Being mobile, or able to carry everything you've got, is the key to easy foreign travel. If you think you're strong, try picking up all your equipment and walking around the block.
Departures
Final Exam
People overpack because of timidity and fear of the unknown, both largely results of inexperience. I've written these pages to provide — in some measure — the benefits of a not inconsiderable amount of urban/rural and business/tourist travel experience. Naturally, my solutions will not be ideal, or even correct, for everyone. How will you know if your ultimate choices are good ones (preferably prior to that once-in-a-lifetime trip)? Fortunately, there's a simple, reliable test, a kind of "Hudson's Bay Start" to your travels …
Pack your chosen bag with the items you plan to take. Put on the shoes you plan to wear. Then take the bag for a one-hour walk around town, ideally including an ample assortment of stairs, poor walking surfaces, and the like. Stop for brief rests as necessary, but don't spend the hour in a café! If you're still happy at the end of your excursion, make your travel reservations.
And have a great trip!