Once you travel with carry-on, you’ll promise yourself that you’ll never travel any other way. I stood in line for hours to check a piece of baggage, stressing that I would miss my flight. It only had to happen once before I vowed to travel with carry-on only.
It’s not as simple as it sounds. I researched what the ideal size of carry-on should be. It should have been a simple task, but each airline has its own luggage restrictions on what is acceptable and the difference in the measurements is astounding. Extra fees will be charged for an over-sized carry on and some are outright rejected.
The first time I went to London, England with my husband we stayed for five months. We arrived at our rented an apartment, 26-inch suitcases in tow and stood at the base of a steep staircase, realizing our home for the next five months was on the fifth floor and no elevator.
Fast forward ten years to a two-week safari in Africa when I insisted on taking carry-on only. I walked through security carrying a sleek knapsack and wheeled carry-on using my fingertips to glide through. A week in the Caribbean with carry on – piece of cake, a swimsuit, few cover ups, sundresses and two pairs of shoes and a light cardigan or a wrap. No checked luggage, one less line. No waiting at the other end. I travel a lot, so I keep a bag permanently packed with miniature, decanted necessities, so it’s not an ordeal to be repeated. No checked luggage. One less line to wait in. No waiting at the other end. Do your homework, invest in a scale and carry on carrying on.