When we started planning our world tour, we didn’t necessarily plan to travel light. After all, we were used to traveling with a 15 or 20-kilo bag for two-week trips. But gradually, the idea of traveling light became more appealing.
We are not particularly minimalist in our daily lives, and the idea of traveling with a small bag for several months was daunting. Obviously, everyone has a different idea of what ‘light’ means. Our definition is traveling with a backpack of 7kg each.
Why 7kg? Simply because it’s the maximum weight allowed for carry-on luggage by many airlines. It’s rare for an airline to require a lower weight, or they might completely ban cabin bags. In that case, there’s no choice but to pay a supplement, but this applies to only a few low-cost airlines.
So, after careful consideration, we decided to embark on an eight-month journey with only a 7kg backpack each.
To follow us during our world tour, click here:
Alright, we’ll tell you all about how we adopted a minimalist approach to travel for several months and share our tips and lists of things to bring and things to forget when traveling light.
Why Travel Light?
Traveling light or with fewer bags has several notable benefits. What initially prompted us to consider traveling with just a carry-on backpack was the cost. Yes, let’s admit it, the ability to avoid paying extra fees for checked baggage quickly appealed to us. It may not be enough to convince someone to only take a carry-on, but it’s a significant argument when embarking on a journey lasting several months: the more you fly, the more costs add up.
Indeed, airlines have had the unfortunate tendency in recent years to eliminate free baggage allowances and increase the costs of checked baggage. By traveling with just a carry-on backpack, we save several tens of euros on each flight.
Beyond cost, traveling light saves time at the airport and eliminates the need to wait for luggage upon arrival. You can arrive later at the airport and proceed directly to security checks. And upon disembarking the plane, you can immediately exit the airport or go through passport control without having to wait at baggage carousels. This can sometimes save a good hour!
And there’s the peace of mind of knowing that your baggage hasn’t missed a connection or been left behind at the departure airport. It’s incredibly reassuring to be certain that your bag hasn’t been lost! When embarking on a journey of several months with your entire life packed in your bags, it’s a huge weight off your shoulders. Before diving into an 8-month journey with just a carry-on, we tested traveling light on a shorter trip (3 weeks in Brazil), and it was this peace of mind that convinced us to take the plunge.
Certainly, reducing the number and weight of your luggage also offers unparalleled freedom of movement. With a 7kg carry-on backpack, you can move more easily, easily access public transportation, and never feel burdened. When you have three or heavy bags, you’re always constrained by them, whether it’s on a bus or train, walking down the street, or even in a slightly small hotel room. And what a time saver in daily life! Believe us, we save a lot of time when it comes to packing up our bags to leave a hotel. In less than 5 minutes, the bag is packed!
For the most spontaneous travelers, traveling with a light backpack also allows for more flexibility in their travel plans, seizing unforeseen opportunities. While we tend to organize everything in advance, we still feel the joy of traveling with fewer material constraints. Traveling light truly frees us from the psychological weight of accumulating belongings.
Wich Bag to Choose?
OK, the decision to travel light has been made. What are the next steps?
The first thing to consider is choosing a lightweight bag that complies with the cabin baggage standards of airlines. And it’s really not an easy task… We spent months searching for the perfect bag in stores and online. We read countless blogs and compared numerous bags. But none seemed ideal to us. Some were labeled ‘cabin compatible’ but didn’t meet the dimensions required by most airlines…
Indeed, airlines each have their own standards regarding weight as well as size. Some require not exceeding 115cm in total (width + length + depth), while others limit, for example, the depth of the bag to 22, 23, or 25cm… Many airlines have a maximum size limit of 56 x 36 x 23 cm, but it’s better to take a slightly conservative approach to avoid taking too many risks.
For this reason, we advise you to opt for a soft backpack to pass through any potential checks; a soft bag can indeed be slightly compressed to fit within the airline’s dimensions. If your bag measures 24cm instead of the required 22cm, it will still be possible to fit it in by exerting a little force…
After months of research and comparisons, we found the solution that suits us: a military-style backpack. These bags are often lightweight (barely over 1kg), always sturdy, and with well-designed compartments.
We opted for a 35L backpack from the brand Mardingtop (but equivalent brands exist) with dimensions of 50 x 31.5 x 22 cm. It weighs 1.18kg, including a waterproof cover in case of rain. For us, it’s the ideal compromise, and 35L is more than enough when limited to 7kg. In fact, weight is the most challenging aspect of packing rather than the space taken up by what we put in our bag.
Other factors to consider when choosing a backpack are the price, obviously, and its ergonomics. Some high-end brands are well-known and recommended by hikers, but they come with a price tag of several hundred euros, which was out of the question for us. As for ergonomics, we absolutely wanted the back of the backpack to be padded and for it to have a waist belt. Even though we didn’t plan on walking for hours with the backpack on, it’s still better to reduce the risk of injury. This allows us to keep our backpack on without having to take ibuprofen at the end of the day!
How to Adhere to the 7 kg Limit?
