I have been traveling in ministry for over 15 years — sometimes as many as 40 weekends a year! And, believe it or not, when I am not traveling for ministry, I still love to travel just for fun! One of the comments I most often hear when I arrive, no matter where I go, is “wow, you travel so light!” I guess I am a little — okay, a lot — type A about how I pack! I’ve been asked how I do it so, even though this is a departure from my usual blog content, I thought I would help the sisters out! Seriously, I write the blogs I do to help you lighten your load in life, so why not help you in a super practical way with lightening your load so you can enjoy stress-free travel? Makes sense to me, so here are 4 tips to simplify your packing and reduce your travel stress:

1. Use lightweight luggage:
Let’s just start with the basics. Not only do you not want to over pack, you don’t want your luggage to weigh a ton to begin with. It’s just no fun to lug it around. So, if you start with luggage that doesn’t weigh much to begin with, you will never be over-weight when you check luggage with the airline and you won’t pull a muscle as you try to drag it into the hotel. There are lots of good brands for traveling light. And, I have learned from experience, you don’t have to spend top dollar. Look for nylon as the main fabric for your lightweight luggage. You can find a four-wheeled carry-on that is under 5 lbs.! I really like Kipling and Lucas brands because they have traveled well and aren’t the most expensive. And, they come in fun colors!