Packing for a vacation can be both an exciting and challenging experience for me.  While I might be eagerly anticipating embarking upon a new adventure, at the same time I can become quite a bit overwhelmed by the all the variables that must be considered when packing for the trip.

First there’s the climate to take into account.  Will I need to plan for the extra space required for cold weather clothing or can I get away with using a smaller suitcase to transport the less cumbersome warm weather attire that takes up less real estate?  Then there’s the type and purpose of the trip to bear in mind.  Can I get away with including fewer and more casual items needed for a relaxing beach vacation or do I need to allow room for the more versatile and formal attire required for site-seeing excursions and dinners out and about on a trip to the city?

Perhaps the most important consideration is the mode of transportation.  My packing practices are quite different when I travel by ground versus by air.

Packing for ground travel does not involve as much planning or work up front on my part.  Since I can pack as much as the family van can carry, if I can’t narrow down my selections, I just throw it all in the van.  Traveling by plane on the other hand, is a different story.  Due to the airline-imposed baggage size and weight restrictions, air travel requires much more up-front thought, planning, and decision making.

Although packing for the journey by ground is somewhat easier than for the journey by air, I can’t say I prefer it.  For you see, I’ve come to discover that the decisions I avoided while packing for the ground journey come back to haunt me later.  Having brought along more stuff means I end up with more decisions and choices to make while on vacation.  Not to mention more to unpack, sort through, and put away when I get home.  I even find that some things I packed were never even used.  They just took up unnecessary space.  These are just some of the burdens I face when traveling heavy.

While the effort of packing for a journey by air may be a bit more painful up front, the effort pays off as I have fewer decisions and choices to make while on vacation.  It also takes less time and hassle to unpack.  And there is much less wasted space.  The load is also much lighter.  These are benefits of traveling light.

The same packing concepts hold true on the journey we call life.

We pack heavy when we choose to ignore problems or avoid facing tough decisions or challenging situations.  While this may seem to make things easier in the short term, these acts of avoidance can lead to bigger issues and burdens down the road.  When we pack heavy, we end up with a lot of baggage that can take a long time to unpack and sort through.

Packing light on life’s journey takes more work and discipline up front.  And it isn’t easy.  It involves facing tough decisions and challenging situations head on.  In the long run, however, packing light can lead to less burdensome and much lighter living.

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