Last night I flew from one end of the country to the other to visit my family and friends. The flight was long, and as with most long flights (when there aren’t crying babies), I had plenty of time to think about an idea I wanted to share with you guys. As I sat back and reflected on the flights I’ve taken over the last few years, one thing in particular stuck out in my mind: most people brought luggage.
That’s a rather obvious thing to say, and perhaps you’re currently popping a vitamin duh, but it’s also worth thinking about. Why? Well, the question is… do you really need to pack a suitcase worth of stuff, or could you function just fine out of a carry-on backpack? More importantly, what’s the point of doing so? Let me try and convince you.
Do you really need the suitcase?
When many people pack, they seem to make a concerted effort to stuff as many things as possible into their suitcase. They cram in items for every possible scenario, real or imagined, and I would argue that in almost every case, people don’t need to bring even half the items they usually end up packing. Have you thought about how long you’re travelling for? What you’ll be doing? Whether or not it will be easy to pick up a few things if you decided not to bring them, but actually need them?
I’ve never packed more than a large, carry-on backpack worth of clothing and gear, and this has served me well for every trip and situation that I’ve been in – from a trip to the Belize Jungle, to a trek across Egypt. Using a simple travel checklist, I’ve been able to cut out anything that’s not absolutely necessary, and spare myself ever having to check luggage. This is key!
Okay, but what’s the point?
You’ve just gotten off of a 9 hour flight. You’re tired, maybe a bit cranky, and now you have to go wait in a huge throng of people to get your luggage. But the workers are slow, and you’re there for over half an hour, grumpily standing around, wishing you were heading off to enjoy the sights of the beautiful European country you just you touched down on. See where I’m going with this?
If you’re willing to forgo a bunch of items you probably don’t need anyway, you can skip the suitcase and save a ton of the time at the airport. While those other suckers are waiting around for their luggage, you’ll be hopping in a cab, off to adventures, excitement, and drinking. Even better, is that if you’re moving around a lot, you won’t have to carry that big clunky suitcase around, and that my friends, is well worth the little bit of extra up front to plan ahead, and not bring junk you don’t need.
If you have any tricks you use to travel light, please share them in the comments below. I’m a minimalist through and through, and would love to learn a thing or two from you guys.
(Photo: Gordon Anthony McGowan)
