In an age when luggage wheels spin smoother than a Qantas upgrade, one ancient traveller mistake continues to roll on overpacking. No matter how far technology and airline baggage fees advance, people still cling to the comforting delusion that they’ll wear all 27 outfits they’ve jammed into that suitcase.
According to the Global Rescue Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey, the world’s most seasoned wanderers still haven’t learnt the noble art of packing light. Nearly one in three (32%) confessed to lugging more than needed, barely budging from 35% recorded in surveys from early 2023.
“The numbers tell us that overpacking is the single most consistent mistake we see, year after year,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies and a U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board member. “It’s a habit that adds stress and weight to a trip when the real goal of travel should be freedom and discovery.”
Well said, Dan. Freedom and discovery are neither of which fits easily in an overweight Samsonite.
The psychology of excess baggage
Why do we keep doing it? Experts say overpacking isn’t just a logistical issue; it’s a psychological one. We pack for our insecurities.
“Travellers often pack for their fears instead of their needs,” observed Harding Bush, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and now Global Rescue’s associate director of security operations. “That’s why overpacking remains so persistent.”
Bush may be right. Behind every neatly folded spare shirt lies a little voice whispering, What if it rains? What if it’s cold? What if I spill coffee on myself in Rome again?
It’s human nature; the same instinct leads us to take umbrellas on sunny days and order dessert “just in case.”
But those extra shoes, jackets, and “maybe” outfits come with baggage fees that could make a bank manager blanch. Airlines love an overpacker. So does the chiropractor you’ll need after hauling it all up a cobblestone hill.
Stress in a suitcase
Ironically, all that excess weight meant to calm anxiety usually does the opposite.
“The irony is that overpacking, meant to reduce anxiety, often creates the very stress travellers are trying to avoid,” said Kelli Poole, Global Rescue sales manager and avid world traveller who has traipsed across more than two dozen countries from Mozambique to Norway.
Heavier bags mean slower airport queues, higher costs, and an endless ballet of “where’s my charger?” performed nightly in hotel rooms worldwide.
Even so, underpacking isn’t the answer either. No one wants to be the poor soul at a Swiss mountain lodge in thongs and a T-shirt because they believed too deeply in minimalism. The trick, say experts, is balance: pack intentionally, prioritise versatile clothing, and keep “just in case” items to a sensible minimum.
Old wisdom for modern travellers
As any seasoned traveller knows, the best packing philosophy was coined long before rolling luggage existed: Take half the clothes and twice the money.
It’s a rule worth reviving. The beauty of travel lies not in the number of shirts we bring, but in the stories we collect while wearing them. And let’s face it, the fewer shirts, the lighter the stories.
So next time you’re hovering over an open suitcase, wondering whether you’ll need that fifth pair of shoes, listen to the voice of reason or perhaps Dan Richards, who’s made a career out of studying such behaviour. As he reminds us, “The real goal of travel should be freedom and discovery.”
By Jason Smith
BIO:
Jason Smith has the kind of story you can’t fake, built on long flights, new cities, and that unmistakable hum of hotel life that gets under your skin and never quite leaves. Half American, half Asian, he grew up surrounded by the steady rhythm of the tourism trade in the U.S., where his family helped others see the world long before he did.
Eager to carve out his own path, Jason packed his bags for Bangkok and the Asian Institute of Hospitality & Management, where he majored in Hotel Management and found a career and a calling. From there came years on the road, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam — each stop adding another thread to his craft.
He made his mark in Thailand, eventually becoming Director of Sales for one of the country’s leading hotel chains. Then came COVID-19: borders closed, flights grounded, and a new chapter began.
Back home in America, Jason turned his knack for connection into words, joining Global Travel Media to tell the stories behind the check-ins written with the same warmth and honesty that have always defined him.
