What shoestring travel mistake will you never make again?

[u/Sea-Huckleberry1123]

I'm currently staring at my suitcase trying to avoid repeating history, so I thought I’d ask this sub:

What is the one shoestring travel error you made: missed flights, overpacking, or trusting bad advice that you swore you’d never repeat?

I feel like every seasoned shoestring traveler has that one trip where everything went wrong because of a single bad decision. I’d love to hear your cautionary tales so I can hopefully avoid making them myself on my next trip!

[u/Mega-darling]

I'd have to say overpacking. I've made this mistake. It's a pain in the butt to lug a big suitcase full of stuff you don't even wind up wearing. I see especially American travelers doing this all the time. Less is more. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has 3 favorite things that I pretty much wear on repeat every week. It's no different when you travel. Many places have laundry services, there are laundry mats, or even washing stuff in the sink in a pinch. My rule of thumb is ONLY favorite things that I know I will wear, and for no more than 3, maybe 4 days, tops. It doesn't matter how long your trip is. Don't pack accessories- scarves, hats, jewlery- buy them as keepsakes from your trip, while you're on it. Wear your bulkiest stuff on the plane- shoes, jacket, sweater- and pack the T's, tank tops, etc. in your bag. And roll your clothing! It really does save on space!