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Travelling to a new location for the holidays can be both an amazing and enriching experience, and also a logistical nightmare and the cause of many a serious headache.

On one hand you’ve got the excitement that comes from seeing new places, exposing yourself to a new culture, and trying out some good food — all without having to worry about work or early morning wake-up times.

On the other hand, you’ve got the worries about which clothes to pack, what books to take along with you, how to structure your itinerary and all the rest. If you find yourself freaking out over your unpacked suitcase mere hours before your flight is due to leave, you’re a pretty typical example of the average traveller.

It turns out that minimalism isn’t just a great philosophy for streamlining your life at home — it can also make your travels that much more stress-free.

Here are some minimalist tips to take some of the stress out of your next vacation, whether you’ll be staying in luxury at the Courtyard Ahmedabad, or backpacking from place to place.

Pack just a few basic clothes and let your accessories do the rest

Everyone wants to look stylish when on vacation, but squeezing a variety of fashionable outfits into your suitcase leaves you with little space for anything else.

Instead of worrying too much about bringing the entire Summer Collection along with you, opt to pack a few basic outfits instead, and allow your accessories to add a touch of flair and style, depending on the occasion. Earrings, necklaces and bracelets are all good options here.

Practice some mental minimalism by meditating and dropping your expectations

When we’re disappointed or frustrated with a vacation, it’s usually because we’ve developed some very specific and idealistic expectations of what our trip is going to be like, and then find ourselves frustrated when the reality turns out to be something else altogether.

Instead of leaving for your trip with vivid mental images in place of what you’re going to experience, try and adopt a “blank slate” mentality instead. Get excited about the uncertainty of the trip instead, and take every new experience as it comes, for what it is.

Practising mindfulness meditation can be a great way of detaching yourself from your racing thoughts in this regard.

Take items with you that can accomplish several purposes at once

Instead of taking your whole library with you on your trip in order to catch up on your reading, consider packing a Kindle eReader instead.

Instead of a series of booklets and brochures about sites to see at your destination, try and find a single comprehensive travel book, and allow your hotel WiFi and phone to make up the difference.

A key part of minimalism is making each item do as much work as possible, rather than overburdening yourself with dozens of specialised tools that you could really do without, and which each occupy part of your attention.