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    Eleanor
    Jul 01, 2020

    Long term travel - hand luggage only?!

    in Backpacks and Packing

    So my partner and I are planning a backpacking trip for July 2021. We are hoping to be away for 1 year and will be going to Europe and Asia but hopefully “following the sun”. Everyone we’ve spoken to is very pessimistic about our choice to travel hand luggage only. Does anyone have any thoughts, tips or ideas on how to do this successfully or just to put our minds at rest that this is possible!!!

    We want to travel light so we can always have our luggage on us and not in the hold, so it’s lighter to actually carry and also as a bit of a personal challenge.

    7 comments
    7 Comments
    Kate
    Jan 22, 2021

    Pack a scrubba portable clothes washing bag (doubles as a dry bag too) And means you can wash your clothes my hand. I’ve got the larger one (actually bought when washing home machine broke) and it’s excellent! Have the best trip!

    Like

    J
    Julitschkaya
    Jul 06, 2020

    Yes to YouTube and blogs! especially the minimalist travelers have some awesome tips to share. Accept, that you will do laundry more often -just pack for 5-7 days- and find waredrobe Items that can be worn in different combinations (keyword for this is capsule wardrobe) and have multiple functions (best example would be the buff- as a scarf or a cap, or a soap for body and hair). It is so fascinating for me how you can minimize your belongings and needs if you want to.

    I created an Excel packing list for my next big 1-2 year trip, and i am editing the hell out of it. I watch a video of a minimalist packing their bag and reduce my amount of shirts in my list afterwards.

    But beware. I am kind of addicted now to lightweight items which serve several purposes. :D

    Like
    eleanorjanegrieves
    Jul 07, 2020
    Replying to

    Thank you! I feel like I need more people to tell me it’s going to work for me to believe I can do it haha!!

    Like

    L
    Lauren
    Jul 02, 2020

    You can definitely do it! It's honestly so much better having less with you than too much. And you can leave behind things and add things as you change climates. There are a lot of great youtube videos with tips for how to make it work!

    Like

    C
    christiannerisman
    Jul 01, 2020

    I travelled for the first time hand-luggage only this year and now I'm never going back! I realised you can fit more into 40L than you might think if you pack smart. Really think about the items of clothing that are absolutely essential and swap liquids like shampoo and soap for bars! Saves so much space!

    Like
    E
    Eleanor
    Jul 01, 2020
    Replying to

    Thank you so much for replying. It was actually your video that inspired us to give this a try. We have exhausted pretty much every single packing video on YouTube to try and get inspiration and I even got over excited and bought my bag (12 months in advance!). I am finding it hard because everyone is so negative about the idea that I keep second guessing my decision to do hand luggage only but I am pretty determined so hopefully I can embrace the minimalist lifestyle for a year!

    Like

    Stephanie
    Jul 01, 2020

    Hi! My boyfriend and I are also planning to go backpacking, but for 2 years. And we are also planning to go handlugage only. Some things I found online that might help:

    - Try to find 1 pair of sneakers that are versatile, so you can wear those on travel days and only have flipflops in you bag. This saves a lot of space.

    - pick toiletries that you can both use (eg deoderant with a neutral scent etc) this way you have to pack less per person because you can use each others stuff.

    - look for clothes you might be able to share. Eg socks size 39-42 (i have 39 he has 42, this way you can also share socks instead of both bringing a certain amount)

    - put all you electronics together and figure out what you can leave at home (a lot of chargers are the same, and do you really both need a computer?)


    I hope this helps, and if you decide to share your travels on any platform I would love to follow them!

    Like
    7 comments
     
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