Use a great travel packing list as a key to a low-stress and happy vacation or business travel trip.

With the web there's no excuse to not use a great travel packing checklist to speed your travel packing and ensure enjoyment. Packing correctly - bringing just what you need, but not one iota extra - can lighten your physical and mental load. By carrying less you'll move around easier, yet the trick, of course, is being sure you haven't forgotten anything essential.

Tip #1: Leave home and office in good order. Make sure your home is all buttoned up before you leave and that pets and plants will be taken care off. Leave keys with a neighbor so they can access in case of emergency, empty your refrigerator and stop routine deliveries. In the office, nothing supports a successful trip than a clean desk and empty email in box - schedule a few hours of blocked out time the day before your trip to catch up on all urgent office matters.

Tip #2: Make packing easy by using a great travel packing checklist. There's no excuse for not using a travel packing list to make sure you don't forget anything essential. You can use a web search engine to search for 'travel packing list', 'travel packing tips', or 'travel packing checklist' or see the end of this article for a link to my favorite printable travel packing list. Find one you like and print it out. Use it religiously.

Tip #3: Bring the bare minimum. Nothing adds to stress and tiredness on travel like having too much and too heavy of a luggage burden. I always recommend that, once you're all packed, try carrying all your luggage for 5 or 10 minutes - say around a city block. This begins to simulate the short hauls you'll have on your trip. After your test haul, you'll be motivated to lighten up. Find items you can do with out.

Tip #4: Learn and improve. As you use your packing list have a system for marking it up. You might cross out any items that you didn't bring, and check marks next to the ones you did. No, here comes the critical step - bring the marked up printout with you on your trip. During your trip, if you find you need something that you didn't bring, note it down on the list. And, just as importantly, at the end of your trip take a moment and find those items you brought, but that you can live without next time - and cross them out. As your packing list gets dog eared and marked up, consider typing it into your computer so you have your own custom list (you don't have to type it in from scratch, just select and copy the original web list you started from and paste it into your word processor - you can then start editing this complete list).

That's it - travel light but without out missing any essential items. Use your travel packing list religiously and hone it constantly.