I just received an interesting email from Cindy Heazlit of LadyLight Travel. She writes:

Hi Amanda,

I noticed your posts on WordPress. Have you considered going carry on (hand luggage) only in your travels? It will make your lives easier, especially if you are taking public transportation. If you would like to try it I recommend onebag.com as the very best site. I’ve linked to a great article on a family that did it:
http://www.bigredkitchen.com/2012/01/the-almost-no-bag-challenge-how-to-live-out-of-one-bag-for-21-days-in-europe/

Regards,
Cindy Heazlit
LadyLightTravel

To be honest, I didn’t think of taking just carry on for this trip or any recent trips. Oliver and I will be taking one carry on backpack each and one medium sized wheelie suitcase each (check in). I don’t think just carry on would suit us for at least four reasons: (1) I’ll be attending two academic conferences, including one where I will be a Keynote Speaker, so I will need to bring dressy clothes as well as casual clothes; (2) conferences usually involve all day sessions and then after hours (work) socialising, so not much time for washing out and drying clothes; (3) I worry about the weight limits of carry ons; on my most recent international trip the limit was 7 kg; and (4) I need somewhere to put of all the shopping Oliver and I intend to do at Legoland!

In the years I have been travelling to conferences I have noticed some interesting changes in the luggage people carry. In the US, people used to carry on enormous amounts of luggage with inevitable tussles over overhead bin space. But on a trip to Seattle, Minneapolis, and San Francisco late last year I noticed that restrictions were now in place for the amount of carry on.

But I’ve always been interested in minimising the amount of luggage and being a more efficient packer. And I love the idea of a capsule wardrobe, which Cindy covers in detail on her website. People who know me know that I wear a lot of navy, which is a good colour to build a capsule wardrobe around.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion Cindy. Visit Cindy’s blog to read more about one bag travelling!