10 Essential Travel Packing Tips & Hacks - Minimalist Traveling
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- Опубліковано 7 чер 2024
- How to Pack Light & Smart - Essential Travel Packing Tips for Minimalist Traveling. Audible is offering our followers a free 30-day trial today. Sign up to check out their audio books using our special link: www.audible.com/exploringalter...
Want more travel packing tips? Check out this NEW video we made for extra light minimalist travel: • Minimalist Packing Tip...
After almost 5 years of travelling, we've come up with our 10 best travel packing tips to help you travel light, save money, and have an easy and comfortable trip.
1. Minimalist Travel Wardrobe
We choose clothes that are all in the same colour scheme and style so they can be layered to create different outfits for different situations and climates. In our experience, packing fewer clothes is always best and if you find that you're missing something, like a warmer sweater, you can always pick it up along the way.
2. Water
After buying and throwing out countless plastic water bottles on our travels, we finally said enough is enough. It was a waste of money and plastic. So we decided to get a portable water purifier (SteriPEN sent us one) and now we bring our own stainless steel water bottles with us and we purify tap water wherever we are.
3. Books and Guides
Books and guides are easily the heaviest things we carry on trips. To downsize the weight in our backpack or suitcase, we try to bring smaller travel journals, we don't bring guide books (we use our iPod and free maps from airports and train stations to get around), and we're starting to try eBooks (free from the library) and audio books from Audible (our video sponsor!).
4. Staying Clean
When travelling, there are many times (for us at least) when we don't shower as often as we'd like, maybe a long 48 hour travel leg, or a nasty hostel shower that we don't want to use. To stay fresh between showers, we use dry shampoo (the one in the video is from One Love Organics) and wet wipes (paraben-free). We also always travel with Dr Bronners soap because we can use it for everything: showering, dishes, and laundry.
5. Souvenirs
We no longer buy souvenirs for our friends and family. Instead, we try to send postcards to show people we're thinking of them. It's cheaper, less wasteful, and we feel that it's more meaningful overall.
6. Passports
We've had a passport stolen, and another damaged by water. We're not messing around with our passports anymore so we carry them in ziplock bags, inside a hidden passport pouch.
7. Food and Snacks
Food and snacks at airports and in touristy areas is usually overpriced and not necessarily healthy. We try to pack our own food and snacks as much as possible (sandwiches, granola bars, hummus and crackers, oatmeal, roasted nuts, etc.) but it's important to check the rules about what you can bring and where.
8. Electronics
When we're not travelling for work, we try to bring just our iPod touch. We travelled for almost one full year with just the iPod & free wifi, and we did all of our hotel and flight bookings, and even a couple of visa applications on the tiny screen. It's not perfect, but it saves us from lugging around a couple of laptops like we do now.
We also always travel with a flashlight. We have a Foxelli headlamp that is USB rechargeable and the battery lasts forever (they sent us the headlamp a couple of years ago and we love it).
9. Reusables
Travel has a pretty big environmental footprint and while we haven't quite gotten to the point where we're willing to stop just for environmental reasons, we do try to minimize flying and we travel with reusable containers to limit the amount of garbage waste we're producing. We bring stainless steel food containers (by Onyx), water bottles, and coffee mugs, as well as cloth bags and cutlery.
10. Staying Healthy
We use natural remedies like oregano oil, garlic pills, activated charcoal, and essential oils to treat things like food poisoning, cold and flu, diarrhea, headaches, etc. We also bring strong anti-nausea pills because Danielle gets motion sick in cars, planes, buses - even a hammock once!
Thanks for watching!
Mat & Danielle
PS a very special thank you to our backbone supporters: The Burgess Family.
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COMMENTS
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We want our channel and our comments section to be an inclusive space where everyone feels welcome to watch and to contribute. For this reason, comments that are inappropriate or hateful will be reported and/or deleted.
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VIDEO CREDITS
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Music & Song Credits:
All music in this video was composed, performed, and recorded by Mat of Exploring Alternatives.
