Traveling light- its not always what you pack

Since most airlines have started to charge for checked luggage there have been a lot of people turning to carry ons. The probelm is that people are still trying to pack the same amount of stuff into a carry on as they would into a checked bag but with a few simple tips you can drop the weight of your carry on by a lot.

Before you even start to think about the clothes that you want to take with you look at the bag you are packing in. Does it have wheels and a handle? Do you really need a wheeled carry on? If you are traveling by car or plane then chances are you aren't going to be doing too much carrying of your carry on so the wheeles can be a luxury that you may not really need. bags with wheels and hendles can add up to 3 pounds to your bag! So if you can go with out maybe you should.

The times that I have packed in a soft bag like a small duffel I was able to fit more and still be able to fit the bag into the over head bin. A lot of times you will see people trying to force their over sized carry ons into those tiny over head bins. If you cut out the hard surfaces of the bag you will not only cut out a few extra pounds from the weight of the bag but you will also have a much easier time fitting the bag into the over head bin. Not to mention that if you have to move quickly in the airport sometimes carrying your bag on your back is faster and easier to navigate than a rolling bag.