Increasingly, I have been encountering opinions from others online that if you’re an experienced jetsetter, there is almost an expectation to travel with carry-on luggage only. This expectation seems to exist regardless of the destination or the length of the trip.
I’d like to tell you a story.
Over years of travelling, I’d learnt a thing or two about what to pack and what not to bother with. For a long time, even though I hadn’t tried it, I was skeptical that this whole carry-on only trend was just a version of hipster travel snobbery. I based this on experiences in hostels where it felt as though some guests were trying to create an unspoken competition (or sometimes spoken one) that the smaller your bag was, regardless of practicality for your actual trip and travelling style, the ‘cooler’ you were. The ‘coolest’ traveller of all would be the one who travelled with just a credit card, a passport and one single wet wipe.
‘Cool’ has never been my goal in life.
Let’s be honest – I’ve never been one for unachievable goals.
Some of these ‘travel-impossibly-light’ types also seemed the type to absolutely hate anything on commercial radio, or, it seemed, even music with lyrics, and would only ever listen to anything with air-pods, and always denounce any form of organised tour as not ‘authentic’ enough. There was also the fact that online, some people actually referred to themselves as ‘the carry-on enlightened’.
Eugh.
It was not a club I wanted to join.
However, after many years of only travelling internationally with checked luggage, I then found myself met with an unexpected challenge.
I got an amazing deal on a return flight from Perth to South-East Asia…but the catch was that the super cheap flight also strictly forbade checked luggage, and the cabin luggage limit was seven kilos, including any personal items. The additional fee for a checked bag was hundreds of dollars, which was literally going to double the price of the flight.
That’s how I found myself on a two-week trip in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia with only a five-kilo backpack. I was going to see what it was like from the ‘enlightened’ side.
How did it turn out?
A friend packed my toiletry bag in her backpack so we could get around the 100mls limit issue and I bought a pair of sneakers in Sapa, Vietnam, which I kept for years afterwards.
I am loathe to say it… but it turned out great.
I wanted for nothing. I liked having a small and easy to manage bag. I didn’t pack anything I didn’t use and I didn’t feel like anything was even missing, which is what I had thought may happen.
It worked out perfectly and I know I never would have tried it unless it was saving me so much money. I could then see that that carry-on only travel has benefits other than bragging rights.
So, do I now recommend carry-on only overseas travel? Well, I’ve listed the pros and cons or travelling very light below.
The pros include:
- The improved comfort when travelling locally within a destination. I don’t know anyone who would rather walk half an hour with twenty kilos on their back than five kilos, especially if you’re in extreme heat or humidity. It’s a little thing but can make a pretty big impact on your mood in that moment. Depending on the style of your trip, there might be lots of those moments.
- The money saved on local transport. The extra comfort of a smaller pack leads to money saved, as you’re happier to walk everywhere with your luggage, and therefore save on taxis, uber, public transport or luggage lockers.
- The lack of space in your bag stops you from buying stuff you don’t need and also stuff you don’t actually want. If you don’t have room for it, you can’t buy it. No impulse purchases here.
- The money that can be saved on flights. This is the reason I travelled with carry on only to South-East Asia for two weeks. I literally saved hundreds of dollars by going checked-bag free.
- You don’t have to deal with the risk of lost or delayed luggage. Unfortunately, this is becoming an increasing issue at airports of late. It’s unlikely to happen, but luggage delays can be really inconvenient.
I’d like to note that some people say that not having to check in your bag or wait for your bag at the bag carousel is an advantage of carry-on only travel, so I feel like I should mention it, although I don’t think it actually saves much time or should factor into your overall decision as to whether to bring checked luggage or carry-on only on a trip.
The cons of carry-on only travel include:
- The fact you have way less room in your bag. Let’s start with the obvious one. Some types of trips (self-sufficient camping) and some types of people (I’m looking at you, shopaholics) just need more luggage space than carry-on only travel will allow. If you try to squeeze everything you need / want into carry on, you’ll be unnecessarily limiting yourself in some way on your holiday.
- The risk of extra costs. Whilst you can definitely save money travelling with carry-on only, having to post stuff home or pay for additional luggage allowance last minute at the airport because you don’t have enough space in your carry-on only bag is likely to be way more expensive than if you had purchased allowance for a checked bag to begin with.
- The prohibition of carrying liquids over 100mls. This can be a real pain if you have allergies or sensitive skin and want to BYO toiletry products. This also extends to not being able to buy a decent amount of alcohol overseas to take home (often its cheaper to buy in-country overseas than duty free).
- The potentially decreased comfort on your flights. A lot of carry-on only advice suggests wearing your heaviest jackets, multiple layers and your heaviest shoes on board the plane, as well as stuffing your pockets with your heaviest gear. I know someone who saved money on flights by wearing their diving belt under their shirt. That would not be comfortable on a long flight.
- The fact you might need to do laundry more often. This may be essential to not end up smelly, depending on how carefully you pack! And no one wants to do more laundry than required on holiday. I know a lot of carry-on enthusiasts that say they do laundry every few days or even every night, and that sounds like a total drag to me.
Now that I’ve laid out the pros and cons, you can probably see that I think carry-on only travel does have a range of benefits! However, it also has its drawbacks.
Whether it’s worth it for you should take into consideration the climate you are travelling to, the activities you have planned, whether you plan to buy stuff on your trip (especially liquids), how physically capable you are, how often you will be moving from place to place and your budget.
Would I recommend it?
For certain trips, I would definitely do it again. If I went to another warm destination for two weeks, I’d probably do it, especially if there were cost savings involved.
However, for trips to cooler climates, more varied journeys and longer-term travel, I suspect I’ll be bringing along either my big suitcase or my big backpack, depending on the type of trip I’m planning on doing.
As for the ‘carry-on enlightened?’
To be entirely honest, I’m pretty sure their extreme aversion to checked luggage is more about image and setting an achievable goal they can boast about rather than anything actually revolutionary.
Having tried the super light travel and the normal weight travel options, I’m not too bothered if they continue to judge me for the dimensions of my baggage. And tour bookings. And musical tastes.