Two Best Ways to Simplify Travel

As someone who travels frequently and constantly thinks about making “the one decision to remove 1,000 decisions” in every area of life, simplifying my travel experience has become a fun experiment. Decision-making fatigue is real as most of us struggle to direct our time and attention to where we truly want it to go. Some studies estimate we make as many as 35,000 decisions a day and, even if the actual number is a fraction of this, I believe there’s tremendous value in making decisions that remove thousands of decisions down the road so we can use our energy for things that actually matter.

So we can make decisions that continue benefitting us perpetually into the future–zero cost of (energetic) replication.

The two most energetically draining aspects of traveling for me have historically been packing and the airport gauntlet. This post is meant to share some ideas oriented around simplifying the journey for vagabond’s, infrequent travelers, busy couples, and everyone in between. Even if you are a heavy packer, have kids, pets, etc. there are likely some easy tricks you can steal from this.

How to Simplify Packing

To start with the end in mind, my goal was to eliminate “packing” as a part of the travel experience. Overtime, I have made note of what would need to happen to have a permanently-packed bag. One of my key assumptions is that (for most trips) we only need one week’s worth of clothes even if we’re traveling for longer because we will invariably have an opportunity to do laundry as needed. Below are the ideas I’ve used to accomplish this goal.

• Make a list
  • All the things you would need for the different types of trips–work, pleasure, winter, hiking, beach, etc. This should include things you use to optimize your daily life when you’re at home so you don’t have to fall victim to sacrificing your health on the road as so many people tend to do.
  • Start with the basis of what’s needed to live on the road for one week
  • Jot everything that comes to mind and eliminate later
• Lay everything out on your bed or the floor
  • Roll as much as possible
  • Use packing cubes

• Get the right backpack
  • Prioritize efficiency, comfort, and back support
  • My favorite is the nomatic

• Stop Forgetting by Pre-Packing
  • Supplements, medications, electrolytes (I carry the Huberman sleep cocktail + LMNT + Vit D3/K2 + Ibuprofen)
  • Sleep mask (My preference is the Alaska Bear brand)
  • Toothpaste/Toothbrush/Deodorant/Razor/Lotion/Sunscreen
  • Pack for all-weather–work out clothes, long-sleeve, short-sleeve, pants, shorts
  • Jacket that can be folded into a very small bag or space
  • Phone chargers + computer charger (keep all your electronics in one bag or pocket)
  • External battery to charge all devices on the go
  • Portable screen for laptop (for remote workers; I use Lepow which allows for dual screens everywhere I go)
  • Cheap sunglasses (that you won’t care if you lose)
  • Universal travel adapter
  • Passport + printed copy of driver’s license always left in my bag

• Use your carry-on wisely
  • Things that eat up the most space or are heavy (ie: jeans, hoodie, shoes, extra layers, etc.) are good to stuff in your carry on (or wear them if possible)

Optimizing the Airport Experience

This is by far, one of the most underrated and relatively easy-to-implement areas where we can eliminate a lot of the stress and inconvenience associated with travel.

• Get through airport security with ease
  • Get TSA-Precheck
    • Many credit cards will offer a credit for TSA-Precheck which means the only thing it costs you is time
  • Use Global Entry / Mobile Passport
    • If you’re traveling internationally, you can skip the long customs lines coming back into the US (that often lead to missing connecting flights) by inputting your passport info into the Mobile Passport app and getting a QR code
  • Use CLEAR
    • A lot of people have TSA-pre OR CLEAR, but don’t use both; if you have both you can go to TSA-precheck and skip to the front of the line with CLEAR
    • You don’t have to show an ID, only your boarding pass
    • With both, you don’t have to take anything out of your bags, shoes off, etc.
    • Down side of this and TSA-Pre is privacy issues / clear being a private company and having your biometric data – they have a robust privacy policy for consumer protection but public companies have long proven to not be trustworthy and find ways to monetize our data and use it for ulterior motives
  • Travel with a fanny pack (this may be an unpopular retrograde opinion as I resisted it for a long time, but it makes life a lot easier when traveling)
    • Use this for all the loose things you want easy access to + the things that are normally in your pockets that you have to take out and makes it easier to lose stuff in security – instead have it all in a fanny pack and drop that with your other stuff
    • I use it for my phone, hand sanitizer, mints, hand lotion, tissues, keys, wallet, etc.
    • If you’re against a fanny pack, choose one pocket in your bag where you keep all the same stuff

One last nugget that saves money and simplifies international travel is the Schwab ATM-fee reimbursement account. It reimburses fees worldwide, has no transaction fees, and the last time I was abroad, it made an adjustment on the exchange rate (which may have been a mistake). Either way, this is a great way to minimize fees and make it easy to get cash in the local currency when you arrive in a new country.

Hope this enhances your travel experience and makes for more fun and gratitude at how easy it has become to travel, especially if you setup systems that have zero-cost of replication and keep paying dividends perpetually into the future.