This past week on the podcast I interviewed Dan Demsky, founder of Unbound Merino, on the top 10 places to visit before you die.

When I knew we’d be talking, I wanted a fresh angle. I figured he’d probably talked all about his business before–why he started it, what makes it different than other clothing brands, and the like–but why not tap into his vast travel knowledge instead of just talking clothes? I mean, it was his love of travel that inspired Unbound’s lightweight and super-travel-friendly items, so why not start there?

After running through his list of must-visit places (you have to listen to get the details there!), I also wanted to know how he packs for trips. No one has time for a ton of fuss while exploring new corners of the world, right? And of course, he delivered some good intel.

His number one tip to pack lighter and smarter when you travel? List our all your plans–and I mean all, from travel to things you’ll be doing once you arrive–and use that as your starting point. When you see exactly what you’ll be doing, you can start to figure out how to make pieces work for different occasions.

“I write down the situations I’ll be in. So the airplane, workouts, nice dinners every day–you know, whatever my situations are. And I just make a list of what I need and try to reduce everything as much as possible.”

I know what you’re thinking: But what about that one special dinner we have planned? Or that one event I know I’ll need something more than basic for? Packing simply as your foundation will leave you space for those one or two items you want to add in.

“What’s cool is if you reduce your everyday clothes to the bare minimum and the simplistic, versatile minimum that you can, you have room for that fancy outfit.”

Win-win!

Check out the episode for more of Dan’s advice as well as the top destinations he suggests you check out. It’s a good one!

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