It might not be obvious at first glance, but traveling light confers a lot of benefit - without expense.

I am a big fan of traveling light, though I’ve never gone as far as one fellow who takes no bags at all and packs as little as 90 grams (roughly quarter of a pound) of specially modified items into his trousers and shirt! I’ve done pretty well, though, including a six-week trip through Peru with one carry-on bag, and a six-week stint around the world earlier this year, again with just carry-on luggage.

These are some of the advantages of traveling with carry-on luggage only:

• Peace of mind - keep track of fewer things.
• Much greater ease in making tight connections - this has saved me a few times!
• Avoid ‘lost luggage’ hassles.
• Much faster arrival processing - don’t wait for up to an hour for your bags to emerge from the hold of the plane.
• Easy luggage handling.
• Reduced need to economize on space when buying goods and souvenirs - just buy another bag and check it for the return trip.

I’m not going to cover the details of packing light in this article, although I may do so in the future. This site has some useful recommendations, as does this one. Though most ‘traveling light’ websites have a slant towards budget travel, most of the benefits are equally valuable to the well-heeled traveler.

Please note: Most airlines allow one carry-on bag, and one personal item such as a laptop bag or a handbag. Some airlines and airports, British Airways and London Heathrow in particular, have implemented a one-bag carry-on policy. I’ve seen this policed to quite a ridiculous degree, so bear this in mind when choosing a carry-on bag and filling it. Leave a little room for the things you’ll accumulate as you travel.

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