A little over a decade ago, I took my very first Summer trip to Europe and I made one major mistake: I brought a giant suitcase. As I traveled from city to city and hotel to hotel, I found myself dragging around all these things I didn’t need and wish I’d never packed. After that trip, I promised myself I would never overpack again, and I stuck to that goal. Almost every year, I go back to visit friends, sometimes for three to four weeks at a time, and I only take a carry-on suitcase. Whenever I tell people that, they always ask me how, and I say it’s all about packing the right things.

The biggest rule I follow is: take one good choice of everything. I take one pair of sneakers, one pair of jeans, one good dress, and so on. Aside from fashion pieces, I’ve also narrowed in on the right cosmetic bag, shoe bags, jewelry cases, and more. One good idea that you might consider is to write a travel list that you can refer to before any trip in order to remind yourself what you do and do not need. Good preparation is necessary in order to travel light.

by Krista Jones, popsugar.com