FrogProf

I do a couple of weeks with a carry-on in Peru every May (a fleece and rain jacket are pretty important). As with any extended stays using only a carry-on, reasonably priced laundry is the key.

darthbimmer

I've done several trips of ~15 days with just carry-on luggage. It's not too hard when I only need to pack one type of wardrobe and don't need to bring specialized gear. I'm comfortable with washing clothes once every 5-7 days. With that I could go longer than 2 weeks; it's just that I haven't done so yet.

I know there are people who brag about traveling ultralight, packing one set of underwear and washing it in the hotel room sink every night to save space and money. Pseudo-poverty is not a fashion in which I wish to travel.

haa

I have done carryon-only travel for work trips for several years now, including work stuff (several kilograms of extra laptops and electronics), from overnight to 2 weeks, from shorthaul to "around the world" style long-haul multi-stop trips, up to 100k+ BIS miles per year.

The longest for me have been Europe-US-Australia-US-Europe and Europe-US-South America-US-Europe with several stops for work along the way.

I generally pack 3 sets of clothes and use hotel laundry every few days, even if I can't expwnse that and sometimes it is annoyingly expensive. Sometimes I wash a few things in the hotel sink myself.

On a multi-stop trip, the time saving of being able to get out of the airport quickly (sometimes you get to wait 45 minutes for the bags, time better used to sleep longer at the hotel), and move around easily in general is just so much worth it.

For work trips there is also no time to chase lost checked bag, so I need to carry practically everything in carryon anyway, I could perhaps pack a few extra sets of clothes in a checked bag, not worth it. Actually the trigger for me to go carryon-only was when a checked-in bag was delayed.

For many flights, with carryon-only I can check-in online and go directly to gate, and it is enough to be at the gate on time and not worry about any baggage check-in times or check-in queues.

This does require some planning and choosing travel stuff based on size/weight. I use a "Sub-Zero-G IT luggage" 2-wheel rolling bag that weighs only 1.5kg/3 pounds, so I can do this even in 8kg weight limit flights. The 5kg weight limit in Brazil did catch me once and had to carry a huge plastic bag of my electronics on some flights after my bag was checked in... Otherwise no issues over the years.

When not traveling for work (i.e. no extra laptops or suit) I usually take a smaller bag as it can fit everything I need.

I do cringe a bit when I see the "baggage allowance 2 bags" when checking in and never using it... I did once check-in a huge box if instant noodles "souvenir" coming back from a holiday, though. The check-in staff was somewhat amused, and gave me an upgrade ;-)

CitizenWorld

3 months around Asia, took advantage of laundry services or just did my own laundry.

rbwpi

Several times I have traveled around Argentina, Chile and Uruguay for 4 to 6 weeks on a bicycle with a 2100 cubic inch daypack carryon, which tied down to the rear rack. Was able to take enough clothes, including cycling clothes, to last me a week before hitting a laundromat or wash and fold establishment. The key to packing was taking what I needed, not what I wanted.

Tchiowa

Another side of this is that after quite a number of RTW and other long trips with only carry on it finally dawned on my that trying to prove I could travel without checking baggage was a fool's errand. Lugging large carry on around during airport transits, boarding, etc. was a waste.

In the past 5 years or so I started checking bags on all flights. I have a small roll around to take on board. I check up to 3 bags at a time (depending on how long I'm going to be at a specific destination) and find that it ends up consuming 10 minutes of my time per flight and saves me hours and hours at my destination.

Carry on only is not a badge of honor.

^^^

I did the same in England. But you have to check the bike to get there in the first place.

Mickidon

[QUOTE=Tchiowa;26727488]Another side of this is that after quite a number of RTW and other long trips with only carry on it finally dawned on my that trying to prove I could travel without checking baggage was a fool's errand. Lugging large carry on around during airport transits, boarding, etc. was a waste.

