Need packing tips from all you light packers out there
 

We are taking a 22 day trip to japan in late Apr/early May. My goal is for my husband and I to only have one "carry on/purse" and one suitcase each - the size that will store in the overhead bin. I have always been a "I'll bring this just in case" kind of packer. However, since we will be traveling by train in Japan I really would like to avoid the big suitcase. I have also never vacationed for more than a week so I never had to worry about laundry.

Can anyone experienced with conservative packing help me out!! Is this realistic?

Thanks so much!

My first question to you is whether you have liquid or get items that you can't do without and do not want to try to buy in Japan. I think the new regulations about not carrying liquids or gels over 3 oz on the plane is one of the biggest barriers to the "carry-on only" packing. Of course, that only applies to the air portion of your trip, and you could check your bag for your flight.

General tips: Take clothes you can layer and mix and match. Take just one "color scheme" of clothing so that everything goes with everything else. Take just one pair of shoes in addition to those you wear on the plane (make sure both are comfortable for lots of walking).

We almost always travel carry-on ;and it was no problem on our 6 month ago trip to Japan.3 ounce bottles and containers are fine.Many hotels and ryokan suply toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner,etc.And,you can always purchase what you need with little difficulty.Also, take clothing that you can easily care for.Wash and wear clothing is not the same as it was years ago.
Enjoy your trip.

We always travel w/ one suitcase each & one carry-on bag, but I am impressed you want to do this w/ a carry-on suitcase. Wow!

I would advise you get a duffle bag, as IMO they are easier to squish into overhead bins & softer... get fast drying undies/bras & bring 3 pairs each, lightweight socks, 2 pairs of pants, 1 of shorts, 3--4 t-shirts w/ one fleece pullover & one cardigan. Ditto on 2 pair shoes (black athletic that can be worn w/ black pants to dinner & one pair sandals), I don't wear skirts or dresses when I travel. Wear your sunhat on the plane. Take your favorite facial sunblock. Stuff in Japan is very costly. Carry any medicines & vitamins you don't want lost. Japan can be cold, so I assume you'll want to wear a versatile jacket on the plane. If it's going to be cool where you are going, then delete the shorts, add another pair of pants or leggings.

As far as liquids you might pack like shampoo, don't worry at all. Most hotels supply shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush and toothpaste, soap...even business hotels. If you like to have your own, there are very good shampoos etc. available in supermarkets and pharmacies for prices comparable to US prices.

Laundry may be an issue for you. Hotels charge a lot for doing it. While there are coin laundries in Japan, they tend to be located in residential areas rather than tourist areas, so may be difficult for tourists to find and access.

Weather should be good ...did you know it is Golden Week at the end of April, beginning of May. Those days you should reserve hotels now unless you are planning on business hotels. Bring clothes that you can layer, as temperature may vary considerably depending during the day.

Shoes take up a lot of luggage space, so take only one pair of extras. In your suitcase, stuff them with socks to save space.

A carryon suitcase with wheels is best I think. Easy to "drive" and pull in stations where walks can be long. They fit easily in overhead bins on planes.

I really appreciate everyone's input. Just to clarify - We will probably check our bags for the international flight, primarily because of the restrictions and so we do not have to deal with them. I am more concerned about ease of travel once we are in Japan. I always overpack and just need help toning it down. I want to dress appropriately and respectfully. I don't really want to go through the drill of forwarding bags to our next location because I overpacked to begin with.

My plan is fairly soft right now but it is looking like Apr 21-27 in Tokyo, 28th-May 5 in Sapporo, and the the 5th-14th in the Kyoto area flying out of Osaka. I figure I can do day trips from Tokyo, sapporo and Kyoto however as my planning progresses I would like to be able to consider a night in Hakone, Hakodate, etc. without the burden of a riduculous amount of luggage. Most likely we will fly from Tokyo to Hokkaido and from Hokkaido to Osaka (unless someone suggests a better way).

I am aware of Golden week and am somewhat concerned. My son is teaching and living near Abashiri and I assume if we are at least on Hokkaido during Golden Week we should be able to get together.

I do have reservations for Tokyo so far - at Courtyard Marriot in Ginza (formerly Renaissance)however I have found slightly better prices at Park Hotel and at Tokyo Prince Hotel so if anyone has advice I am all ears. I am not too sure that I like the idea of staying in the Ginza area.

I haven't begun my quest in the Sapporo and Kyoto regions so all comments, opinions and experiences welcome.

If you need anything in the coat family, like a jacket, wear it on the plane.

If you anticipate temperatures becoming cool, take a silk undershirt and the cashmerey-est/warmest shawl your budget allows you.

In case you don't know this trick - use those zip-lock plastic bags form the supermarket that have a zipper pull on them: fill them with underwear or scarves, T-shirts, close the bag almost completely, then press all the air out of it. Then close it. Doubles suitcase capacity (and also doubles its weight!

Assuming you're interested in style, and this is reason for overpacking - take limited number of pants and tops and achieve your fashion statements with scarves and costume jewelry.

We are leaving in a couple of weeks for 3 weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia. We are taking only carry on luggage as there are huge benefits. No long lineups at check in. No lost luggage. No luggage carousels. First out of the airport.

Here is a very good website all about travelling lite : http://www.onebag.com/

BTW my sister and husband just left for a month in India with only carry on bags.

