In this Lightweight Travel Tip we look at toothpaste. I like using dry tabs instead of wet paste. Tabs weigh much less and you can make your own by squeezing paste drops onto greaseproof paper and drying. I wrap in a tissue and put into a zip-lock bag. Because these aren't gels you might not have to declare tabs. If you know your hotel/airline will supply toothpaste then perhaps you don't need to carry any. Maybe you can buy a small tube when you arrive at your destination, use it while there and not bring that tube home.
Lightweight Travel Tips is a series of short videos where I showcase the lightweight travel philosophy by discussing specific situations. The individual tips are gateways to the lightweight travel mindset.
I can recall my first trip overseas with overweight suitcases full of things I never used. Even though I have larger baggage allowances than ever, I take less. Less luggage makes it easier to move around, and I'm less likely to lose an item because I have fewer items to track. It's easier to move through crowds and over imperfect ground.
Lightweight travel tips combine my experience in travel and the outdoors to examine what I carry and if I could do without it. I'm not an ultra-light backpacking gram weeny - my outdoors philosophy is more informed by bushcraft, where I learned to make the most out of whatever I carry while keeping necessities and local conditions in mind. So, lightweight travel is a mindset of efficiency - that each item must be helpful or it should be left behind.
At the core of my philosophy is: Passport, Credit card, Phone - everything else is a solvable problem or a luxury item.
This isn't to say you shouldn't carry anything - decide what balances weight, size, convenience and comfort for yourself and where you're going! Figure out what is available where you're going - both free at your accommodation or what you can easily buy.
How do I start thinking through a pack list? First, learn about the trip: what about the weather when I am there? What activities do I expect to do? What can I obtain at the destination if I need it? What equipment must I take? These questions are the genesis of thinking through what to bring.
And the biggest tip: Start with a small bag. If you can't make your load-out fit, it's easier to get a larger bag rather than the other way around. People tend to think in terms of bag size: it's the airlines that make us weigh everything!
Do you have some lightweight travel tips of your own? Please share in the comments.
Until next time.
▶️ 3Speak
Great I have never seen those before, that is going to be very useful, especially for long flights.
In every of your lightweight travel tips series, I always get to learn something new. Thank you for always sharing
Glad you're watching and enjoying! Underneath the craziness is a mindset about thinking differently.
Perfectly true
Once a friend of ours went on a trip with shoes and they were too heavy and that made it a lot of trouble for him to carry the bag.
Normally you'd wear your heaviest clothing during transit times. What were the shoes? Mountaineering boots?
It is very important to wear warm clothes, you cannot live without them. Mostly i wear addidas shoes.
Really?
I've never seen this in my entire life
I'm surely giving this a try and I'll get back to you
Yes! I learnt this from ultralight hikers.
Toothpaste tablets are an excellent idea, less plastic, less space, maximum utilization.
😎
hmmmm, i never used those before.. what a big space/weight savings compared to a tube of toothpaste.. 😉🤙
And less waste than tiny travel tubes too! Oh, and also not a gel so maybe you have an easier time at security.
Never even heard of dry tab tooth paste before this post
Likewise, interesting.
I learned this from hikers. My first dry toothpaste was from some fancy boutique soap store - black gunpowder or something like that. I have used salt water and baking soda to brush before. But, you know, that minty fluoride...
This is the first time I've seen or heard of toothpaste tablets. It does weight less than a tube of toothpaste, but a lot of hotels already provide you with toothpaste. I do agree that if you want to save the most space, just don't bring any. In the worst case, you can buy both the brush and toothpaste in your destination.
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