Hi Frugalistas!
One small bag makes life so much easier and cheaper
Anyone who looks at my blog will see that I post alot about packing light, and specifically one carry on bag only travel. So why is packing light, and just taking one carry on bag so important to me? What’s it got to do with frugal travel anyway? Well, here are my 7 top reasons why one carry on bag is essential for frugal travel:
1. Airlines
Budget airlines are obviously a boon for the frugal traveler. But regular users of budget airlines will also know that they can charge crippling fees for excess or even checked baggage. One carry on bag will often get you around these problems.
Even full service airlines are often stricter with baggage limits. If you love a good shop when you are traveling that can be risky. Pack light to start with (even if you take a bigger bag and don’t fill it) and you can shop to your heart’s content knowing you won’t get any nasty surprises. Paying excess baggage is not frugal.
Don’t forget your small containers for light and frugal travel
2. Using public transport
It’s just common sense that if you want to get your bag onto a bus or train you need something you can easily lift and store. Even luggage racks on airport buses can be small, and often storage racks on trains are limited. You need to be able to lift your bag up onto the bus, and up onto a train – for trains in Europe that can be as high as 3feet (just on a metre). The lighter and smaller your bag is, the easier all that is.
Nowhere to put large suitcases
In a busy commuter train in France recently there were no luggage racks (it was a suburban type train). The train was packed, with every seat taken and people standing in aisles. My small bag was small enough and light enough to balance on my knee without getting in anyone’s way – impossible with a full size bag.
3. Smaller hire/rental cars
If you want to drive, it obviously makes sense to book the smallest car you can manage with, if saving money is your goal. Not only will you save money on your rental/hire costs, but obviously your fuel costs will also be significantly reduced. Take smaller bags, and you need a smaller boot/trunk – and save money!
4. Budget hotels
This is a particular issue in Europe. Budget hotels often have tiny or even no lifts. That makes them hopeless if you need to lug a heavy suitcase up stairs or try and fit them into tiny lifts. Doesn’t it seem crazy to have to book a more expensive hotel just because you carry a big suitcase?
A typical European winding staircase
5. Shopping
Most of us love to do some shopping when we travel. Even if it is just some gifts for friends and family. If you only take one carry on bag, you’ve got wriggle room to fit into the luggage allowance – and to be able to manage your load!
6. Tipping
If you can carry your one small bag yourself, you don’t need to tip. Good, huh?
7. Traveling with children
If you are traveling with children small carry on bags make life much easier. Even quite young children can manage their own wheelie bags if they are small. Or adults can manage two small bags. A small wheelie bag makes wrangling toddlers much easier than a heavy, full sized case.
So, are you convinced? Carry on bags make frugal travel so much easier!
Related posts:
5 common packing mistakes and how to avoid them
A kid’s one bag packing list for the tropics
One bag packing list for winter
One bag packing list for Europe in the spring
More from my site
One bag travel: the 5 things I never pack – and things to pack instead
Travel bloggers share even more great packing tips
One bag travel: 5 things you must pack
One bag travel: packing list for a New Year’s trip
One bag travel: packing list for spring in Europe
One bag travel: winter packing list for Europe
Jo~ for these seven reasons (and obviously more) I love subscribing to your blog.
Your posts are well thought out and very insightful. We are able to glean great tips and advice from your travels. Thank you!
All four of us are hand carry only and it is so helpful when navigating planes, trains and automobiles at home and abroad.
As always, your post is so timely as we begin our summer travels here in the States.
All the best!
Thank you so much Lynne, that’s very kind of you. Best wishes for happy, and frugalfirstclass summer travels!
Excellent post. Totally agree with every point and have, with little exception, been traveling with one bag for years. If only travelers knew how very liberating this is.
So can more easily fit into the space available, I highly recommend a bag without wheels. Frankly, after sitting while traveling, it’s good to have a little extra exercise if you are physically up to it.