Editing Credits:
Mat and Danielle of Exploring Alternatives
Filming Credits:
Mat of Exploring Alternatives - Навчання та стиль
Want more travel packing tips? Check out this NEW video we made for extra light minimalist travel: ua-cam.com/video/-PcrLWkxZSk/v-deo.html
Exploring Alternatives you can also get solid shampoo to avoid bringing dr bronners liquid soap 😊
Haha carrying a bar of soap has helped me a whole lot. No trouble with liquids at airports and you can just use it to wash literally anything, instead of packing multiple little bottles of shampoo, body wash, etc etc, really convenient and takes up practically no space whatsoever, can even fit it in my pocket lol
Jules Leviathan and - guess what - it's what we did in the olden days 😆
Which bar soap do you use?
If I can back ANYTHING in this video, it’s dr. broners soap. It’s SO SO SO versatile, good for hair, body, laundry, dishes, ETC and it lasts forever, especially since you //need// to dilute it!
I like to put it in a travel size mouthwash bottle. They're cheap, durable, designed to contain a thin liquid, and the childproof caps help prevent the lids from coming loose accidentally... At least those bottles work better than any others I've found so far. Lotions or thicker liquid soap seems fine in a silicone / soft plastic squishy bottle... For extra small bottles, I've re-used those little hand sanitizer bottles. Good for holding quite a bit worth of face washing soap or lotion.
To bathe when you don't have access to facilities instead of wet wipes:
Fill small zip lock baggie with 1/4 cup of warm water. Add 4 to 5 drops lavender essential oil. Add travel wash cloth - we get the really thin ones that dry super fast. Purge air, seal and agitate so wash cloth soaks up the water. Remove cloth and gently squeeze. Start with face, then scalp, then wash everything else. No rinse needed and you will feel and smell fantastic when you are done. Hang baggie and towel to dry, re-use next time.
Great tip!
Oil and water do not mix. Using essential oil without diluting or using an emulsifier can lead to sensitization or Allergic Contact Dermatitis. I learned from experience to practice safe essential oil usage. You could add some baby wash to the bag.
Essential oil should not be used on the face!
Hey guys! Please remember, the UV pen is great and helps with pathogens. You need a filter for heavy metals. I use a 22oz ZeroWater Tumbler, but Brita has a good bottle too!
scan your passports and mail them to yourselves, anything happens you can have acces to them with your phone or at any local cheap cyber cafe
Great advice! Thanks for sharing this with everyone :)
I carry multiple color photocopies for everyone of the photo page in different luggage pieces. The most important detail for getting a replacement is the passport NUMBER so put that in your cellphone contacts and take a photo, too.
I would NOT recommend sending your personally identifiable information in any unencrypted electronic communication. If you're going to use an electronic method of carrying your passport/ID or any other PII with you, make sure it's encrypted. Google how to send an encrypted email with your particular email service or app.
Angr. 268 ii
Dillon Lee
Been binging on travel hack videos this week. Super helpful, thank you guys!
I recommend soap berries, aka soap nuts. They are a great way to wash clothes!
excellent advice in a neat, concise presentation! thank you so much!
Great travel tips! This is definitely one of my favorite Exploring Alternatives videos to date. Thank you for the amazing and inspiring content you share! Safe travels!
Thanks for sharing your tips!
Love this video so much! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!
Thanks guys another great video.
Thanks for this tips my friend!
We have been traveling 8 years and have most of this stuff.
Love the collapsing water bottle and the water Purifier
100% with you on the Souvenirs. My post card collection is amazing for memories and framed in the family portrait gallery. NO knick knacks allowed. Very nice information. Thanks.
Those are some great tips! Thank you for sharing!
I love this! Keeping things nice and cheap just the way I like it!
Love it. Thank you very much!
The suppository was a new thing I learnt! Good one!
Nice and informative!!..
Fantastic video! Interesting all the way through and really feasible ideas. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for all the tips, they are all very helpful.
