SLOUGH, ENGLAND:
Back in 2021 when Omicron, South Africa’s present to the covid community, had wreaked havoc on airlines around the world, we made the questionable decision to visit Karachi. What made the decision especially ambitious was that we were travelling from Johannesburg, which had been blacklisted by nearly every airport in the known universe. When we disembarked in Karachi after a dizzying series of connecting flights, the guy behind the counter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You came from WHERE?” he asked, stunned. “HOW?!’
The upshot of all this is that we had been gravely misinformed that the route we took, for reasons too complicated to get into, may or may not permit checked-in luggage. As a result, we had no choice but to travel with doll-sized trolley bags we could take onto the aircraft with us. And now, with vacation season approaching, I feel the time has come to pay it forward. With that in mind, here are four ways to ditch the suitcase and board that plane with a tiny case.
Roll up your clothes
This is the perfect antidote to folding for lazy people. Roll everything up into little tubes and pack them tightly together. You will be amazed at the amount of space you save. Forget about them looking wrinkled. Your baggage is going to be hurled around by baggage handlers competing for the Baggage Throwing Olympics anyway. Also, do not take everything you own. If you are travelling for 2 weeks, that does not mean you need to empty your wardrobe. Stick to four outfits, and buy whatever you need on the other side.
Vacuum pack those outfits
If you have never done this, prepare to be gobsmacked by just how much volume air actually takes up. Be warned, though: vacuum packs may get rid of superfluous space and pack clothes into minuscule squares, but thanks to the laws of physics, do not not helpfully redistribute the mass anywhere else. Do not fall for the illusion that less space equals less weight. On the plus side, it does mean that you now have space to chuck in footwear in the same case.
Invest in an e-reader
For those who cannot imagine boarding a plane without a book, an e-reader is a Godsend that – literally – takes a weight off your shoulders. It also has the added bonus of shining like a beacon when cabin crew plunge the aircraft in darkness. And if you have raced through your thriller on that fifteen-hour flight, you have a whole library literally at your fingertips that is even lighter than your phone.
Minimise your toiletries.
You do not need brand new bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel before you travel. Buy small plastic bottles and decant a week’s supply. Zip it all up in an old pencil case or plastic bag. If you encounter a conditioner emergency on your holiday, buy some more where you are. Do not lug it back home.
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