Why limiting yourself to a single carryon isn't always the right answer
aka: My European packing "failure"
It’s been a bit since I’ve written 💕 Thanks for all your notes and well-wishes as I prepared for a new journey of my own back to Europe. You’ll hear more about this as we go, but for today, the topic of packing is fresh on my mind, so here we go!
Social media is inundated with travel “influencers” bragging about fitting all their travel needs into one tiny carryon.
They create videos of their bag’s contents and include details like how many pair of underwear and pants they’ve included. They offer links to their favorite compression bags. And they brag endlessly about traveling light.
I think this is great.
For them.
It’s also because of content like this that one of the questions I’m asked most often is: “Should I try to bring only a carryon?”
My answer is never “Yes.”
Here’s why.
I believe there’s a bit more nuance that should go into your packing, so I usually ask women 3 specific questions to help them decide the best route for them.
I recently packed my bags to spend an extended time in Kosovo and Europe, so I’ll use my own recent experience as an example.
1- Start with your “why”
Are you planning to explore the world, hopping from one place to another via train, plane or bus? Or do you want to dive deep into the culture of one city or country, staying in fewer locations and taking excursions from there?
As I was packing for my own journey, I quickly realized there was no way I could fit all that I wanted into my usual 1 checked bag and 1 small carryon. For a few days I was hard on myself, insisting that I had to figure out how to narrow everything down to fit into one bag.
After all, lots of people travel with only one bag. Especially experienced travelers.
Then a friend asked the key question:
“But why do you think you have to limit yourself to 1 bag?”
This time I’d be away for an extended time. I wasn’t planning to dart around the world. And I’ve spent years traveling for months at a time with just 3 pair of pants, a few shirts and 2 pair of shoes. If I ever needed to be really dressed up, it was a problem. If I wanted to wear heals for a specific occasion, I didn’t have any. Honestly, I’ve grown tired of that.
This time I wanted to be in Europe and have more options, more clothes from home that I love. My reason for travel was different. What I needed and wanted was different. I wanted some of my luxuries from home.
So I gave myself permission to take an extra bag (and I had to work through the fact that I immediately imagined all the travel “experts” piling on their opinions about my travel packing “failure”).
My advice here is this:
Know why you’re traveling and what you want out of the experience.
If having just one bag helps you with that, do it! If not, kick that “rule” to the curb.
2- Can you fit all that you need into your bag(s)?
This question might sound ridiculously simple, but it’s meant to be that way.
I often work remotely and do guest podcast interviews, so I have to factor technology into my packing. And I take some pretty specific supplements to maintain my health that are not so easy to find in other countries, so the reality for me is that I can rarely fit all that I need for a trip into a carryon.
On the other hand, if your needs for a journey are simple and you can get them all into a single bag, do it!
Just don’t forego important necessities because someone else is telling you that you shouldn’t need them.
The key word here is “need.” Can you fit all that you need into your bag?
3- Can you carry your luggage on your own?
This question is ESSENTIAL for all solo travelers.
I’ve witnessed way too many situations (and been in some myself) in which travelers struggle to get on and off buses or trains or have been forced to leave one bag while they attend to another.
Having to do things like this places you wide open to distraction. This can mean ending up with lost or stolen items (not to mention being frustrated and exhausted every time you need to move your bags).
So a clear rule of thumb for me when traveling alone always has been:
Can I carry all of this on my own?
If my answer is yes, I’m good to go.
For example, on my particular trip, even though I decided to bring 2 bigger bags, I also chose to carry a backpack, rather than a rolling carryon. This was intentional…because I knew I could wear the backpack while pulling the other two bags at the same time.
If I had added a 3rd rolling bag instead, I would not have been able to manage all 3 bags on my own.
Once you know your why for traveling and have pared the items you want down to what you need, you then can take a look at your bags and ask, “Can I handle these all on my own in every situation I might encounter—like traveling through the airpot or hopping on and off a train or a bus?”
If your answer is yes, then you’ve discovered the exact number of bags to travel with—even if it means that number is larger than 1. ❤️
For fun, here are a few photos from my first few days back in Kosovo.
I was able to attend an incredible documentary film festival located in Prizren called DokuFest. Definitely worth it!
