Unless I'm heading to the mountains and therefore likely to be travelling with cumbersome ski jackets, ski boots, helmet and thermal layers, I am a highly disciplined packer who never checks bags through onto an aircraft. Last year I shared six tips on how to travel lightly. They were: Wear your heaviest clothes on the flight, take easy-care clothes, ration shoes, pack like a minimalist, head for summer and load up your handbag.
Since then, in addition to many shorter flights, I have been on a week-long trip to Singapore and Malaysia - during which I followed my economical packing rules religiously and took just one small, soft-sided carry-on bag. I also ensured the packed weight of that bag could be balanced for several seconds on the little finger of one hand. Anything much heavier than that can end up feeling unnecessarily burdensome especially while trekking the seemingly unending corridors of sprawling airports such as Heathrow or Changi.
And, of course, there are many benefits to be discovered in practising the art of restrained packing:
Self-sufficiency: Those people who go camping, grow their own vegetables, harvest their own fruit and generate their own electricity would no doubt be impressed by the self-sufficiency involved in personally carrying your own effects around the world. There's no middle man and no reliance on others. Baggage handlers and porters are rendered redundant. There's a pleasing independence to be found in carrying exactly what you need - nothing more and nothing less.
Accessibility: All your essentials are within easy reach throughout every flight, every taxi ride and in every airport lounge. There's no stressing about something important that's buried inconveniently in a large suitcase in the aircraft's hold. And then at your hotel there's no need to wait for luggage to be delivered to your room since you weren't separated from your bag in the first place.