Very good website galiano - thanks!

Hi there

If you are coming to Hokkaido at the end of April/early May - AND you are going to Abashiri which is far east Hokkiado - you must pack warm clothes!

It'll be chilly ...daytimes about 5 or 8 degrees...nighttime could be 2 or 4...there may still be snow and ice around. Daytime the snow may be melting so you should have waterproof shoes and a coat.

Sapporo is warmer and sometimes Golden Week is great - but it is still cool.

Abashiri Central Hotel I recommend...and the Abashiri Ko So...by the lake...

Amanda

jmsvss. Good luck and happy travels. We are doing a similar thing in a couple of weeks ... a one bag carryon. We'll be gone a month. It's a challenge but certainly possible to do with a bit of planning. As Galiano has already pointed out there are huge advantages to one bag travel. ... Galiano, the one bag website is wonderful. Thanks for sharing ... I'll be recommending it.

Pack only what you need for a week. Don't pack more than one pair of shoes.

&quot;<i>I assume if we are at least on Hokkaido</i>&quot;

Yes, but getting from Sapporo to Abashiri could involve taking a 4-hour limited express train ride to Kushiro and connecting to a 3-hour local train ride to Abashiri.

Using the baggage delivery service is quite simple, easy, and economical.

The hotel will give you directions to a coin laundry (ask for that exactly: &quot;coin laundry&quot;). Might have to walk a few blocks or even take a taxi.

I found these cool &quot;Space Bags&quot; that will help compress clothing (not too many wrinkles I hope). They work along the lines of the zip lock bags but they are bigger.

Also, since I posted this message our itinerary changed significantly. We will now be moving more and taking more trains. So greater incentive to go light.

I can hear my husband laughing his head off when I tell him I'm taking ONE pair of shoes. You should see my closet!

Shoes are a problem if you are travelling really light. I can't decide on shoes. One pair won't do it as we will be at Angkor( Keen deck shoes? ) but still need smart casual for dinner (sandals ? )

galiano-which airline are you flying to Vietnam and Cambodia? Some airlines, like Thai, severely restrict carry-on weight. I only brought a 22&quot; bag, but I checked it because it was over the 8 kilo max weight.
As for shoes, I never wore my sandals in Cambodia. I was too concerned with mosquitos and while touring the temples tripped a few times on uneven ground. I was really glad to be wearing closed toe shoes then!

Hi
This thread has been running so long I decided to comment as well.
We did a trip a while ago that we wanted to travel light so that we could catch lots of trains. Traveling very light is very liberating.... It never ceases to amaze me how little I really need. One thing I never cut too much is underwear. It doesn't take up too much space and while I am happy to wear outerwear more than once I insist on clean underwear. I don't want to have to wash every night... it is a holiday after all...so I take 6 or 7 sets. Also you may need them if you are struck down by any sudden attack of 'travellers tummy'.
Pick a colour and match everything to that colour. Enjoy.

Hello

Three years ago my family of five,including three teenage daughters, travelled for three months on a RTW ticket from Australia, through Asia to Europe and the US then Fiji and back to Australia. It was primarily autumn weather but with tropical weather in Asia and Fiji so we needed to be prepared for all eventualities.

I insisted in a ’mother-controlling-way’ that each person was to carry one cabin size bag and a handbag and no more!! My daughters protested that it wouldn’t be enough room for their underwear let alone any other things.

I remained unmoved and was assisted by visualising the nightmare of five suitcases plus carry-ons being carted into taxis,trains,hotels,metros plus hanging around the airport luggage carousels or worse dealing with lost luggage!!!

It was the best decision ever.

We carried our heavier coats onboard and wore the heavier walking shoes too.
In the carry-on all clothes were rolled. Each person had three changes of clothes including what we wore - jeans,dressier pants and lighter 3/4 pants/shorts.t-shirts and shirts plus a pair of dressier flats into which socks were stuffed plus enough underwear for 7 days plus a swimming costume.

I found deeper colours, including navy worked well and had two colourful silk scarves. Cosmetics were kept to a minimum and kept in our handbags. We bought shampoo, toothpaste at our destinations.

We washed our 'smalls'by hand or peridically had the hotel do our laundry or when staying in an apartment we had access to a washing machine and dryer.

If we bought things we posted them back home.

I have never again travelled with check in luggage, unless I was going to one location only for an extended period of time.

Hi Kristina. We are flying Air Canada to Tokyo then All Nippon to HCMC then boat to Siem Reap and Vietnam Air back to HCMC. Our bags are slightly under the size Air Canada allows for carryons and if we can keep the weight down we'll be ok. Then we'll cross our fingers with the other airlines.

So you didn't wear sandals at Angkor which must mean the mosquitoes were a real concern. What month were you there and how bad were they ? I'll wear my Keen sneakers.

I'm going to take sandals as my &quot;smart casual &quot; shoes. I'll sneak into restaurants wearing socks with my sandals and hope no one notices. :-)

Galiano-I was just there in early December.
I wasn't concerned about mosquitos at the temples as much as I was at the hotel and in restaurants.
In the temples I wore closed toe shoes because it's easy to stub your toes on tree roots, rocks, uneven pavement, etc. Same goes for Bangkok city streets for that matter.
After the 3rd time I stumbled and thanked the heavens I was wearing shoes not sandals, I decided just to leave the sandals in the suitcase.