Well yes a zip lock bag will keep splash off, but that doesn’t make it waterproof. As a kayaker I’ve learned this from friends. If you need something that is actually waterproof you can get water sports specific waterproof pouches, which although are a bit more bulky than a zip lock bag are actually a lot more effective
Some great stuff here. Thanks for posting.
Excellent quality advice as always, my thanks to you both.
Great advise
Thank you
Amazing tips! Thanks s lot! I will definitely check out the water filter and get a zip lock bag for my passport! Really good ideas!
Audible is something great and congrats on having them as a sponsor. I love your tips and have taken a lot of notes on your vid.
Thank you for your positivity (and for watching)! :)
Great Video. Thank you for posting.
Great video! That Steripen is so cool! Those suppositories are a great idea too - I think we have all been in that particular traveller's conundrum at one point or another.
Really enjoyed this! Keep it cominggg! 🙏🙏
I've watched a lot of traveling videos, I love yours. It has a lot of good tips for camping and traveling!
This is the first time that we see your videos. Very beautiful, professional, and simple and easy to understand and learn from. Thank you very much for the effort and work that you put in. Happy travels.
Thanks so much for the positive feedback, I'm happy you found our video helpful! Have a great day :) :)
Thank you guys for sharing!
Some brilliant tips thanks. I will be using a lot of these.
Thank you for making this!!!! Awesome video. Super helpful :)
Happy it was helpful, thanks for watching :)
Thank for another great video and information.
Great video! I know Audible sponsors your channel, but for people trying to save money, many libraries not only offer ebooks but they're now offering audio books as well. I download both formats to my phone from my library and it's great since I'm already carrying my phone anyway.
Glammy Bee thank you for sharing this comment! Yes, we've got free audio and ebooks at our library as well! Audible only sponsored that one part of the video (not the whole channel) but I still mentioned the free ebooks so that people know there are alternatives. One thing I have noticed, with my library at least, is that there are long wait times and/or a lack of selection in audio books (maybe because it's a new service?) so it's nice to know that there's more than one place to get audio books. Thanks so much for watching!
Glammy Bee l
I like that you try to reduce waste, very environmentally conscious, great! :)
Thanks for video, I was so happy to hear about the SteriPen as when we go to South America for a month we always have to drink bottled or pop so great option to explore. Matt mentioned he was weary of the dry shampoo so wanted to mention Lush has a shampoo soap, so it is a dry soap bar that turns into shampoo when wet and it feels great
Awesome. Ty
Thumbs up. ENJOY... THE SIMPLE LIFE
Thanks Wolf Travels2 :) :)
Excellent! Love audible! Great content, thank you.
Thanks Cathy :)
Awesome! These tips are really helpful specially for frequent travellers. Keep it up and thanks for sharing. :D
Excellent tips!
I recommend using a kindle paperwhite as your e-reader. You should be able to download all of your books as pdfs or ebooks. It's easier on the eye than an iPod and the battery life is ridiculous. Love your channel. Please keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching @ray dollars :) Great suggestion about the e-reader! We're going to see how the eBook and audio book experiment works (I'm pretty attached to physical books lol) but if we decide that it's a good long term solution then I'll look into getting a used one. Happy exploring!!
ray dollars The reading experience is almost the same. Once you get lost in a book, you don't notice the difference. Also, old kindles come with an option to listen to audiobooks. You can pick up a good used Kindle for $50 on ebay.
Exploring Alternatives, I used to use a Touch for reading e-books. I stopped when I realized it messed up my sleep. Went to a Kobo and have never looked back.
Awesome video ✌🏼 from Vancouver Island
I really genuinely like you two.
Found the first aid/health tips especially helpful. Thank you
Thank you. Some great tips here
Very helpful, thanks!
bring your own groceries bag is new things to me. thank you for the idea. definitely will put into must-thing-to-bring
love all the natural remedies!
love this video，best of all that I have watched! Thanks.
Very practical and much appreciated.
