How I travelled around the world with carry-on luggage: a true story
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Always wanted to travel the world with just a carry-on suitcase? Associate Editor Emma Macdonald shows us how it’s done.
I’ve recently come back from an around-the-world trip.
It took just over four weeks and included an eclectic array of countries–Japan, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Morocco and the United States.
But most questions I’ve had upon return relate not to the sights and experiences I took in, but rather “How the hell did you manage with just carry-on?”
Yes, that’s correct. Me, my husband, son and daughter, managed the entire trip and four continents with no checked-in baggage.
Instead, we each took a small suitcase and a backpack.
I posted an Instagram picture of my daughter and I in front of our luggage as we waited to board a late-night flight out of Sydney after a dramatic day involving Canberra fog, a missed international connection and a full-on sprint through the airport.
Nobody cared about that though, they couldn’t believe we were leaving with so little. The pic got nearly 250 likes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzPtdmzhcnv/
I won’t pretend the thought of managing so minimally didn’t keep me up at night in the lead-up to the trip.
My husband’s helpful suggestion that I only really needed two pairs of shoes elicited such a rush of adrenaline to my system, I may have almost thrown one shoe directly at him. I was definitely feeling the pressure. Also, as a jeans addict, how was I supposed to narrow the collection down to just two pairs?
Yet, in the end, we managed.
It made a difference that we were mainly based in the northern hemisphere over summer and had no bulky winter knits to accommodate.
Kids, of course, are the easy bit. Mix and match separates for the male teen in the colour-scheme of navy and white, and mainly light cotton dresses for my nine-year-old daughter rolled up meant they barely took out half their suitcase space. Each took two pairs of sneakers.
We had one warm outfit each (jeans and denim jackets for the girls and long sleeves and jeans for the boys) which we wore to the airport.
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Nothing screams versatility more than a denim jacket and I wore mine constantly – if not on my body then conveniently wrapped around my waist.
As it turns out I took three pairs of shoes – Birkenstocks, white sneakers and tan ankle boots.
My sneakers had a leopard-print panel which I paired with a leopard-print scarf. This made me feel a bit coordinated – and the scarf kept me warm en route as well as keeping the sun off my neck and shoulders in the really hot places.
I rolled up a few black and white t-shirts, chucked in my obligatory denim cut-offs and kept everything fairly neutral. I found room for two long-sleeved cotton shirts (which doubled as cover-ups after swimming) and also packed a short dress and playsuit–both in khaki.
Because we were heading to Marrakesh I invested in an outfit I loved that really captured that Moroccan vibe–drop-crotch beige linen pants and a floaty white shirt–both sourced from Andandreastyle.
It kept me covered and cool and got quite the workout across Spain where we were in and out of churches and I felt the need to dress modestly.
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I found room for two pairs of swimmers. I threw in an extra Burberry scarf because, well, I really like scarves.
Everyone got five pairs of socks and undies and I resigned myself to hand-washing in hotels as we went.
I also took a large black tote on the plane which carried a smaller handbag inside. Nothing was over-stuffed and we never had a problem fitting into the overhead luggage section.
If there was any real challenge, it was the fact that carry on necessitated no bottles or jars of liquids over 100mls. This meant a small bottle of perfume, travel bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and decanting skincare into smaller bottles.
We only hit one snag in Helsinki when customs insisted all liquids fit into one small plastic zip-lock bag for each member of the family. Goodbye sunscreen and deodorant. These were replaced when we landed.
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The whole point of the exercise was to allow us to travel light, hire a smaller car and save from the agony of baggage claim after each leg of the journey. We saved actual hours of our trip time this way. It also gave us a certain sense of freedom.
No panic when the conveyor belt swung around with everyone’s suitcase but ours. No arriving last in the line at passport control. Having all toiletries and clean clothes on hand to freshen up after the big flights. And no heavy lifting up stairs, on trains and through hotel lobbies. You get the drift.
Mentally, it cleared even more space than we saved.
I figured the worst that could happen would be the need to buy something in Europe. Hardly a drama. And as it turned out, I could not go past a blue-print cotton dress in Lisbon, as well as a pretty white linen shirt dress. Both fitted in my suitcase fine.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzfzraChncO/
The title for this piece should be “How I travelled around the world with carry-on luggage–and still posted to Instagram.”
Yes, it seems I had enough clothes to fill my grid, and not look like a one-outfit-traveller. Mission accomplished.
Actually, for me, it was incredibly freeing not to worry about too much choice. I was always able to dress appropriately and for the cultural and weather conditions. The kids always had clean clothes and we even managed to shove some purchases in our still-roomy suitcases on the way home.
The final word must go to my husband. I ended up only wearing my sneakers and Birkenstocks. The ankle boots came home brand-new. He was correct about only needing two pairs of shoes.
I will know for next time.
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