Traveling Light – Boomer Style
June 14, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Boomer Lifestyle
I am waiting for an afternoon flight from Nashville to Dallas after flying back this morning from Baltimore. It was a great trip to celebrate the high school graduation of one of our nephews. Now it is back to work, as I am scheduled to testify at a trial tomorrow in Wichita Falls. I am still working on developing my personal style of “traveling light.”
Nevertheless, this is what I have packed inside the backpack for this trip: A suit, dress shoes, one dress shirt, tie, one casual shirt, two pair of socks, two pair of underwear, netbook computer with case and charger, iPad with case and charger, cell phone and charger, noise-reduction headphones, small flashlight, shaving kit with toiletries, pen and notepad, USB reading light, and USB memory stick.
This may sound crazy to most but here are my reasons for wanting this to work:
1. Packing small forces you to pack light which I believe has merit as a goal by itself.
2. I can “carry” my luggage while keeping both hands free. This provides excellent freedom of movement.
3. A backpack will fit in any overhead compartment, even on small commuter jets, and will also fit under the seat without a problem.
4. A backpack has a variety of small and large separate storage areas that are easily accessible from the outside.
There are negatives of course. First, I will probably have to do some touch up ironing on my suit and dress shirt. Second, traveling light means having fewer options for different dress occasions and/or weather conditions. That’s not an issue this trip.
So far I am very pleased with my experiences as a “backpack only” traveler. I have noticed a few others who also appear to be traveling only with a backpack. Some of them are wearing a somewhat larger backpack. I plan on investigating upsizing mine. I can easily carry more weight. Adding another 10-20% in carry volume will be a big help for longer trips. It would be great to find a backpack that is specifically designed for airline travel and that includes some clever internal structure for minimizing wrinkles on nicer clothes.
Have any of you moved to a “traveling light” mode? Have you considered using a backpack as your “luggage”? Do you have any suggestions for a better backpack for me?
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Check out Rick Steves’ travel store. Though his focus is European travel, his luggage is great for packing light. Most of it is standard carry-on size (so it fits in the luggage compartment), but light, frameless, and with backpack straps.
Since we bought ours, I don’t think we’ve flown with anything else.
Been traveling lite for several yrs. One medium backpack,1 fanny pack for $ etc. All comes on board. No ironing, I carry a very small spray bottle, fill with water and spray clothes at night, wrinkles go away.
Also have traveled lite for years. Recently bought a small (half size) roller board suitcase for both my wife and me. They easily fit in the overhead, and under most seats. Padded compartment for the computer/electronics, along with a clothing section and numerous pouches. The wheels are nice, but the bags are also small enough to carry over the shoulder on by hand.
Like the backpack idea too. As a boomer, I enjoy your blog.
Response to: “Traveling Light- Boomer Style”
I am a frequent cruiser, and I use a back pack as a carry on. It has so many compartments inside and out. There is a nice padded area for a computer. There is also separate zipped area at the bottom of the bag for shoes or clothes. I can carry two changes of clothes, a bathing suit/coverup, shoes, and toiletries, with room to spare. Its called a “Turbo Transit Pack” from llbean.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/64778?feat=pprv
You can also try looking for a backpack from ebags.com or Amazon.
Thanks for sharing your ideas on traveling light.
To PW: Like your idea of the small spray bottle for wrinkles. I also use that same spray bottle for cold water to spritz myself at the pool.
Check out the eBags convertible travel backpacks like the Mother Lode or eTech packs. I very much like mine. Well constructed and at a good price. Just the right size for carry-on yet big enough to travel for weeks if you pack lite. The website has a neat video showing exactly what the bags are like and how to pack them.
http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/mother-lode-tls-weekender-convertible/143101?productid=1370035
http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/weekender-etech-convertible/15026?productid=56582