Kate Barron likes the ease of traveling through airports with one bag. Here she is in the Canary Islands.

Traveling is Kate Barron’s passion. She works long hours in Rome, Italy, teaching Italian executives business English, so she can spend several months a year traipsing to exotic locales, including spending several months a year on Pensacola Beach.

She doesn’t want to drag along overstuffed luggage when she’s hopping around the Greek Islands, sailing around Sicily, backpacking through Thailand, taking a safari in Kenya, or exploring the beaches of Mexico.

So, she has learned the fine art of packing light — sometimes just one bag — and still is able to step out in enough stylish outfits that you’d think she lugged along a dozen suitcases.

Kate shares the secrets for traveling light, but equipped, for every occasion.

--First of all, I choose a basic primary color as a base for my outfits. I normally choose white or black or both.

--I have two or three pairs of linen pants and different (no-iron) tops that will basically work with the pants. I usually take several silk wraps in different colors, or a good-weight pashmina to keep warm if it’s chilly. I avoid carrying cardigans or sweaters, which take up too much space.

-- I also dress up the outfits for the evening with unique pieces of costume jewelry I have collected from other trips. I never take real or expensive pieces of jewelry because they can get stolen or lost. It can be stressful worrying about putting it into the safe.

-- By adding a different wrap or jewelry, you can create a different looking outfit for every evening of your vacation. People don’t realize you are wearing the same things over and over.

-- I also take a tube of travel laundry detergent so I can wash out small things, and most hotels provide a reasonably priced and rapid laundry service.

-- I tend to take easy-to-pack sandals for the evening and leather flip-flops, which I pack in Ziploc bags, and, they can be inserted into side pockets of your luggage. The leather flip-flops can be worn to a beach or worn in the evening with pants, too.

-- I take sarongs that can also be worn in the evening as wraps over the shoulders, or used as wraps around skirts or as belts on trousers. You save on space by using a sarong instead of a beach towel.

-- Silk and chiffon scarves also look nice wrapped around your neck or tied around a bag, and that take up no room in your luggage.

-- I take one crushable, black evening/cocktail-length dress, which can be worn to an upscale restaurant or party.

-- I always buy easy-to-wash, no-iron fabrics. I don’t fold clothes: I roll them in Ziploc bags and squeeze the air out so that I can fit more stuff in my luggage.

-- I lay the linen items flat at the bottom of my luggage.

-- I don’t ever check in my luggage. I take a bag on wheels because I hate waiting, and airlines often lose luggage.

-- If I’m forced to check in my luggage, I carry on a hold-all bag, or tote, with the basics: clean underwear, bathing suit, cosmetics and toiletries.

-- I usually transfer my favorite products into little plastic airline regulation-size bottles, just enough for my vacation. Carrying huge bottles of shampoo or creams take up too much space and can normally be purchased locally.

Never leave home without:
- Sunscreen.
- Suntan lotion.
- Pepto-Bismol.
- Aspirin.
- Generic antibiotic.
- Antiseptic cream.
- Sarongs.
- Aqua shoes (very handy).
- Lots of Ziploc bags and a fold-up tote to carry home bazaar market finds.
- Spare locks to lock up your valuables; even the best resorts have issues.