Why I Only Travel with a Carry-On
The age-old travel debate: should you check a bag or pack like a minimilist? The latter can be challenging for anyone. I can attest that one pair of Mauricio's shoes can take up 1/3 of his bag and some of us just like having options for outfits and footwear. I have committed to only leaving home with a carry-on. Having a carry-on doesn't mean you can't pack a smart wardrobe or shop. In this article, I will share why and secrets of how I do it.
1. Lost Luggage
The main reason I'm a carry-on-only traveler is the dreaded lost luggage. My mid-twenties found me booking a solo flight to Dublin with my usual adventurous spirit. I was to meet friends there but planned to spend the first day alone. Although I had been to Europe a decade earlier in college, this was my first time traveling solo, and I was still a novice.
The "hygiene kit" was a cruel joke: a toothbrush, a fine-tooth comb (useless for my hair), pantyhose, an XXL t-shirt that hit my knees, and underwear that was unisex and gave me a wedgie no matter how I put it on. When my luggage finally arrived to my hotel almost three days later, I vowed I would never again fly with a checked bag. (See tip 1 below.)
2. Consolidation
Secondly, traveling with a carry-on means having all of your belongings at hand. That Dublin trip showed me this firsthand: I had no extra clothes or toiletries in my satchel, only a book, a journal and an ipad. This taught me the value of of having essentials like medication, a sweater for a cold plane, and eyedrops easily accessible rather than worrying if I packed them in my checked bag.
TIP: For your personal item, bring a backpack that fits your purse inside. Some European airports won't allow you to board with both in view. In the backpack put the things you want at your fingertips, ie. chargers, sweater, headphones, neckpillow, meds you need in-flight, and stow it under the seat in front of you.
3. Time
Without a doubt, not waiting for a checked bag makes for faster exiting of the airport. Faster exiting of the airport means less wait at the taxi stand or train platform. It can also mean if there is a tight connection, you have everything with you when leaving the plane.
TIP: At many airports, you are required to pick-up, rescreen and recheck your bag after an international flight before traveling on to your final destination. While you may have to rescreen your carry-on, you won't have to wait to pick up your bag to be screened and then rechecked.
4. Navigation
On one of my first solo trips I flew to New York City. For a week-long trip I brought two heavy checked suitcases. It was then I learned what "third floor walk-up" means!
Whether exiting the airport via taxi/car, taking a subway or a bus you will be heading to where you need to go for the continuation of your journey. Navigating with huge suitcases plus personal and loose items can be problematic. I once saw someone scream at and berate a poor woman who was taking the local metro to the airport with two huge bags and blocking multiple seats.
Once out of necessity I had to travel solo with a carry on, personal item, and four large checked bags. We were moving from Atlanta to the west coast though and our belongs were being delivered a month out. The key to that trip was No Layovers! Sometimes you don't have a choice, you just have to plan for how you will manage the airport.
TIP: If you find yourself in that type of situation, I recommend hiring an airport concierge to assist you. If you aren't familiar with that type of assistance, it is really beneficial for those who need extra help at the airport. It could be someone like me with lots of bags and only two hands, someone with mobility issues, or a parent traveling solo with multiple children and their bags, strollers, etc.
5. Train Travel
The fifth and final reason is my love for train travel. We've completed many trips around Europe via train, and while a large bag might be feasible for a long single journey, the trips we tend to take involve moving from city to city over several days.
When navigating a city, whether it's walking from Madrid's Atocha train station to a hotel in La Latina, finding a water taxi from Venezia Santa Lucia, or sprinting to catch a connecting train in Munich with only 14 minutes to spare, these would be nearly impossible lugging huge suitcases.
Carry-on vs. Backpack: What I've Learned
You might wonder why I don't just pack a backpack and ditch luggage entirely. It's a question I've considered many times, but my experiences have shown me that a carry-on is often the better choice.
The Backpack's Promise: A backpack seems like the ultimate in minimalist travel, and it can be. For a quick overnight trip where we drove, a shared backpack with one change of clothes was all we needed. This also worked well for a short jaunt to Galway, where we left our main luggage in a Dublin hotel. It offers unparalleled freedom for a very specific type of journey.
The Backpack's Reality: For most of our trips, the backpack's limitations become a problem. As middle-aged travelers, we bring laptops, multiple chargers, medication, and an extra pair of shoes. All that weight on our backs takes a real toll, as we learned on a four-day train trip to Seville that left us with knee and back pain for days.
Ultimately, a carry-on offers the most benefits. It provides the freedom to move easily through crowded stations and cobblestone streets without the physical strain of a heavy backpack. It also has the capacity to hold all my essentials, proving that it's the most flexible and comfortable solution for my style of travel. Whether you opt for the carry-on or a backpack, here are the ones I use that have proven to be tried-and-true for me:
Travelpro Crew Executive Choice Large Backpack
So, how is this even possible? Well, I am ready to share some of my secrets. I picked up some things by religiously reading travel magazines and posts, while others came from the the travel guru himself, Rick Steves.
I'll start with some of Rick Steves' advice that has worked well for me.
- Wear your heaviest shoes on the plane.
- This might make you cringe, but here is a useful tip I was skeptical of at first: pack your oldest underwear and socks and discard them as you go. You'll free up space and won't be hauling that dirty laundry all over Europe. (Not to mention that lovely "Tidying Up" feeling!)
