I particularly like this tip of hers:

1. Less is more
Whether you’re roughing it or on a five-star splurge, smart travellers know that light luggage means an easier trip. If you’re rushing to meet a flight connection you’ll be thankful you didn’t pack excess. And taking less leaves more space for shopping!

Matt: Yes I agree, but never think too much of this. Last night I was up til 3am packing in between doing other things. The more stuff you pack, the more likely you are going to hit that weight limit. The less you pack, the easier and faster it is to move, and you don’t have to worry about being over the limit.

I remember in Hong Kong, I had a carry-on bag that was too big & heavy. I didn’t want to pay the excess baggage fee since it was only inexpensive clothes, and it wasn’t worth it. So I forced to repack, and ended up wearing 3 jumpers on the plane! I would like to avoid that situation again. Nothing makes me laugh more than seeing people opening their bags at Check-In terminal trying to stuff more things into other bags and repack.

I’d also add this tip to her Top 10 list:

11. Pack early, such as the night or weekend before the day flying out

Although I was still packing stuff til 3am, I had actually packed most of my luggage the night before.

Why?

So I could relax a bit more on the night before my trip (cause it was a Friday night and who wants to be at home!). The second reason was to see if I was missing any items. I didn’t have a a few crucial items, so I went out and bought them.

If I had packed on the last night and was missing things, I wouldn’t have had the chance to buy them or would have to buy on the day flying out which is always rushed. There may be some items that you can’t buy overseas or local products you prefer, and Airport is always expensive (since they have a monopoly!).

When I was travelling 2 years ago on my big trip overseas, I packed the weekend before cause I knew I was going to have a busy week. It proved to be right as I had to work until my last day flying out (my fault more than anything!).

However, I also have in the back of my mind, that if I forget anything, I can buy it overseas! E.g. if I need an extra shirt, toiletries, memory card, etc…. The world is a global marketplace!

I’m flying out in about 3 hours – see you on the otherside!

Cheers,

Matt