My blog on how to pack light & travel solo.

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What can you minimise in your travel toiletry bag?

Taking the entire contents of your bathroom cabinet is not an option when you travel light. But what products could you take that serve multiple purposes? There are a number of toiletry items that can be used in different ways. If you want to give travelling light a go, then this is something you have to get your head around.  You may have already reduced the amounts you take, and you've considered leaving a few non-essentials behind. But have you got any products that do more than one thin...

Satisfy your wanderlust with travel books.

Reading travel books can definitely satisfy your wanderlust. But travel books can also educate you on areas that you want to visit, or places you've already been. So head to your library, load up your Kindle, borrow from a friend, or plug into an audio book service. Let's satisfy your wanderlust by reading tales of adventure in far-flung places....

10 cool things to do in Queenstown - what the locals suggest.

Queenstown and the surrounding area is one of New Zealand's highlights when it comes to scenery.  Once the borders open think about Central Otago as a destination to explore. I decided to look at 10 cool things to do in Queenstown and the surrounding area from the advice I got from locals. With apps like Trip Advisor and Google it's very easy to get stuck doing activities that rank highly on searches.  But try asking a local and you may get something novel, quirky, off the beaten track...

Stay home, but still get your travel fix while in isolation.

Don't let your travel dreams die while you stay home. I've come up with a list of things you can do from home to keep the travel fires burning and to get your travel fix while in isolation or just unable to travel. I've updated this blog since I was featured in The Guardian - How to satisfy your lockdown wanderlust....

Reversible clothing is brilliant for traveling light.

Reversible clothing gives you so many different options in one piece of clothing. This makes it so much easier to travel light.  This post does have an affiliate link. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only affiliate with businesses that I use, know, and like, and Ashly and her Splice Clothing range ticks all those boxes. Plus, I love her motto - Pack light. Adventure easy!...

The next best thing to traveling light - a virtual walking tour of Barcelona.

Last night I went to Barcelona! Virtually, that is.  I was so buzzing about it that I just had to let you all know how fantastic it was. I was transported to Barcelona and taken on a walking tour by a live guide, Josep. It was absolutely, hands-down, the next best thing in this pandemic. So while travel and light travel is really out of the question at the moment - this truly is the next best thing!...

Keeping fit and healthy for travel.

Travel takes energy, fitness, and good health. Which is why looking after yourself is really important. We owe it to ourselves to keep fit and healthy for travel.I generally don't have fears - because I don't like to focus on negatives - but if there is one thing that always catches me, is if I get an injury or a twinge, and I think, "Will this impact on my travel?" As I've hit the 50's I'm noticing that I don't bounce back as quickly as when I was younger. But then having said that, I also used...

Solo travel saved my life... make that my mid-life!

Solo travel was the reboot I needed at the age of 49. My four week solo adventure kickstarted my next chapter in life. It launched me into my 50's and the reverberations of that trip are still with me today.Creating the blog, doing the social media thing, and now creating courses for 'The 5 kilo traveller' has been one hell of a journey. It's a journey of overcoming fears and challenges, self-doubt and "who am I to do this?"But it started with my solo trip....

To travel light successfully you need the right bag.

Picking the best bag for traveling light is a very personal choice. We all have different objectives and goals. So you need to find a bag that's right for YOU....

Packing light for travel has never been so easy.

It's true! Packing light for travel has never been so easy.  Innovation and design have created the greatest opportunity for travellers to pack with lighter gear. Let me explain more...This blog contains an Affiliate Link. This means that if you buy through this link then I get a small commission, which helps me to keep creating free content for you!...

No travel? More time for planning your light travels...

While there's not much travelling happening, I'm taking this as a chance to fine tune my travel wardrobe even more. There's always room for improvement or there are items that need replacing.  So join me on my personal experience of what I'm sorting out....

My travel capsule wardrobe for traveling light.

Do you want to see what I travel with? Well, this is my basic travel capsule wardrobe.  Much like a basic cookie recipe we start with the main key ingredients and then we zhoosh it up a bit with extras. I also mix it up depending on the activities I'm doing and the season/weather I'm travelling in. I have the choice of swapping things out or adding to the list. Remembering, that each item you add, adds more weight to your bag. ...

Learn to travel light to reduce decision fatigue.

Decision fatigue is having too much to think about. Your mind is overloaded with decisions and it can become overwhelming. What will I wear? How much should I take? Where will I stay? How will I get there?Sound familiar?Learning to travel light really can reduce decision fatigue. The many benefits of traveling light didn't come to light (haha!) for me until I was on the road in the midst of my travels or afterwards looking back. Decision fatigue was one of these. I hadn't heard the term unt...

