have seen countless travellers in line before boarding, with their moderately small, wheeled suitcases, be pulled aside to find their bag does not fit the size specification, and then pay because it doesn’t fit. If you are not sure what type of bag I am talking about it is these ones:   
Now, I am not knocking these bags. Most of the bigger airlines, like Emirates or British Airways, will allow you to carry-on one of these types of bags along with a handbag and a backpack. But budget airlines love to check these small wheeled bags. You just can’t squish them in the bins they have, and they know it.
So my advice here is to bring a very lightweight backpack, the kind you can stuff into the airlines size specification bin, even when you’ve packed it full. They are not restricted by inflexible material or a weird shape. While we are at it, I think 30 L is the perfect size for being able to fit, clothes, electronics and other necessities easily and should leave you some room.
The backpack I use is the Swiss Gear 30L travel backpack. It's rip/tear and water resistant and has all the pockets I need, including a separate space for a laptop with a tamper-proof zipper. It’s also large – so I don’t have to worry that it won’t fit all my stuff.
This bag easily survived 3 months of travel on our journey across the United States. Best of all, it only cost $40 US, meaning more savings for you!

A smaller bag means you spend less
The number of times I have walked into a shop or market, wanting to buy something and realizing I can’t because I didn’t have the space to pack it, were many. Those silly things you buy when you travel really add up. Anytime I thought I would like to buy something, I had to really think hard if it was worth it.
Could I carry it?
Is it something I like enough to post?
All these questions help you to stop you spending excessively.
Admittedly, I’ve rarely had a problem getting my bag back from the luggage carousel upon arrival, but it has happened, and I have had stuff stolen. Travelling is meant to be a fun-filled adventure. 
So when the above does happen, it ends up costing you time and money. If you keep your bag on you instead, there is little chance of your bag getting lost, and you don’t have to worry about your valuables getting stolen. Provided you remain vigilant.

To add to the above, when you actually arrive at your accommodation, if you don’t feel like it is safe enough to leave your stuff in the room, you can always just bring it with you!

I also like to travel by bus, and if I have a bigger bag, I need to store it underneath. I can’t express how frustrating it is, when you are on a long journey via bus or plane, and you remember that the book you want to read is packed annoyingly away in your other bag.

Lastly, you also are less of a target for thieves, (this is usually why I buy black backpacks). If you would like more information about theft prevention when you travel, check out bosnianbill on youtube. 

A lot of budget airline carriers offer baggage insurance for checked baggage to cover the possibility of the above. These kinds of add-ons cost money. The additions budget airlines tack on, really do add up, and many people are compelled to buy them because it still costs less than buying full travel insurance. Full travel coverage, the kind of coverage which includes baggage coverage, isn’t always necessary on shorter flights and trips.
So how do you avoid this? Think light thoughts and don’t check-in baggage.

Sometimes planning for a trip will make you overthink.

“Do I need to bring this with me?”

“I don’t have X item, I think I better buy X just in case.”

“What happens if I don’t have this one thing!!”

These questions cause you to buy a whole bunch of stuff that they really don’t need. The less you pack - the fewer valuables you bring, which is a good thing. Anything you forget, or you absolutely have to have, will come to light when you arrive.
I promise you will be able to buy it when you get there.

Now outside of spending money, packing light gives you freedom. The kind of freedom you get when you can finally take your shoes off at the end of the day. You don’t have to complain about places with lots of stairs, or whether you can do an impromptu mountain trek, or if there is room enough to get on the next train.

So think about the advice given above, because nobody likes to carry around excess baggage.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and keep adventuring.