In the past 5 years or so I started checking bags on all flights. I have a small roll around to take on board. I check up to 3 bags at a time (depending on how long I'm going to be at a specific destination) and find that it ends up consuming 10 minutes of my time per flight and saves me hours and hours at my destination.




+1. Unless it is a very short stay (2 nights or so) I like to check bags. It makes
the airport experience much more relaxed and there is no rush onto the plane to grab space. This all started when I loaded a bag too quickly and hurt my
back. During my recuperation, I had to check bags and saw the light. Haven't looked back. Nor done laundry in a hotel sink since.

Clint Bint

^
An entire summer in the Greek Islands.
Five T's,two shorts,one trunks,flip-flops,toothbrush,condoms and the gear I travelled in.
Too many T's.

GRALISTAIR

I will be doing that this coming xmas-New Year. Confession I have a home (and thus full wardrobe) in both USA and UK. I leave Friday December 16th and go DAY-MSP-SEA. Overnight in SEA. Then SEA-HNL-MKK- overnight in Molokai HI. Then MKK-OGG-HNL and overnight in HNL. Then UA154 Island hopper HNL -5 stops -GUM. 2 nights in GUM. Then GUM-NRT-CPH-MAN. 2 days in the Manchester UK area - change and wash clothes in UK home. Then LPL-NOC and 2 days in Ireland with my daughter/S-I-L/Grandkids. Then NOC-LPL. Then 4 days in Manchester area. Then MAN-EWR-DAY. Round the world with just a carry on.

No way am I checking luggage on an itinerary like that.

moondog

As I've stated in numerous other thread on this topic, following are reasons to check bags:
-less time at security
-no need to haul bags through airport
-can board plane at the last minute
*sitting inside an airplane on the ground during hot weather sucks no matter how nice the seat is
-the 5 minutes I spend waiting for my bag on arrival aren't a big deal

FlyTrey

I always travel with a carry-on only bag, regardless of the length of the trip. Size is never an issue, but usually my bag weights up to 12kg which might be a problem with some airlines. Forces me to be creative at some check ins.

Kiwi Flyer

Except for the very smallest aircraft (think 19 seater or smaller) with bag check at the aircraft, it has been over a decade since I last checked bags.

It has helped many times - faster queue at customs, less wait for taxi/shuttle, more flexibility for rerouting in irrops, more easily able to switch to earlier flight at the last minute, no loss of bags for 3 weeks (this happened to me back when I still checked bags), etc.

The only real inconvenience is on USA domestic flights needing to board early to secure overhead bin space. My rollaboard is pretty small - it satisfies the bag weighers at AKL international terminal who take great delight in sending anyone with a heavy bag (over 7kg) back to check in.

darthbimmer

I agree. On an itinerary with lots of connections and lots of short visits there's too much risk of a mishandled bag never catching up to you. When I choose whether or not to check bags, I consider the complexity and timing of my route among other factors. Two week trip to a single location? Low risk to checking a bag. Two weeks hopping across 5-6 locations? I'll do everything possible to limit myself to carry-on baggage only.

cruisr

Three weeks in Europe with a roll on. I had to buy a longchamps expandable tote in Rome as I did so much shopping at the flea market there and couldn't fit the goodies from there and from the shoe shops in my roll on. The good news was I got the bag for /2 the price of in the US.

RustyC

My longest was 2 weeks in SE Asia flying as an air courier in the early 90's. The courier company would take your entire baggage allowance except for carry-ons. Standard Europe trips then were a week, and SE Asia was 2 weeks.

Nowadays there isn't as much differential in the costs vs. the lowest airfare, and companies have developed other arrangements with airlines.

Still, it was valuable in forcing me to travel light. These days the big test is if on a ULCC like Spirit or Frontier and you don't want to pay any extra for bags. In that case your "personal item" is about HALF a standard rolling bag's size if maxed out (less than half vs. some of the rolling bags I see), so it's tougher still to make it work. I've been able to do it with 4 days in Cancun, 5 in Costa Rica, 4 in Cabo, etc. Usually with Peru I buy stuff and go with the checked bag.