Lani Teshima is a tech writer for a San Francisco Bay Area software company, but in her spare time she maintains a helpful, no nonsense site called The Travelite FAQ.

Essentially an extended argument for never, ever checking your luggage, the site offers a wealth of information and tips for what to pack, how to pack, why overpacking is more a burden than a blessing, and ways to convince yourself that you’ll be much happier if you leave X Y Z at home—you really don’t need to bring that hair dryer, you can go to an internet café and leave the laptop at home (um…yeah, right).

While most of the clothing tips are aimed towards women, it’s not a leap of the imagination to translate her advice to a male-centric version. One bit of packing advice was brand new to me, and I think I’ll have to take advantage of it on my forthcoming trip to the Caribbean:

Save your holey socks and dingy underwear for your trip, and throw them away as you go! You’ll have less washing to do. Same goes for old T-shirts, and even SHOES! If you are a regular jogger, save your older running shoes (which are still good for walking). You can throw them away at your trip and not have to carry them home (donate them at the city’s Goodwill or church if your conscience bothers you). Also, if you’re going on a shopping trip and you’re planning on stocking up your wardrobe, take only those old clothes you plan to throw away. As you buy new clothing, you can wear them and have less to pack.

With this in mind, I have visions of festooning Puerto Rico with old flaking concert tee shirts and faded, stretched-out underpants. The (not work safe?)green and gold ones, however, are coming home with me.

[travelite.org]