We’re avid believers in packing backpacks wherever you travel. We will always recommend that people pack a carry-on-size backpack only. Whether traveling for a weekend away or a six-month trip, being able to travel with only a backpack is the most ideal. Here are 10 reasons why!
1. Save Money On Baggage Fees
This one’s a given. When booking flights there’s typically a fee up to 50 USD for checking in luggage. But did you know, even if it’s included in long-haul flights, budget airlines, bus companies, and even trains will sometimes charge you extra for the larger luggage?!
And look at it this way, how many local pastries or drinks could you buy with that extra money?
2. Less Of A Target For Tourist Scams
Think about it… When someone’s walking down the road with a big ol’ suitcase or bag they can barely carry, you notice them, right? Now, what about the people walking around with just a backpack, you don’t even turn your head! With just a small bag, nobody will know you’ve just stepped foot in a new country and have no idea where you’re going 😉
3. Fits In Lockers In Dorms And Luggage Storage
Another money saver tip, but also stress reliever as well. Not only will it fit easier into places where you can stash your pack at restaurants or at the airport, but in accommodation too. Lots of shared accommodation provide lockers for your valuable items. It’s much nicer to just throw your entire backpack in the locker, than taking out everything “valuable” – when you’re packing light, the whole lot of it is valuable anyways!!
4. No “Extra Help” Needed
There won’t be a taxi driver looking to place your bag in the trunk, a shuttle bus operator looking to set it under the bus with everyone’s stuff, or some stranger walking up to you on the side of the road offering to take off the load… all for a tip of course. No extra help needed when you’ve just got a pack on your back!
5. Feels More Secure
When everything you travel with is on your back, you never have to worry about misplacing your luggage, or someone running by and grabbing your bag! AND, when you are taking public transportation, your “luggage” doesn’t have to go under the bus or on the luggage rack on a train. A backpack can fit in the seat with you, meaning you don’t have to worry about someone stealing it!
6. Easier To Use Public Bathrooms
Public bathrooms are nasty things – like real gross. Don’t worry about putting your bag on the ground, or leaving it outside the stall because it won’t fit. You can simply hang it on the door while you take care of business, keeping your backpack clean and in sight!
7. Gives You Confidence In Yourself
The confidence you’ll gain when carrying all you have on your back is something that can only truly be appreciated once you just do it! It’s something about realizing you don’t have to be all the things society tells you to be.. You don’t need this and that… You can survive simply off what you can carry in your backpack!
8. You Can Enjoy More Moments
When traveling, every moment matters. There’s a new wave of excitement when you step foot in a new place. If all you’ve got is a backpack, there’s no need to go drop your luggage off at your accommodation – you can go explore the second you arrive! Less time and money wasted getting to and from your accommodation! Holla!!
9. Gives You More Freedom
Bring a backpack only means you can’t pack as much stuff, and there’s something so freeing about not really worrying about what you’re going to wear, and not having to pack/repack every location you travel to! Like for real, you’ve got to try it!
10. Stairs And Cobble Stones Ain’t No Thing
You know when you cringe when you watch something, but yet can’t seem to look away?! That’s us when we see people dragging bags on cobblestone streets, or up flights of stairs. It’s painfully funny to watch.
We haven’t experienced it (because we always travel with just our backpacks), but having seen it more times than not, just watching others go through it – we can gather there’s nothing more embarrassing than dragging your luggage with way too much stuff in it up flights of stairs or across bumpy, uneven streets!
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The Carry Backpacks We Recommend
Peak Design Everyday Backpack | Current prices here
Okay, this backpack is our all-time favorite backpack. We’ve traveled with these as our only backpacks all across Europe, down to Morocco, and even on a trip back to the United States.
It’s waterproof, has a computer sleeve, has shelving to organize your belongings, and has three ways to get into the bag all huge pluses when trying to stay organized!!
And… while we were in Morocco, we found out the safety mechanism on all the zippers making it harder for someone to open! It also helps that it has a lifetime warranty, something we look for in all our travel gear!
Fjallraven Kanken Classic Backpack | Grab one here
Jay bought this one for me (Heather) a few years back and I love it! When we went to Poland for the weekend – in the winter – I only packed this guy. It’s perfect with the sleeve for your computer in the back, and the small simplicity of it is just great. It’s not waterproof and doesn’t provide any padded protection, so definitely not a pack to carry around for long trips, but great for a weekend getaway!
Osprey Backpacking Bags | Grab it here
If you’re backpacking long term with a tent and camping gear, we recommend Osprey Backpacks. They have a waterproof shell and a lifetime warranty – Jay even had small damage from a flight years ago, and they repaired his bag at no charge! They definitely aren’t your small discreet backpacks, but if you’re camping, you’re going to need something bigger than the two backpacks above to carry all your gear!
Since ours are so old, we couldn’t find the actual links to our packs, but here’s something similar. We recommend being fitted for a pack at your local outdoors shop!
More Travel Tips And Advice
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