Odd packing question!

[delightful]

Sooo... I'll be heading off on Nov 23 for three weeks, and apparently I'm to "pack light"... no idea how on earth you pack light for three weeks, but he does make a good point I guess as we'll be packing everything of his to move back when we head back... so the less I have the better it is. The point of this being, does anyone have any tips on how to/what to pack in order to pack light?! Any space saving tips that might help me with this or things I might not have thought about to do, like rolling clothes instead of folding etc?

Any tips are welcomed!

[Dezface]

I'd go light on pants and shoes. No one will really notice if you wear the same pants over and over again. I know shoes are hard for us girls, but it will save so much space. Pack only the ones you NEED. So one pair of walking shoes, one for going out, whatever it is. Definitely roll your clothes, although be mindful of weight. When you can get more in, it makes the weight deceptive. Go light on products too. Hair spray and the like can really add bulk and weight. Again, pack only what you can't live without.

[delightful]

I'd go light on pants and shoes. No one will really notice if you wear the same pants over and over again. I know shoes are hard for us girls, but it will save so much space. Pack only the ones you NEED. So one pair of walking shoes, one for going out, whatever it is. Definitely roll your clothes, although be mindful of weight. When you can get more in, it makes the weight deceptive. Go light on products too. Hair spray and the like can really add bulk and weight. Again, pack only what you can't live without.

Really good advice on the pants, I hadn't really thought about that one. I'm actually not huge on shoes, so that isn't too much of an issue for me, thankfully haha. Not really into heaps of cosmetics/products either so that does help, but really good tip on making sure I keep an eye on the weight, I probably would have let that slip my mind.
Thanks very much!

[Claire-Louise]

Depending on the Climate of where you are going you will potentially need jumpers and the like... Do you know if anywhere near you (or if you have the time ebay) where you can get the space saving bags for travelling that you put your clothes in and then roll all the air out of them ... they can help with putting his stuff in on the way home ... but cause issues with weight deception :/

[delightful]

Depending on the Climate of where you are going you will potentially need jumpers and the like... Do you know if anywhere near you (or if you have the time ebay) where you can get the space saving bags for travelling that you put your clothes in and then roll all the air out of them ... they can help with putting his stuff in on the way home ... but cause issues with weight deception :/

I was actually talking to him about this the other day! It'll be summer in NZ technically when I go... but for an Aussie like me, that'll be like our cold spring or something, so I'm getting the feeling like I'm going to have to take all kinds of seasons clothing just in case which is a pain. That's a really good point, I'll definitely look into that, I've always wondered whether they were worth while at all. Thanks

[kacie]

If you can wash your clothes then only pack for a week and wash them, if you're living with him then you wont need to pack shampoo and toothpaste etc as he'll have that. I wouldn't bother with too many jumpers, I know when I got chilly when with my SO I just borrowed one of his! comfy and warm!

[SmileyK]

I was actually talking to him about this the other day! It'll be summer in NZ technically when I go... but for an Aussie like me, that'll be like our cold spring or something, so I'm getting the feeling like I'm going to have to take all kinds of seasons clothing just in case which is a pain. That's a really good point, I'll definitely look into that, I've always wondered whether they were worth while at all. Thanks

Aww man, I envy you... but I don't. Because I'm gonna enjoy my first white Christmas. My first, white, freezing, below zero, wet, cold, Christmas...

Keeping an eye on this thread, because I'm packing heavy winter gear and Christmas presents for 6 weeks O_o Though atm it seems like I'll be buying a lot of my winter gear on day 1 when I arrive which sounds sensible...

Rolling clothes is a good one, one I've never done before, but then again I haven't traveled for this long before :P

[delightful]

Aww man, I envy you... but I don't. Because I'm gonna enjoy my first white Christmas. My first, white, freezing, below zero, wet, cold, Christmas...

Keeping an eye on this thread, because I'm packing heavy winter gear and Christmas presents for 6 weeks O_o Though atm it seems like I'll be buying a lot of my winter gear on day 1 when I arrive which sounds sensible...

Rolling clothes is a good one, one I've never done before, but then again I haven't traveled for this long before :P

Aw that will be incredible! We'll be having our first Christmas together back here in Australia, I'm so incredibly excited for it! He's moving over officially at the same time too
Oh wow! That will certainly be a task haha, maybe get the largest amount of carry on that you can for your trip? Sounds like you're going to need it!

If you can wash your clothes then only pack for a week and wash them, if you're living with him then you wont need to pack shampoo and toothpaste etc as he'll have that. I wouldn't bother with too many jumpers, I know when I got chilly when with my SO I just borrowed one of his! comfy and warm!

