I’ve been on a little bit of a break from blogging and writing this summer so I apologize for not getting this out sooner but I’m back now and wanted to share some of this information with you because, while the specifics will vary, the principles apply no matter what time of the year you travel.

As I mentioned in my last post, packing only one bag for your trip not only has tremendous practical advantages, but is probably the single most important thing you can do to green your travel. Why? Because it really forces you to think carefully about what to take on a trip, and that process in turn, helps you select items and outfits that serve multiple purposes –taking up less space in your luggage and lightening your load.

So pack with an eye towards picking items and clothing that can do double duty so to speak. If an item can perform more than one function, it allows room and capacity for other items that may not be as versatile but you feel you must have with you when you travel. Think of the Swiss Army Knife concept only upgraded for post 9/11 travel.

For example, rather than packing a moisturizer and a sunscreen you can pack a moisturizer with a built-in sunscreen and now you’ve covered two bases with one item. Or you can invest in a pair of convertible pants –ones that can be converted into shorts simply by zipping off the legs– and an item like this can often carry you from day into night without requiring a change of clothes. In many cases, packing layers of clothing means you won’t have to pack a heavy jacket or coat which can take up a lot of room in your luggage and add considerable weight.

The goal is to have one bag that is light enough to tote around with you wherever you go. That way you can easily get around using public transportation, bicycles, or even walking –all of which are either carbon neutral or less carbon intensive than driving or riding around town in cabs. Packing re-usable items like a stainless steel water bottle or bamboo utensils means you won’t leave a trail of waste that will likely wind up in a landfill! And using refillable bottles for your toiletries means if you run out sooner than expected, you can purchase more along the way to refill them. For short trips, I like to pack sample packets of toiletries that I’ve collected from different places. These are usually single-use items but they are lightweight and flat so they won’t take up a lot of room.

And now with the advent of smart phones and other digital gadgets you can really lighten your load while still having access to many things that in the past, would have required packing a lot more. Tune into my next post where I’ll offer additional suggestions for what specific double-duty items to pack if you’re only taking one bag.