Traveling Light with Jojo from Traveling Petite Girl

Photo by  Beautiful Chaos Photography. — Photo by Beautiful Chaos Photography.

This post I have invited a very special guest, travel blogger, Jojo Aquino from Traveling Petite Girl. She's not an ethical capsule wardrobe blogger, but because it's the holidays, I thought it would be great to get some tips about how to pack lightly from the girl who knows a thing or two about travel. Here is our interview about traveling light, how to pack for multidestination travel, keeping cool in Southeast Asia, and some of her tips and tricks in her YouTube videos.

The holidays are in full effect. What advice do you on how to travel light during the holidays while traveling to visit family members?

Definitely keep things as minimal as possible. If you’re traveling to somewhere cold, wear a tank top underneath your sweaters to not only to keep yourself extra warm but to also get more wears out of it before washing it.

Photo by Jojo Aquino from Traveling Petite Girl

I like to stopover in places anytime I travel, and sometimes the weather is drastic from one place to the other. For example, for our honeymoon, my husband and I went to Thailand, but we stopped in Hong Kong. It was winter so the weather in Hong Kong was a bit different from the hot heat in Thailand. We did the same thing when we went to Florence, Italy. We stopped in London and I didn’t need a coat in Florence, but London was freezing cold! What advice do you have for packing light for multi-destination travel?

For situations like this, I have the Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Jacket that keeps me warm, protects me from strong winds, and is so compact it can fit in my purse! It even comes in it owns drawstring bag. If you don’t have a jacket like this, I suggest traveling with a vacuum-sealed storage bag to compress a puffy jacket.

You’re traveling mainly around Asia and Southeast Asia. What advice can you give about traveling to Asia and Southeast Asia for each season to prepare our readers for what they might need to bring?

I know people traveling here to Southeast Asia or Asia (during summer) are expecting heat and sometimes forget about the humidity. If your body’s not used to this climate, you’ll be showering in your own sweat so wear breathable clothes! Otherwise, you can pack what you normally wear during summer in the US. If you’re planning on going to the beach, bring swimsuit pieces you can mix & match with. That way you don’t have to bring too many and you’ll have a different look each time.

What are some of your must have travel items that help you save space?

I love packing cubes! With packing cubes, I’m able to pack more items and still have space in my luggage to bring things back home. My packing style is that I pack as minimally as possible and then add a couple more items for flexibility in outfits. And packing cubes help make sure everything fits in my tiny luggage.

I loved your post “17 Travel Packing Hacks with Everyday Items.” What are your most favorite hacks in that post and why?

Thank you!! I had a lot of fun filming that one. My top 5 favorite hacks from that post are the earphone wrapping technique (I hate untangling my earphones!), scanning important documents, leaving contact info inside my luggage, taking a photo of my luggage, and making sure my luggage stands out. The last 4 hacks I mentioned are very important because none of the other hacks matter if I lose my passport or luggage.

If you were to go on a trip around the world for one year, what would be the one item you couldn’t live without and why?

A bikini. I’m an island girl and I’m at the beach 2x a week so it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t say that haha. I like to travel to tropical destinations not just for the beach but to forever escape winter. So if I were to go on a trip around the world for one year, it would only be to warm climates (beach or no beach!). Plus if I do go to a beach, there’s no way I’m going to wear my usual travel clothing, I have to have a bikini to enjoy!

I once read that in order to always pack light, it doesn’t matter how long your trip is, you should pack only for 7 days and do laundry every week for the rest of your trip. What do you think about this method?

I agree! I recently went on a 10-day trip and only packed enough clothes for 5 days. After that, I did laundry to clean them and wear it again. Of course 10 days isn’t that long to really use this method but you really don’t need to bring that many clothes with you. And if you happen to need more clothes, that’s an opportunity to shop!

Are there any travel items you would suggest that are multifunctional?

Scarves - depending on their thickness, I like to use them as blankets on the plane. Dresses – I can use them as a top or bottom by popping a shirt or a skirt over it to give it a different look. And also cheek tints that double up as lip tints.

Do you use a certain color palette for your clothes that way all your clothes match while traveling?

Yes! I naturally go towards earth tones which is great because they all match together: white, olive green, light blue, denim blue, and tan. And then I’ll add a 1-2 more statement pieces that add a pop of color but are still within the earth tone family, like mustard yellow and lavender.

Any other advice you want to mention about minimal travel that I haven’t mentioned?

Challenge yourself by only packing the clothes you need just to get by and get creative with those pieces!

Jojo Aquino is a travel blogger, videographer and photographer living in Guam. If you would like to check out her travel adventures around Asia and Southeast Asia, or if you would like tips about photography, head on over to her beautiful blog, Traveling Petite Girl. You can also see her amazing content on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and her YouTube channel.

Spotlight Posts, TravelShelbiDecember 1, 2017Travel, Light Packing