I will be flying to Jakarta this Thursday to attend We The Fest. Aside from Laneway, this has been an annual thing for me, my bestfriend, and my sister. It’s so nice that this year, Allan and his brother will also be joining us.
I started diverting my expenses from foods and clothes to music festivals since last 2013 when I made the conscious decision of spending more on experiences than material things. I save up for my walwalan expenses every 4th quarter of the previous year in anticipation for the 1st quarter music festival season. To make sure that the gigs/concerts I go to will be worth it, I make sure that the artist lineup are all in my Band Bucketlist. Else, I wouldn’t spend a peso for it.
When it comes to traveling, I’m pretty sure I’m also in the top 10% of women who pack light. I do this by not availing check-in luggages, especially for trips that are only 1 week long. This helps me manage my airfare cost and shopping expenses. I get to stick to the 7kg carry-on luggage allowance by keeping these 3 things in mind:
- My clothes and shoes should have one color theme for easier mixing and matching. In my case, it’s obviously black, white, and gray.
- I only pack the exact number of clothes and toiletries for the whole trip. In my case, I wear 2 pairs of clothes and undergarments in a day – one for sleeping, one for going out. Of course there will be exceptions depending on the purpose of my travel.
- I ask the hotel/hostel/Airbnb owner in advance if they have towels and a hair dryer in advance so I won’t be packing my own.
I applied these 3 rules to my upcoming trip. Here’s how my things look like:
Clothes + Undergarments
We’ll arrive in Jakarta on the 12th, then fly back to Manila on the 16th – that’s a total of 5 days. This would mean 5 pairs of clothes for going out, 5 pairs for sleeping. My travel wardrobe is very no-frills and functional. I make sure I look decent enough in it, while at the same time comfortable enough to walwal in it.
Toiletries
I buy the travel size packs of my everyday consumables. For my shampoo and conditioner, I use the sachets so I can throw it right away. Though its weight is negligible, it makes a huge difference in my luggage’s physical space.
Other Items
- We will have a 6-hour layover in Singapore going to Jakarta and back to Manila so I packed my Aquazorb towel so I can freshen up during this time. I seriously swear by this product – though it’s only a few inches bigger than a regular hand towel, it’s super absorbent it can dry up my whole body, including my hair.
- Instead of packing isopropyl alcohol or hand gel, I replaced it with wipes as it’s easily disposable and more portable.
- My slippers and laundry bag are staples for me.
Combining all these, here’s how my luggage looks like and how much my luggage weighs:
5 days worth of stuff, weighing only 6.7kg. If I bring my laptop and jacket, the 7kg is still more than enough. It also helps that my luggage is lightweight. Come to think of it, I can actually fit these in a backpack. But yeah, I don’t want to roam the airport with a bulky thing on my back, so this would definitely do.
I’m ultra conscious of making the most of all experiences I go through. Taking away mundane things from my mind like clothes and toiletries allow me to put more focus on the experience and be present in every single second of it. I hope this minimalist take on packing/traveling was helpful so you can genuinely enjoy your trip.
With that, I say walwalan na, guys.
FATIMA ESPINEDA 