Traveling with only a carry-on bag

I’ve ordered so many lightweight bags that I’m actually embarrassed when our UPS driver, Bruce, shows up at our house!

I am convinced that taking only a carry-on bag along with your tote bag or backpack is the only way to travel! However, I am not yet convinced which specific bag is the right one for me. So, I like to try other bags on for size.

I was so happy on a recent trip to Paris and Amsterdam that we weren’t hauling our huge checked bags everywhere. (Like we did in Italy and we only needed half of what we packed) And nowhere was more evident than on those European trains! I saw tourists struggling with their huge coffin sized suitcases and I felt sorry for them. They are so heavy to drag up the train stairs and you have to put them in a “big bag” storage area so they might not even be in your possession or sight. No thanks. 

For that trip, we traveled with the Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45 bag and it was great! My husband carries his with the shoulder strap and I use mine as a backpack.

https://www.tombihn.com/products/aeronaut-45?variant=16381010567

Honestly, I think packing all my stuff in a carry-on bag is totally challenging and I don’t enjoy it. But, the pain of waiting for your luggage, the additional time it takes, the chance that it won’t even make it to your destination and the fact that items might be missing from your bag make it worth the agony over deciding which dresses and tops to cut from my little bag.

Next up…some thoughts on my favorite carry-on pieces.