The benefits of traveling light - unpacking!

Unpacking may seem a very strange benefit of traveling light, but it truly is the best! Not only unpacking on the road, but unpacking when you get home makes travel so easy and uncomplicated. I used to hate getting home, dumping my suitcase on the floor at the base of our bed and then wait for it to miraculously unpack itself in the coming week - it never did.  Things came out of it when I needed them. But in general this great obstacle lay in wait to trip me up in the darkness, or to swall...

Why people don't want to travel light.

There are a lot of reasons why people don't want to travel light. When I first came across the idea - hey I can put my hand up -I went through all the excuses and reasons why it wouldn't work.  But I had to make it work. I was travelling by myself for four weeks in Europe. I had no one to carry my bags. I had to be completely INDEPENDANT. And I had to be SAFE!Since then, I've managed to travel to the Australian Outback, China, Rarotonga, and Chicago and New York in winter - yes, all with ju...

Essential packing for your autumn or spring travel wardrobe.

Who knows when we'll next be travelling, but you know I'm all about planning, right?! Planning for travel in the shoulder-season, or those in-between seasons of autumn and spring are often the trickiest to pack for because the weather can be so fickle. And this is where a really common light packing fear can really appear - "I won't have enough to wear!" But if you choose your spring or autumn wardrobe carefully and add some essential key pieces that add warmth to any look, you'll be fine....

Testing your travel capsule wardrobe in lockdown.

Knowing what goes in your travel capsule wardrobe takes time and planning. You need to get to know how items work in the field, so to speak. Having an understanding of your perfect travel wardrobe really helps to decide what goes on your trip, and what stays at home. Once you have the general idea of what to pack and how it works together, it becomes second nature....

Post-pandemic travel planning - plan, test and practice your travel capsule wardrobe.

While you're at home is the perfect time to plan, test and practice your travel wardrobe. As we plan for post-pandemic travel we can get prepared to hit the road when the all-clear is given.  Read on to see what I've been up to in my "plenty of spare time". I may not be doing any overseas travel but I'm still having fun with my travel capsule wardrobe!...

The similarities between social distancing and solo travel.

Social distancing is all about creating space around ourselves. In this current Covid-19 pandemic it's about reducing transmission of the virus. For solo travellers it's about giving ourselves space to heal, think, and re-energise. Social distancing will not be unfamiliar territory for solo travellers. This is very much what we do. Give us space  - and plenty of it! It's what we're all about. ...

How to travel light without breaking the bank.

There are so many gadgets for travelling light - but are they all needed? Can you use other things you already have at home to travel light on a budget?...

How to travel light with style.

Traveling light does mean you carry a limited capsule wardrobe. But you can travel light with style. If everything mixes and matches and with a couple of more stylish items you will be surprised at how great you can feel. Style is an individual thing. And I am by no means about to preach about what makes something stylish. I will go so far as to say, style is all about what you feel good in. ...

How to travel light with travel technology.

Figuring how to travel light with travel tech takes some planning and some evaluation on what you really need for your travels. What's essential technology for one person is simply not a key item for someone else.  What is key in deciding whether something gets packed or not is, "Can I live, survive, do my job without it?" AND "Does something else do the job?...

Travelling light in NZ - tips from a local.

New Zealand is a land of contrasts - including the weather. As the saying goes, "There is not such thing as bad weather - just bad clothing."If you want to travel lighter in New Zealand look no further. Here are my insider tips on surviving the weather here. ...

Why a day bag is better than a suitcase!

For those of you who travel with a suitcase - I feel your pain! On my recent trip to New York, I was reminded very clearly as to why I don't travel with a suitcase.  My travel companion travelled light with 12 kg (26 Ibs) of gear, but this still meant it needed to be checked in.  So while it was indeed light, and she had a well organised and minimal wardrobe, she didn't get the true benefits of travelling light with a carry-on daybag....

How to pack light with toiletries and cosmetics.

Toiletries can take up so much room in your travel bags. But I've got some great tips for you to get around this issue. With some thought and planning you'll be replacing your huge toiletry bag with something so much smaller!Have you seen the hashtag I use a lot #takewhatyouneed ? It's fast becoming my catch-phrase, but it's such an essential rule. And it's achieved by decanting things down into smaller containers. It's tips like this that had me able to hike for five hours between the village o...