- Limit jeans to one or two pairs.
- Personal Tip on Jeans: For warm weather, I typically bring one pair and wear them on the plane. For colder weather, I may pack two, and always include a dark black pair that can double as a dressier pants. I also pack warm leggings to wear under my jeans for extra warmth.
- Use a local laundrette. We have relied on this tip mostly when we spend more time (3+ days) in one city. This can cut in half the clothes you need to bring. You can also use the hotel's laundry service which is sometimes faster but also pricier.
TIP 1: Wardrobe
In order to manage the urge to overpack, you have to extremely streamline your wardrobe. You can, as I did, research, plan and purchase everything you think you need to be successful at travel packing, but you won't know until you GO. Even as an experienced traveler, I was always unpacking about a third of the items I packed, having never worn them. As I mention in my article Your Unique European Vacation: Quick Tips for a Smooth Trip, I no longer get too hung up on what fashion bloggers say about how to dress. I opt for neutral pieces and accessorize with a scarf or jewelry.
My first packing hack, which I created years ago, involved writing numbers on large sheets of paper for each day of a trip. I would lay these sheets out and build my outfits. I'd put essentials on each pile, then add a pair of pants or shorts every few piles, depending on the weather. For cold weather, I add a tank top to each pile and a long-sleeve shirt to every other pile for layering. For warm weather, each pile gets a lightweight blouse or tank that takes up minimal space. I keep a separate pile for single items like pajamas, a swimsuit cover-up, or a cardigan. Finally, I add a couple of extra pairs of socks and underwear—because that's just smart. Once I have only the items I absolutely need, I group them by type for packing.
I have managed to streamline this even more in the past few years. After one summer trip to Italy, I put all the clothes I hadn't worn to one side. I made a note of what items I actually wore, and even which ones I wore again and again. It took a lot of self-control, but on our next trip to the US Virgin Islands, I only packed what was on that list plus extra swimsuits. When we returned home there were only 1-2 items I had not worn. I recommend trying this, but also maybe swapping out something you took last summer for a new item you really want to bring this time.
This leads me to -
TIP 2: Footwear
Remember when I said I took seven pairs of shoes for a week in New York City? Thankfully I have refined my shoe choices way way down. Keep in mind we are talking about vacations here, not business related trips or trips where fashion is part of the experience. Here is what my choices on a trip to Europe typically entail:
For Spring/Summer
- Comfortable sneakers worn on the plane
- A pair of flip flops
- A very flat pair of versitile sandals
- Birkenstocks
For Fall/Winter
- Comfortable boots worn on the plane
- A pair of flip flops
- Comfortable pair of sneakers
TIP 3: Toiletries
- Essential care - toothbrush, toothpaste, lotions, face wash, small soap, medicine box
- Cosmetics, perfumes and hair
- Contacts and solution, eyedrops, first aide
The only caveat to this when traveling through the UK. As of this writing, and since 2006, the United Kingdom requires all liquids (separated into 3oz containers) be together in one clear resealable bag that holds no more than one liter (33.81 oz). After a painful espisode going through securty from London to Malaga, I made sure to have an extra clear bag on hand to quickly toss all liquids into before leaving for the trip back. I have found it often convenient to carry extra plastic zip bags for wet clothes, leaky soaps, or a catch-all for receipts etc.
Reader, this is where my travels diverge away from the no-checked-bag rule. As you recall, I swear by only flying with a carry-on. Surprise! There is one scenario when I break my own rule. Traveling back home.
Lost luggage on the way home is generally, not that big a deal. The airline will hand deliver everything to your door in due time. There are a couple of reasons I deviate from my no-checking rule and those are directly related to my next tips.
TIP 4: Don't forego shopping
You may have wondered how I refrain from buying souvenirs when I travel. I don't! After many years of limiting my purchases to only small items I could squeeze into my carry-on or backpack, I had a crazy idea. Buy a new bag for souvenirs! At the end of a 10-day train trip, we had several items that we picked up in various cities. At our final stop in Amsterdam, we made our way to the local street market and picked up a small suitcase for 15 euro. Before leaving we carefully packed all of our new treasures into our carry-on and filled the cheap new suitcase with shoes and dirty laundry, which we checked!
That suitcase ultimately did double-duty because it fits inside a carry-on and that was how it turned into a sneaky second bag on a later trip.
TIP 5: Pack a collapsable duffel
I read this one online a few years ago and decided to give it a try. I purchased the WANDF Foldable Travel Duffel Bag, which is affordable and has some cool features. It worked out fine on a trip to Brazil in 2024. I put all my purchases in my regular carry-on and filled the duffel with dirty laundry. I was a bit nervous because the duffel feels flimsy, but it held up after two layovers. I will use it again, but wouldn't recommend putting more expensive clothing inside it in case it tears in transport, dirty or not.
The ultimate hack here is for one person to use the duffel as their personal item on the return flight. Filled with dirty laundry, it can be easily pushed and squished into small spaces on the plane.
After the disastrous start to my solo travels in Dublin, I've learned that going with a carry-on is the smartest way to go. It offers me peace of mind and the freedom to move with ease and flexibility. By strategically pre-planning my wardrobe, packing my essentials in smart containers, and even planning for souvenirs on the way home, I can confidently navigate any destination. So, the next time you pack, I challenge you to leave the giant suitcase behind. Pack lighter, and go further!
