Originally Posted by
k374
How many of you guys are using the carry on luggage ONLY philosophy advocated by Rick Steves and other world travelers? I see many seasoned travelers swearing off checking in luggage. While I see the benefits i've never actually traveled with carry on only on trips of a week or longer...few days is fine but anything more than that I carry a larger pack that needs to be checked in.
For my next 12 day trip to Europe i'm thinking of going carry on only. Infact I am thinking of making a permanent switch to carry on only for most trip unless I absolutely have to cart something big like my scuba gear on a dedicated scuba trip.
To me, it seems to go in stages.
Beginning travellers check bags and get frustrated with the hassle.
More seasoned travellers figure out how to pack a ton of stuff in carry-ons. But they run "close to the edge" as far as size limits. They get to argue with GAs and FAs and they get to lug heavy bags through airports during connections. Those guys feel that they have "figured it out".
Long time seasoned travellers realize that in the grand scheme of things, when you're on a 12 hour flight waiting an extra 15 minutes for your bags is meaningless. Less hassle boarding, finding storage, disembarking, connecting through airports, TSA, etc.
I don't know who Rick Steves is but I passed through his stage a long time ago. I've got over 3 million BIS miles, 95% of it international, across 5 continents and 50 or 60 countries, been doing it for 30 years so I'll go ahead and call myself a seasoned world traveller. Unless it's a one day trip, I *always* check a bag or two.