Lightweight Travel Tip #16: The death of dead tree format

In this Lightweight Travel Tip we look at replacing that folder of travel documents with electronic things instead. It used to be compulsory to have documents in hard copy form, but nowadays it's easier to go paperless. Almost - you still need your passport. While a single sheet of paper weighs little, a lot of paper can quickly add up. Itineraries, tickets, bookings, accomodation, maps, insurance, medical information, emergency contacts - and suddely you have a heavy book of pages.

I use Google Drive, but you could use anything really. Make sure that documents are saved onto the device itself (save offline) so that you can access the documents without a live data connection. When you're crossing a border, or have just arrived, you just might not have data yet and it's one more thing to have to explain to somebody.

When I'm travelling in a group, I do like to have a minified itinerary and group contact details on paper - that way I can hand the page to group member. The other piece of paper I keep is any current medical perscriptions. Apart from that...paperless.

Lightweight Travel Tips is a series of short videos where I showcase the lightweight travel philosophy by discussing specific situations. The individual tips are gateways to the lightweight travel mindset.

I can recall my first trip overseas with overweight suitcases full of things I never used. Even though I have larger baggage allowances than ever, I take less. Less luggage makes it easier to move around, and I'm less likely to lose an item because I have fewer items to track. It's easier to move through crowds and over imperfect ground.

Lightweight travel tips combine my experience in travel and the outdoors to examine what I carry and if I could do without it. I'm not an ultra-light backpacking gram weeny - my outdoors philosophy is more informed by bushcraft, where I learned to make the most out of whatever I carry while keeping necessities and local conditions in mind. So, lightweight travel is a mindset of efficiency - that each item must be helpful or it should be left behind.

At the core of my philosophy is: Passport, Credit card, Phone - everything else is a solvable problem or a luxury item.

This isn't to say you shouldn't carry anything - decide what balances weight, size, convenience and comfort for yourself and where you're going! Figure out what is available where you're going - both free at your accommodation or what you can easily buy.

How do I start thinking through a pack list? First, learn about the trip: what about the weather when I am there? What activities do I expect to do? What can I obtain at the destination if I need it? What equipment must I take? These questions are the genesis of thinking through what to bring.

And the biggest tip: Start with a small bag. If you can't make your load-out fit, it's easier to get a larger bag rather than the other way around. People tend to think in terms of bag size: it's the airlines that make us weigh everything!

Do you have some lightweight travel tips of your own? Please share in the comments.

Until next time.