Packing Lightly - Learner edition

Welcome to the forum.

Participants here are travel enthusiasts who volunteer their time to share their experiences and answer questions. Rick is not here. (Well, he may lurk but not under his own name.)

The way to stay within the weight limits of the numerous airlines is to learn to pack light. It's easy is you want to, it's not easy if you don't.

If you are checking bags, the only things you should take in your carry on are prescription meds, electronics and any valuables you don't want to lose.

And, I don't think Rick is traveling on the cheapest fares. You pay a little extra and you can take more.

Thanks for the very quick and helpful reply Frank.

I liked the idea suggested in one of the videos of packing light so as to avoid the need to drag checked bags around, so I'm planning to try to make the limits of the airlines, but I'm concerned some local airlines have even tighter restrictions, and may not permit 2 bags in the cabin. I'm worried we might end up losing a bag along the way as we can't get it on the plane, so was hoping to get some tips from your experienced forum members as to whether it's actually such a big issue?

Thanks Again

Phil: take a look at this post from Colin Maira who works for Rick in Scotland, but has his own tour service in New Zealand. Here is the post https://mondumo.com/pack-light-travel-far-smart-packing-tips-for-australia-new-zealand/. This works for anywhere in the world with a few adjustments.

I have a larger family, and everyone carries a checked bag with ~
20kg/45lb inside plus a carry on.

Hi there, Call-Me-Phil,
The forum bunch travel all sorts of ways, including their packing methods. Some can travel for two months with just a backpack, and others of us cheerfully check a bag. There's no right or wrong as long as it works for you but oooof, Phil, a 45-pound bag is seriously overpacked unless, say, spending a college semester abroad! My checked bag is less than 1/2 that weight for a 3-week trip...before bringing home those darn museum books, that is. Given what we've had to move our luggage up, down, across, etc. on our European adventures so far, we wouldn't want to deal with that sort of weight.

(To be honest, I'm going to trim mine down a bit further next time. Spring is sadly in this chicken's rearview mirror.)

You might want to start by just trying to eliminate a decent chunk of that 45 pounds even if you can't get it down to carry-on weight? In addition to checking bags - which we choose to do for multiple reasons - we both have modest carryons that contain our essentials and which fit under cabin seats, and we hit a coin laundry somewhere during the trip. Doing a wash-up is just part of the adventure!

Hi there, Phil.

Like Kate, we cheerfully check a bag, but they weigh 20-24 lbs, a weight we can each manage on-and-off trains, for a trip of 4 to 10 weeks. Our day bags/backpacks we carry on with meds, electronics, a 3-1-1 bag, and a change of underwear in case of luggage delay. We’ve never had a day bag weighed and I suspect my husband’s exceeds 7kg. We, too, fly Business Class these days and I doubt Emirates would be too picky about the weight of that bag.

While European airlines tend to be quite strict about bag size and weight, it is mainly your primary bag they focus on.

I do not think I ever have had my day-bag scrutinized, but it is "book bag" sized, not a larger backpack, not stuffed to the gills, and easily fits under the seat. It used to get pretty heavy in my business travel days, with a full size laptop, chargers, and other items. However, in leisure travel I moved to a small lightweight laptop and an e-reader. Having all USB-C charging also has helped. That eliminated hauling books, with my phone I do not haul paper copies of reservations, maps, etc. I gave up hauling water bottles, rarely umbrellas, no neck pillows or over ear headsets only for the flight. Probably the only other things in my day-bag for the flight are meds, a rain shell, and a change of underwear and socks, maybe a shirt, in case i get separated from my primary bag.

