Pedro Ivens

Traveling light has a lot of benefits and I do not see myself going back to dragging a heavy wheel bag across airports or in and out of public transportation. I want the freedom that traveling light - with a small bag - brings. Especially, I want to be able to visit any place at anytime I want, without needing to think where I will leave my bag.  Traveling with a small bag means I can come out of an airport or a bus stop and start visiting whatever places I have planned, saving me time and money. However, to unlock all the benefits of traveling light, I do think we need a little bit of planning to overcome the challenges it brings. In my view, the main challenges or traveling only with a small bag, such as a 20 liter backpack are the following: Not having a lot of outfit options. Having to wash my clothes if I travel for more than 4 or 5 days. Having to manage what you can take into the aircraft (e.g., shampoo, perfumes, etc. only up to 100ml; not being able to carry a pocket kni...

I usually travel with no more than a 20 liter backpack. This started because I once saw a friend of mine having his wheel bag lost by the airline and having to live for 4 days with only the clothes he was wearing. I also started to get tired of dragging a noisy wheel bag through the city and sweating because I had to carry it down subway stairs. This made me change my travel method to use the lightest bag I could find, which was a 20 liter backpack. There are a lot of positives of traveling only with a 20 liter backpack, but it doesn't come without it's compromises. So, I wanted to share what I've experienced throughout the years by traveling only with a small backpack. Here is my Pros and Cons list.   Pros Save money on airline baggage fees. Avoid getting my bag lost by airport handlers. Increase bag life by not having it thrown carelessly by airport handlers. Avoid getting my bag sent to aircraft cargo hold because there isn't enough space in overhead bins. Save tim...

 One of the best parts of traveling is to walk around the streets of the city I am visiting. For me, this is the best way to see local architecture, gardens, statues and get to know people's habits. To do this, not only I walk a lot, but also sometimes I need to get in and out of public transportation, and drag a heavy suitcase and/or backpack with me does not make my walking comfortable. Additionally, most airlines charge fees for non-carry-on bags (bags you can take with you to the aircraft cabin), not to mention the risk of losing our bags. I've watched, first had, a friend of mine waiting in vain for his bag to come out of the aircraft into to conveyor belts. He ended up waiting 4 days to have his clothes with him again! After watching these events live, I decided to start carrying my bags with me all the time. Initially, I traveled with a cabin-approved carry-on bag with all the clothes I would need for the trip I was taking (the one in the picture below).  But after a fe...