One bag also increases your security. On trains and buses, a second bag is often stored out of sight. What goes on top of a rural bus may be gone by the time you attempt to retrieve it. I know people who can vouch for that!
You know where I’ve learned to pack light…my involvement in the Boy Scouts. Not only do I pack light, I make sure everything i pack is something I can handwash and will quick dry.
Yes, I agree. Must admit I do like a bag with wheels, but appreciate those without are lighter and have better storage capacity. One of things I like about one small bag is that it so much easier to keep your belongings near you. I also choose a coloured bag (never black) because it is more instantly recognisable – my current one is that claret coloured one in the post.
Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment.
Yes, packing things you can easily wash and dry quickly is key to successful one bag packing.
You make such a good point with the public transport point. Even with van pick ups, smaller has its benefits. I brought too much gear on a recent trip. Not only was it a pain every day to load it in and out of the van, but like you also suggested, carrying it up and down the stairs at the hotel and cottage rental was a right pain in the butt! Had way too much stuff and not enough hands on that one. You’d think I would have learned from years of travel. Sometimes I think I forget my head!
Yay! Lifting cases onto trains in Europe is not easy. As a solo traveller much of the time, I don’t have a Gordon with me, and you can’t and shouldn’t expect to have a Knight in Shining Armour to rescue you and your heavy bag.
Go one bag Paula, and I guarantee you will never go back!
I am going to a 1 bag policy. I/Gordon have found it to be too hard this time, or not fair when Gordon has to lift it onto to trains etc as I can’t. When we get home from this trip I am going to pack one bag for next and leave it somewhere safely – just in case.
OMG, Jo, I am RIGHT with you. I’m a travel blogger too, and the last time I checked luggage was…I think 9 years ago. Yes, Air France lost it, somehow, in between Paris and Florence (though it made it across the USA and the Atlantic, explain that one). My spouse, kids and I always have one suitcase and a backpack now, every tingle time. Never waste a couple of your precious travel days hunting down your missing suitcases!
Thanks Jen. Yes, while I didn’t cover it in the post, losing your luggage is definitely an expense you don’t need. Whether it’s having to buy clothes or toiletries to cover the loss, or just the loss of time chasing up with airlines etc, losing your bags has a cost attached.
I choose to travel premium economy as I have leg and knee issues. I fly home to UK from Canada and its an eight hour flight so I splurge on the upgrade as the last time I flew economy my legs hurt for a couple of days which was no fun. The airline allows two checked bags in premium economy, last year I took one medium sized suitcase and a carry on tote. I wore everything and ended up doing laundry at least four times during my twenty three day summer trip. I was traveling alone, using trains to get around, it was terrible on the UK trains with my medium sized suitcase and a challenge for anyone with any kind of luggage, Trains in the UK have minimum space sometimes there were no seats. Next trip I plan to get around by coach, at least you’re guaranteed a seat and the driver puts your bag in the underneath storage. Mainly, I don’t want to be doing laundry every four or five days when I’m on vacation and my last trip that’s what happened. At my size and height I would struggle fitting my clothes into a carry on and would have no space left for purchases. I do manage to pack light on toiletries, technology and shoes. I’m nervous about downsizing my suitcase to carry on mainly because of the laundry issue. Any suggestions welcomed. Thank you for the great post, very informative.
Rather than going cold turkey on a bigger bag I would just try and pack a little lighter each time you travel. If you haven’t already done this I would make sure I had the lightest suitcase I could afford to buy, and mentally weigh everything I was thinking of putting in my bag to make sure I had packed the lightest fabrics and shoes. Make sure every item of clothing goes with every other item of clothing. If you find the trains too difficult to manage using coaches is a perfect solution. I wash underwear every day when I’m in the shower, which means I only need to do a proper wash every week to 10 days depending on the weather – I use hotel shampoo to wash them. The other thing is to pack colours that don’t show the dirt as much (obvious really, but very worth re-iterating