The Insane Minimalist Packlist


When it comes down to it, there are only three things you need to travel to another country: your passport, money and clothes for the flight (even though security these days makes you wonder if it would be easier to just travel nude). While it may seem crazy to get on an international flight with nothing but your passport, wallet and the shirt on your back, the truth is it’s totally possible to travel this way – especially if you like to shop.

If you’re headed to a country where the exchange rate makes everything relatively cheap with your money, and especially if your destination is some warm, tropical beach, I speak from experience when I say that all you need to make it through a week is a bathing suit, sandals, a few t-shirts, a towel (or sarong), toothbrush, toothpaste, contact lenses or glasses, and maybe a good book. Except for your contacts or glasses (which you’d be wearing on the plane anyway), all of these things can be bought on arrival for a fraction of what you’d pay for them back home. Since shopping usually goes hand-in-hand with traveling anyway, you can use your time to pick out a new wardrobe for the trip while you’re on your trip – and buy a cheap bag to take everything home in.

While I’ve not done this (yet) and I don’t expect you will either, it brings up two excellent points to consider when packing for a trip:

1. If you’re not sure you need something, you can safely not pack it knowing that you can almost always buy it there.

2. The less you bring, the easier it will be getting from point A to point B.

To be a little more realistic, soon we’ll go over some ideas for packing light, including traveling with just a single carry-on bag. If you’re about to buy a new carry-on bag, make sure you consider the worldwide maximum carry-on bag size.