A huge part of travel involves your trusty luggage, it can change your whole travel experience, sometimes for the worst and sometimes for the better. We’ve all heard horror stories of check-in luggage getting lost in transit, arriving late or not even arriving at all. We’ve heard of horror stories of travellers paying hundreds in fees for overpacking and we’ve probably seen people say goodbye to loved items to make the weight limit. This could all be solved simply by travelling with only carry-on. For the purposes of this, we are considering carry-on luggage to be 7-10 kgs (this seems to be the range around the world, depending on the haul of your flight).
Although it seems like not much, there are a tonne of travellers that travel with ONLY carry-on without any problems. Here are out 5 tips on how to do it and do it well!
Pack light
This might sound easier said than done but there are many strategies to swap traditionally heavy clothing items for much much lighter ones- see our blog post ‘5 top tips on how to travel light‘to see how it can be done.
Be a minimalist
This involves being brutal with your packing decisions and packing ONLY the essentials. Try not packing the 7 extra pairs of socks and try to get through with just the 3- you can continue to wash them by hand and dry them yourself! Maybe lay off the 4 different jumpers and stick to the 2. Say goodbye to the 4 pairs of shoes for every occasion and get by with 2 (one you jump on the plane with and one you pack in your bag). A top tip is that if you are packing it ‘in case’ then you probably don’t need it- if you do, you can always purchase it in whilst on holiday
Use a lightweight backpack
4 wheel suitcases, although sturdy and protective can add lots of unnecessary weight. Choosing a light bag that still is weather protective and relatively sturdy is always a better option. Not only can you usually fit more in but it also saves you a couple of very important kgs.
Wear your heaviest items and stuff your pockets
It’s a bit trickier to travel to colder areas with only carry-on but it definitely is achievable. Wearing your heaviest items of clothing – think boots if you are bringing them, coats, big jackets and even appliances like your phone and camera, is a hack to get away with bringing a little bit more with you!
Choose a smaller bag
Sometimes the only way to limit ourselves and to prevent overpacking is to simply get a smaller bag. This means that we really can’t overpack because the bag just does not allow it.
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