He suggested this too, I'm just not sure about one week because we might be going camping/rafting or who knows what yet, so it's going to be interesting to work around. Really good suggestion about the shampoo etc, I wouldn't have thought of that either! And yeah, who needs jumpers when you've got your SO to snuggle anyway

[Alsfia]

A thing that I always do (which is a pain, but still) is I wear the heaviest stuff, like walking boots or jackets with jumpers under, it's really hot but it saves both room and weight, which is needed since I almost always travel with carry on only. You could always bring a bag or whatever to put your clothes in if you get too hot. I once put camera, phone, chargers and whatever else was unnecessarily heavy in my pockets... I think that made the security personnel's day

[kacie]

A thing that I always do (which is a pain, but still) is I wear the heaviest stuff, like walking boots or jackets with jumpers under, it's really hot but it saves both room and weight, which is needed since I almost always travel with carry on only. You could always bring a bag or whatever to put your clothes in if you get too hot. I once put camera, phone, chargers and whatever else was unnecessarily heavy in my pockets... I think that made the security personnel's day

I put a lot of the electronics in my handbag, that doesn't get weighed! As long as it's not a huge handbag you should be fine with putting stuff in there too, just remember the liquids rule for carry on stuff

[Alsfia]

I put a lot of the electronics in my handbag, that doesn't get weighed! As long as it's not a huge handbag you should be fine with putting stuff in there too, just remember the liquids rule for carry on stuff

I agree that the handbag generally doesn't get weighed, but it's happened to me and my SO (despite not having huge bags) at some airports, even for different airlines. At one airport it's even custom (Tampere-Pirkkala T2 if anyone wanted to know ), but I just put everything back in the bag after I had gone past everyone who could've had access to a scale

[aniay]

Vacum bags! They save lives!!

Also keep the clothes folded neatly and as thinly as you can. (My SO managed to easily fit what I couldn't just by neatly folding my stuff.)a

Unless you don't wear anything but jeans, take only one pair. They are havy

Wear the heaviest clothes/shoes on yourself.

If you take clothes close in color you can take less because you can wash them twice a week.

Take more tops and less bottoms and take universal clothes (I tend to take skirts that go nicely with elegant shirts and casual tops.)

Take clothes you use most often at home+something nice.

Also Since I switched from trousers to leggins+skirts my packing is way easier and I fit into handbag for two weeks time(It would last me longer I'm sure)


Hope that comes in handy

[Alle1770]

Just bring whatever stuff from home that you cannot in any way get at his place. I packed for a 5 month stay and my bags weighed 15 kilos in total Only bring necessary clothes, electronics and possible medications and stuff that you cannot get in Australia. Forget about hairspray, make up (other than whatever you might use during the trip), bulky jackets or shoes and that kind of stuff - you can always buy that on the spot whenever you need it! I had to remind myself of this when going and I first decided to pack all my skinproducts and 3 bottles of desinfection-liquid for my contact lenses, but then I realized that it's not like I'm going into the forest. There are people here too that use lenses and skinproducts. So just bring whatever it is that you absolutely, essentially cannot get from Australia. It will make your packing a lot lighter

[delightful]

A thing that I always do (which is a pain, but still) is I wear the heaviest stuff, like walking boots or jackets with jumpers under, it's really hot but it saves both room and weight, which is needed since I almost always travel with carry on only. You could always bring a bag or whatever to put your clothes in if you get too hot. I once put camera, phone, chargers and whatever else was unnecessarily heavy in my pockets... I think that made the security personnel's day

Hahah, yes I've been guilty of doing exactly the same as this in the past! Always wear your heaviest/larget jacket and bulkiest shoes!
Great ideas, thanks

[delightful]

Just bring whatever stuff from home that you cannot in any way get at his place. I packed for a 5 month stay and my bags weighed 15 kilos in total Only bring necessary clothes, electronics and possible medications and stuff that you cannot get in Australia. Forget about hairspray, make up (other than whatever you might use during the trip), bulky jackets or shoes and that kind of stuff - you can always buy that on the spot whenever you need it! I had to remind myself of this when going and I first decided to pack all my skinproducts and 3 bottles of desinfection-liquid for my contact lenses, but then I realized that it's not like I'm going into the forest. There are people here too that use lenses and skinproducts. So just bring whatever it is that you absolutely, essentially cannot get from Australia. It will make your packing a lot lighter

Wow! That is a pretty major effort on your behalf, well done haha. I probably won't want to buy too much over there, if anything... we're trying to save as is, and it's more expensive to buy things in NZ than in Australia, but I'll definitely be keeping this one in mind for any future extended trips that we do, or when I go to Bali/super cheap places! Thanks