Doug Dyment thought he had retired from a career that kept him flying (as a professor, business executive, and technology sales consultant) around the world. But Time Magazine dubbed him “The Go-Light Guru,” and it began all over again.
As the foremost expert on the art and science of traveling light, he is now an in-demand speaker, helping organizations and individuals to hone their travel skills, and improve their travel outcomes.
He shared his insight on travel with us.
Cheapflights: Do you have any routine procedures that you always do when you travel?
Doug Dyment: I always check my packing list prior to leaving on any flight, for the same reason that an airline pilot uses a checklist prior to taking off: It’s easy to miss small but important things that can turn out to have highly unfortunate consequences!
CF: What are your travel pet peeves?
DD: People who think that the purpose of travel is to bring as much of their own environments as possible along with them, thereby depriving themselves of the principal benefit of travel, making those travels much more difficult than they need to be.
CF: What is your favorite kind of trip?
DD: My favorite trip is always to a place where I have never been, which allows me the joy of discovering something truly new. I prefer to avoid mega tourist destinations, as they are often not representative of much other than the local travel industry.
CF: If you could think of one travel nightmare trip, what would it involve?
DD: For me, the only true travel nightmares involve events that adversely affect my health or safety. Beyond that, I can’t imagine a destination that would in and of itself be considered a nightmare, though of course some destinations are more beckoning than others!
CF: What is the best destination you have ever been to and why?
DD: It’s hard to answer this, because there are so many reasons why one enjoys a journey, and it’s deceiving to so label just one of them. My most fascinating trip was to China in the early 70s, when it was still a closed country and not used to foreigners (who were mostly not permitted to enter). So I saw a society that was quite eye-opening, and very different from today’s. Similarly, traversing Checkpoint Charlie with machine-gun-toting Russians, and seeing life behind the Berlin Wall (when it existed) said more about that way of life than reading a hundred books on the subject. It’s the societies that are most different from our own that offer the most life-altering travel experiences.
CF: In your opinion, where in the world offers the best value for money?
DD: Economically depressed countries provide the best “value” for a given expenditure; though I’m unconvinced that such a consideration offers the best motivation for a visit.
CF: Where would you pay to stay? Is there anywhere you think offers great value?
DD: I’d pay to stay anywhere that’s clean, safe, and not too inconvenient. Great values can usually be easily found once you move away from the main tourist destinations. And those are also the locations where you can learn the most about the places you have come to visit.
CF: What is the best airport you have flown through and is there a tip to make this airport experience a great one?
DD: My favorite airport has always been Schiphol, in the Netherlands. It’s efficient, well managed, and never seems to require too great a walk when transferring from one flight to another. And it’s a short train ride to the heart of downtown Amsterdam.
CF: What tip would you share to ensure a great flight?
DD: The secret to great travel experiences is not only simple, but has been regularly described at least since the Roman poet Juvenal wrote about it some 2000 years ago: Travel lightly. One look around a modern airport, however, will quickly inform you that most people who travel have no idea how to do so in a manner that offers superior security, enhanced economy, maximum flexibility, and ultimate serenity (plus ecological sensibility).
CF: Are there any tips you’d recommend for travelers trying to meet the airlines’ baggage weight limits?
DD: Don’t pack so much stuff! Most regular people can travel for indefinite periods of time, through multiple climates, bringing no more than will fit in a single carry-on-sized bag. Thousands do it regularly, so it’s something that can be learned (and most people achieve the goal after only two or three tries). Learn what kinds of clothes are best for travel. Replace all your heavy, bulky, leakage-prone, security-unfriendly liquids and gels: there are compact, lightweight, solid versions of everything from toothpaste to shampoo, sun block to insect repellent, moisturizer to perfume. Reduce your stress by learning how to travel efficiently, flexibly, and inexpensively.