I totally appreciate your segment on getting ill while travelling! I have gottent sick while travelling and I now also bring oregano oil!!
thanks for suggestions
Thanks for sharing your experience! It was informative.
You'er very welcome, happy you found it informative :)
Powdered toothpaste! Only other thing I could think of. Perfect vid.
Excelent! Many thank's! 😃👍🏼
Good advice, thanks for doing this !
You're very welcome, thanks for watching glenn :)
I enjoy your videos so much. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Thanks Mary :) :)
super helpful!
This was so well thought out and spoken. I will be traveling soon and I can already see how these tips will help me, thanks :)
Thank you so much for this info. I am not traveling right now, but maybe in the future :) The go-to for me and feeling sick is Aspirin though lol :)
That UV Pen is way cool. A lot of great tips. Glad to see the both of you.
So useful!
Thanks guys it was really helpful
Fabulous video. Never thought about the pencil case to store things and I really like the idea of the audio books. I too, get awful travel sickness if reading when travelling, never even considered audio books! Love your channel. Xxx
Really practical and affordable tips
Love your video great advices especially about the vitamins and the medication used for traveling Thumbs Up Guys
Great video! you guys always make awesome content.
i am a huge fan of your channel (Your channel is the first one I check for updated videos and watch the most),I haven't made that leap to the van life but the more videos I watch the more I am considering it, I am trying to go from asking how can I make more money to what i can do to live a happier life style anyway keep doing what your doing and I look forward to seeing more awesome videos
Great ideas! I really enjoyed this video. Good job. 👏🏼
Thanks so much @stringbender57 :)
Great video!!
Thanks so much!
Thank you so much. This is very practical.
You're very welcome! Happy you found the video helpful :)
I'm traveling to India in October for a 2 week motorcycle trip and I learnt a few good tips from your video. Thank you very much for taking the time to produce it. Cheers.
great tips thanks!
You're very welcome, thanks for watching :)
Thanks for the tips. We travel quite a bit but could always use advice to make our travels easier and packing more efficient. - Michelle :)
Nice love this
This video kicks ass! I'm excited to subscribe. :)
Really helpful suggestions...I already use most of the natural treatments represented here but the charcoal was a new one for me, thanks
Thanks for the feedback Diane! I'm happy you enjoyed the video and discovered something new :)
This helped thanks
Amen to not being able to read and travel! I love my audible for that purpose and listening while doing yard work. Ebooks are the way to read and carry books period!
Really useful tips!
Great information... Thank you..
Awesome video guys!
Thanks Spencer!
congratulations! very practical and helpful your video. And you speak very clear and not too fast (very important for an international audience of non-native speakers of English). Go on amigos!
Thanks for the tips, I'm testing my minimalist travel setup right now. Things I think are handy: waterproof poncho, small first aid kit, multitool, small repair/survival kit, foldable basin(gearbest) and powerbank :)
Thanks for sharing your favourite minimalist packing items. Those are all great suggestions! I hadn't seen that foldable basin before. Looks really cool!! Take care and happy exploring!
Cheers for making a very frank video, it was very informative!
Excellent Video!
Most excellent, practical tips!
Thanks! Happy you found them helpful :)
I love everything you mentioned! I have a terrible habit of taking too much with me when traveling so I will definitely attempt to enact the recommendations you make here and customize the habits for my lifestyle. I'm looking to become minimal waste and have already started by refusing most plastic water bottles and straws, and only using stainless steel cutlery. And in terms of books, I personally have difficulty with audio books, but a lot of my friends love them. I would probably load up my Kindle and bring that with me instead :D Thanks for all the great tips!
I love the suggestions.
Thanks Trevor =)
Very helpful!
Thanks
Great video, I love the bar of laundry soap idea, thanks for sharing! :)
It's a great tip. It features in one of my top tips for packing hand luggage over on my channel. What's your top tip?
Nice & useful information.
Great tips!!!
Oh liked the pencil case and ipod idea