Carry On or Check
I have always been a light packer, but I had never even considered Carry On Only until a friend told me she was going Carry On Only for a 12 month trip to South America. I was shocked. She started rattling off the benefits, particularly when solo travelling:
- you don’t need someone to watch your luggage while you sort out transport on your arrival somewhere
- you can have your bag with you in buses and planes etc
- you don’t have to pay luggage fees for checked luggage on each flight
- less chance of luggage getting lost in transit
To be honest, I had never really thought about that. But the more I did, the more I thought maybe she’s onto something. I pulled out my 55 Litre osprey pack that weekend and did a trial pack. And sure enough, when packed properly, my contents only filled half the bag.
I could totally do this!!
My only problem was the weight. Australia has a 7kg carryon limit and I was over. And some of the flights in Asia are only 5kg. Then it was on! I started researching light weight, space saving luggage options.
So, my mission will be to go Carry On Only for my 5 month trip through Asia in 2017. I’ll be posting a variety of posts about the products and tips I’ve found while scouring the internet, talking to other “packing nerds”, and just things I’ve found on previous trips.