I remembered I went off for 2 months only with a carry-on luggage and my backpack. Everyone told me I’m crazy for taking so few and that I will need many more things and that I won’t have and I’ll spend a lot of money and buying the items from them. You know what? They were right, I was crazy; I took even more than I actually needed as most of the days I had a uniform to wear and didn’t even need my clothes.
I’ve done several trips already in Spain where I changed my location in various times so then the luggage can be a burden, reason why my recommendation is to limit your luggage to a simple, small backpack from the beginning:
Make a list with the essential things you want to take with you; stick to it when packing
1 pair of shoes - the pair of shoes you will wear to walk and stroll around so choose them wisely before to be comfortable; choose them depending on the season too (hot/cold, rain/extreme heat)
1 pair of slippers/shoes that you can wear in the bathroom – I sometimes skip these (depending where I go and the conditions there)
Ask or check in advance the places where you go what they can offer you in term of bathroom products – towels, slippers, soap, shampoo, etc.; whatever they have available, don’t bring your own
Towel – I use a big scarf as a towel for travelling as it has a way smaller volume, it dries easier and it is a lot lighter
Essential travel bag: foldable tooth brush and a mini toothpaste; small/foldable comb, travelling size bottles of shampoo (if travelling more than a city break); a soap (better than the shower gel as it can have multiple purposes); deodorant
Short travels (1-3 days) – 1 t-shirt/day, 1-2 pairs of pants; lingerie for each day; 1 pyjama (or alike)
Longer travels (3-7 days) – 1 t-shirt/ 2 days, 1 pair of pants for every 2-3 days; lingerie for each 2 days; 1 pyjama (or alike); you can easily wash by hand the clothing items at the end of the day as it can mostly be sweaty or smelly and not necessary dirty
Try to limit your personal care products if you really don’t need them (like creams, make-up, perfumes, etc)
Try to avoid different ‘maybe I will need this’ clothes; a suit or fancy clothes are not necessary something to put on your list
As a general rule for longer travels, 3 days of travel = 1,5 days in clothes
Decide from the beginning what backpack you will use and do not fill it from home, leave some space as when you return your clothes might have a different volume (worn clothes are more fluffy); use only ¾ of it when you leave from home
Depending on the season, make sure you have rain clothes too – a light waterproof jacket or a rain coat; impermeable shoes; impermeable backpack
You can put your clothes in plastic bags before leaving to avoid liquid accidents (drinks, sweat, rain); the bags can also help you with the dirty clothes that you want to separate from the clean ones and that you can’t wash
Never pack for more than 1 week’s essentials, even if your trip takes more time
Limit the electronics to minimum – phone and charging cable, 1 power bank with high capacity; perhaps a photo camera with 1 (only one) objective that has a wide range; don’t take your laptop, tablet, e-reader, video camera, tripod, etc.; limit everything to the minimum real need and usage time
Essential medicines that you use daily or if you know it creates problems every time (like the upset stomach); “perhaps” and “just in case” are really not needed as there are pharmacies there too if the case
My bag for 3 days, including what I wear:
3 t-shirts, 1 pair of pants, 1 pair of sport shoes, lingerie for 3 days, 1 scarf-towel (if there isn’t any where I go), 1 t-shirt/pyjama
Toiletries: toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, deodorant
Phone, charging cable, power bank, photo camera sometimes
1 bottle of water that I can refill; sandwich for the road (if more than 4 h)
1 small shoulder bag for wallet, keys, phone, power bank for the visiting part
My bag for 7 days:
4 t-shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 1 pair of sport shoes, lingerie for 4-7 days (depends where I go), 1 scarf-towel (if there isn’t any where I go)
Toiletries: toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, deodorant, soap, sometimes shampoo (depending on the weather hot/cold season and where I go)
Phone, charging cable, power bank, photo camera sometimes
1 bottle of water that I can refill; sandwich for the road (if more than 4 h)
1 small shoulder bag for wallet, keys, phone, power bank for the visiting part
I’ve been travelling for some time now and compared to my first trips I’ve reduced the size and weight considerable for my packing. I developed as well a technique in which my luggage will be ready in maximum 30 minutes for a short trip or 1 h for a longer one (like for coming to Spain for 1 year).
In any case, think always that you can wash your clothes and if in case accidents happen on the road you can still buy some items on the way. Better keep it minimal so you can enjoy your visits without having to carry around many kilos of useless things.