Cabin baggage challenge: How I flew to Europe with just my carry-on

This sceptical traveller had a change of heart after discovering the simple ease of travelling only with cabin baggage on a recent trip to Europe. But there’s a trick …

Words by John Burfitt for escape.com.au

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I’ve always subscribed to the philosophy that travel changes you, and this recent trip from Australia to Europe definitely changed how I plan to travel from now on.

This trip, from Sydney to Berlin by Scoot, introduced me to a whole new world of easy travel that avoided check-in counters and bag drop-off queues, and after the flight, saw me sail straight past the baggage carousel and to the exit. And any fears about lost baggage evaporated as everything I needed was with me.

I might be late to the party, but I now completely get why an increasing number of travellers fly only with cabin baggage. I thought this was only good for a weekend away, but as this recent two week adventure across the world proved, it can work anywhere.

The inspiration came from a story I wrote a few months back about how many airlines are upping the limits of cabin baggage to as much as 23kg, with newly designed overhead bins offering 60 per cent more space.

So on this Scoot to Europe trip, I put it to the test by only travelling with carry-on baggage. Scoot has a cabin allowance of 10kg (across two bags) in economy and 15kg in the premium Plus cabin. With a lot of advance planning, I arrived at Sydney airport with my satchel and a cabin bag totalling 10kg to go German bound. The operative word being ‘planning’.

Size matters

Usually when I travel, I just dig out my best bag and pack. Not this time.

I spent hours checking and double checking all airline and train baggage rules.

Bag size especially counts so I went shopping armed with a tape measure and found the perfect Samsonite 55 x 36 x 24cm blue bag weighing 1.9kg that fits with most airline rules.

I also scanned all documents onto my phone and laptop, which made even more space in my satchel. Despite rigorously keeping to all the rules, my bags were never checked before any flight.

What to pack

This was one time not to leave the packing to the last minute. Checking on Berlin’s weather in advance and studying my itinerary had me planning outfits and working out what could be mixed up to work across the two weeks. I developed a system – three polo shirts, T-shirts, pairs of pants, and two shirts, jackets, jumpers, shoes as well as a week’s worth of underwear and socks. Then I figured which of this I would wear on the plane, saving even more space. Once toiletries were packed in, there was still ample room in the bag, with my satchel carrying a laptop, phone, notebook and earplugs. What else had I been packing all the years?

Wearing, washing and throwing

Stopping over in Singapore. Picture: Supplied

As I stayed in three hotels for four nights each, I developed a system of hand washing every second day in the hotel bathroom and hung up to dry. That plan was abandoned when the second hotel – an Adina – had a washer and dryer in the room, so I emptied everything in my bag in and did a cycle.

And I followed the old rule of packing only old undies and after they had been worn, threw them out as I went.

Budget benefits

With baggage space at a premium, this was not a trip to go big buying up mementos or gifts or new clothes. The only clothes purchased were to replace others I had ditched, or that I knew I could either wear or carry onto the plane.

I was in Plus with the 15kg allowance on the return journey, so that was a bonus. But I had a back-up plan that if I did buy any new must-have bulky items, I would just purchase extra kilos before a flight or mail it back, but it never came to that. As a result, my budget was ahead throughout the trip.

Liberated at last

The biggest revelation was the sense of freedom travelling this way provided. Checking in online and with boarding passes downloaded, it was so easy just heading through customs and to the gate, and the same after landing, through customs and out of the terminal. That alone saved about an hour each journey.

And instead of needing taxis to transport around a big bag, it was far easier, and cheaper, to travel by train into downtown Berlin only with a cabin bag. And with only 10kg in tow, when there wasn’t a lift or escalators available, carrying the bag up and down a flight of stairs was no big deal.

After I arrived back in Sydney, it took 12 minutes to disembark the plane, clear customs, and reach the train platform. Previously, I would still be waiting at the baggage carousel. That’s the moment I decided this is how I will travel from now on.

Anything that removes one of the main challenges of travel is good by me. A shift has taken place, and from here on in, it’s just going to be me, my passport and my new blue bag. Let’s go!

Scoot flies from Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The writer travelled as a guest of Scoot Airlines.

This article first appeared in escape.com.au