This summer I've been attending a lot of networking events, classes and seminars and I've found many people shocked that I could possibly travel for 4+ weeks, as I often do, without ever checking luggage. Interestingly, many express particular surprise because they claim all the women they know travel with a multitude of shoes and changes of clothes, so much so that it requires checking at least one, and sometimes two bags. I've got packing down to an art. One of the secrets: I only travel with two pairs of shoes -- and I get on the plane with one of those pairs. One of the other secrets: almost every item of clothing doubles as something else or is made of a special fabric that can easily be washed and dries in a jiffy. I've guest blogged about my packing tips several months ago. And I think, given the number of discussions I've had this summer on this topic, I should bring it to your attention. Check out the 10 reasons why I never check luggage, including carrying a smallish Mountainsmith Backpack that stores most everything I need for months of walking, biking, hiking, kayaking, urban traveling and even evenings out at restaurants, bars and clubs, as well as a Mountainsmith fannypack that doubles as my purse/day pack and carries all my necessities: wallet, passport, camera, tape recorder, notebooks, aspirin, extra pair of glasses, and so forth.
4 comments:
I'm the same way. I used to lug and check massive duffel bags for even one-week trips. Then I went on my first 2-week backpacking trip to Europe a few years ago and realized that with all the trains, flights, and moving around, I didn't want an enormous bag and I didn't want to worry about checking it. I got an expandable travel backpack (I use the Rick Steves one) and decided it was the time to embrace minimalism. It was hard at first but I only brought the necessities, brought some light-weight travel clothes, and learned tricks, such as rolling clothes and stuffing socks in shoes. It went so well and was so much easier that I've traveled that way ever since.
On the trip before my first backpack one, I had checked luggage and it got lost on the way home. I didn't get it delivered for days and when I did, many items had been stolen by TSA. I filed a claim and finally got a refund, but either way, it was another incentive to never check luggage again!
Hi Emily, Your experience echoes those I had before I decided years ago to abandon checking luggage entirely. Thanks for your comments. It provides plenty of insights for readers and reinforces the idea that checking luggage is overall a waste of time.
Brilliant post, thank you for sharing this with us, less is more as they say.
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