I would do both things: reduce your weight AND follow the airline's guidelines. You are correct that intra-European airlines, especially discount ones, have strict rules regarding baggage. Read carefully and buy the appropriate tickets, including paying for checked bags at booking, when it will be the least expensive. Certainly weight is a factor, but often the maximum dimensions of a carry-on bag are challenging to meet on these airlines, so you can save yourself a lot of grief by planning to check your bags.
You can check a carryon-sized bag. I do it all the time. My bag is considered carryon-sized on domestic US airlines, as it's 22inx14inx9in. The bag itself weighs 2kg/4.3lbs. That's the first place to cut weight: get a lighter bag. It's hard to find one under 5lbs, and I don't have the first clue what is on offer in Australia.
Get a luggage scale. These are inexpensive and readily available.
I am going to go ahead and assume that your "larger family" includes children (or adult children) who are not paying their own way for this trip. Any child over the age of about 6 is very capable of carrying their own things (though not of selecting and packing them). For little kids, you can get a cute matching backpack and rolling bag. I suggest buying each 16+ child a travel backpack (there are many posts on the forum recommending various packs, but I recently bought my 19yoa son an Osprey Farpoint 40L, which is a very good option). This is something they will have forever. They can bring whatever they can carry. No more 45lbs (of what?! Honestly, I'm baffled by this). A proper travel backpack will have tuck-away straps so that it can be checked if needed.
Good luck!

Phil, welcome to the Forum. I have been carryon only for 20 years but am slowly changing that up since its difficult for me now to lift my domestic sized carryon above my head. I totally agree with previous posters here about packing a weeks worth of clothes and do laundry during your trip. For the intra-European airlines, I typically will pay to check my carryon since it usually doesn’t meet their baggage rules for size. My bag is a two wheeler roll aboard by TravelPro.

Happy packing. I have positive thoughts for you to get back into light packing. Now to convince the rest of the family .

Phil,
Like Linda, Hubby and I (82 and 83) have begun checking our bags because lifting them into the overhead bins has become problematic. We just plan on the extra time we will need to retrieve our bags. Even so, we still pack lightly and have done for many years. We each have some shirts/tops that are easily washed in our rooms and that dry quickly, and have learned that we can get by with a weeks worth of undies and socks (small space needed), two bottoms (usually dark jeans...one to wear while getting there and one to pack) and one spare pair of shoes, plus 5-6 tops (see above). We haven't traveled to snowy/cold areas however. We wear our jackets on the plane and they become pillows when folded up. That leaves us room for a dopp kit of bathroom needs in our bags. Carry-ons are small and light...electronics and chargers, meds, a spare pair of undies and socks, maybe a paperback book or magazine which we leave there when finished. I can't fathom a 45 lb. bag. May I ask what is being packed that weighs so much? Hair dryers are ubiquitous when traveling, so n ot needed. Shampoo, etc. can be bought just about everywhere so big bottles of such are necessary. Granted, winter clothes for some locations may be bulky, and possible heavy.
I hope you can convince your travel partners to ease up on their packing because the intra-European flights may become a big problem, or at least an expensive one.

edit...big bottles are UNnecessary, not necessary.
Also, good advice about paying for checked bags on intraEuropean airlines when booking. Cheaper than doing so when checking in.
And just thinking about lugging around those heavy 45 lb. bags plus a carry-on makes me tired.

I'd really like to know how much your light load actually is, and how you get into the local airlines with one bag?

I've traveled with a big heavy suitcase before and I just don't ever want to travel that way again. It's really limiting and keeps me from focusing on the reason I travel. (It's not to make a fashion statement in travel pictures)
I cannot imagine one person needing 20kg of stuff on a trip unless they needed to attend multiple semi formal events or had some peculiar diet where you had to carry all of your food.

Pack for one week; regardless of the the length of the trip.
Pack smart - Layers. Avoid bulk. Choose a wardrobe "color capsule". Wear bulky stuff on plane/travel days. Smart materials. Learn packing methods to keep clothes from taking up space and wrinkling. There a million opinions on various folding methods, I have mine.
You aren't going to Mars - They have stores at your destination. If you need something, you can buy it there.
Smart Pack - A backpack or wheelie that fits your style. Use compressing bags w good zippers.
Travel sizes - From CPAP machines to shampoo, smaller travel versions of things exist. Seek them out.