I'm currently back home recovering from the 13-hour jet lag difference.
I decided not to take the jet lag pills on the flight back because I wanted to give other passengers the privilege of using the airplane’s bathroom.
Honestly, I may experiment with them again once I build up my courage.
As you know, I'm all about carry-on travel and packing light. But I'll admit, I'm a bit of a hypocrite sometimes because things aren't always black and white.
So I wanted to come clean about the items I overpack. Hope you enjoy this list:
- Laptop - I guess I don't need to bring my laptop, but it helps when I want to write and edit videos on the road.
- Extra shoes - Sometimes I bring an extra pair of gym shoes if I'm staying somewhere for a long time. I can't bring myself to go to a nice restaurant in my running shoes. And running on pavement in my casual shoes isn't good for my joints. So I bring an extra pair of running shoes for the gym. Still, shoes take up so much space in luggage.
- Yoga mat - I bring this sometimes when I want to stretch. I've tried stretching on the bed and stretching on the bare floor with a towel, but nothing beats a yoga mat.
- Drone and video equipment - Even though I've cut down the amount of equipment I bring, not having the right tool for the job sucks. So I stand by my decision to bring more camera equipment than needed.
- Power banks - Confession: I think I'm a power bank hoarder. On my last trip, I brought 4 different power banks. Honestly, I can definitely cut down on this because power banks are heavy.
- Toiletries - I'm not getting any younger, so skin care is important.
- Spare phone - I've been there—losing your phone on a trip sucks, so I always carry a spare just in case that happens again.
- Undergarments - I always bring more underwear and socks than I need, but I don't think this is ever going to change.
- Shaving equipment - I'm in the process of trying to improve this because I shave with a safety razor back at home. However, I can't bring safety razors on a plane. Hopefully when I optimize my shave routine, I won't have to worry about all the extra space this takes up.
If you notice a pattern, I don't skimp on grooming, content creation, and exercise.
But, packing light has a deeper purpose than just bringing less. The goal is to be aware of what you bring on a trip and only bring items you're actually going to use.
So if you use every item you bring on your trip and that needs a lot of luggage, then so be it—bring it.
Keep traveling,
Andrew
What travel equipment do you bring more than necessary?