Limiting yourself to 7kg can be intimidating, but there are some tips and rules to achieve this without too much difficulty. The most important thing is to know yourself well and to know what compromises you are willing to make. With our backpack already weighing 1.18kg, we only had 5.72kg left for belongings. For 8 months of travel!
The first question to ask yourself is, “What is essential for me, and what will I not compromise on?” For us, the answer was obvious: we wouldn’t compromise on camera gear. Many bloggers recommend traveling with just a smartphone to avoid carrying a bulky camera. But for us, it was inconceivable to take all our photos with a phone. And unfortunately, a camera is heavy! Especially when we’re carrying two… So, here we are with an additional 3 kg (to be distributed between two bags since we’re traveling as a pair)…
Photography is an essential element in our way of traveling. Hence our decision to limit ourselves on other things but not on camera equipment. If, for you, regularly changing outfits, reading paper books, or drawing with all your equipment are elements you couldn’t sacrifice during a long journey, then prioritize them first and see how many kilograms you have left.
The second step is making compromises… If we can travel with 3 kg of camera gear, it’s because we took only a few clothes with us… And a tablet instead of a laptop. It’s honestly less convenient, especially for writing our blog articles, but it was a necessary compromise to be able to bring our camera gear with us.
Nous vous conseillons de faire votre liste sur Excel et de noter le type d’objet (vêtement, électronique, santé, loisirs…), le nom de l’objet et son poids. Si vous partez à plusieurs, créez aussi une colonne pour indiquer qui portera quoi ; cela vous aidera à mieux répartir le poids entre les sacs.
Curious about the content of our bags?
And don’t forget to weigh everything down to the gram, for example, with a letter scale. Each garment must be weighed separately: you’ll be surprised by the weight difference between two T-shirts, for example, sometimes double the weight. Obviously, we take the lighter one and leave the other at home.
Your first list will most likely give you a weight that’s too heavy… That’s why it’s better to make it at least a month before leaving. To help you reduce it and decrease the final weight, here are the questions you should ask yourself:
-Do I really need this item, or is it just a ‘just in case’? We avoid at all costs items that are just in case… With 7 kg, we only bring what is essential for us. We’ll wash clothes on site, replace some things along the way, and make purchases for specific needs. For example, it’s impossible to leave with a diving mask when we won’t need it for the first two months. We can rent or buy one when needed.
However, be careful with two things: first, buying on-site always adds weight to your bag unless you manage to remove something of equivalent weight… So it’s better to leave with the most complete bag possible to avoid the illusion that you can supplement it on-site.
Secondly, there’s a lot of advice on blogs stating that you can find almost everything anywhere in the world, so it’s not necessary to take everything, especially in terms of medication. We tend to prefer leaving with a complete pharmacy. Firstly, some medications are difficult to find, especially broad-spectrum antibiotics, which are useful for treating bacterial food poisoning. Secondly, we don’t necessarily choose when and where we’ll get sick, and it’s better to have something to treat the symptoms as quickly as possible (we have a bad memory of food poisoning at night, in the middle of the savannah…).
Also, it’s better not to skimp too much on irreplaceable items. For example, if you wear glasses, taking a spare pair can be a good idea (Benjamin had broken his glasses in the middle of a safari in Tanzania and ended up with a big piece of tape on the frame… it’s hard to travel like that for several months!).
-Can I use versatile items that replace several objects? It’s very likely that some items on your list are redundant and could be replaced by either a versatile or lighter item. It’s impossible for us to travel with books; therefore, François took an e-reader (lighter), and Benjamin will read on the tablet (versatile item). We chose digital versions of tourist guides, much lighter than carrying around a dozen books!
-Are the clothes I’ve chosen easy to layer to create different looks? It’s possible to travel for 8 months with just 3 or 4 T-shirts and 3 pairs of pants, but it’s better to avoid patterned or brightly colored clothes that don’t easily match. Similarly, it’s relevant to travel with clothes that can be combined. Instead of taking a lightweight pant and a heavy pant, you’ll save weight by just taking a lightweight pant and an underpant.
-Can I use miniature versions or samples of skincare products? Airport restrictions prevent us from traveling with liters of liquid. It’s the perfect opportunity to only take small sizes and buy more on site when running low. However, if you’re staying in mid-range hotels, you’ll often find shower gel provided, so there’s no need to carry that. At worst, you can always take a small solid soap, much lighter.
-Am I cluttering myself with unnecessary gadgets? If you read too many blogs to figure out what to bring, there’s a great risk of including unnecessary gadgets on your list. Gadgets that many sites recommend, such as a bag for washing clothes or a solar charger for electronic devices (unless you’re traveling to extremely remote areas, you’ll always be able to charge your devices in your room). Contrary to what is often recommended on the Internet, we chose not to buy merino wool clothing. Supposed to be lighter and quicker to dry, merino wool didn’t convince us at all: we tried T-shirts and didn’t like the feel of merino wool on us. So we decided to go with basic cotton or synthetic T-shirts. Therefore, it’s better not to always succumb to trends and try things before selecting them.
Normally, with these questions, you should be able to remove a significant number of items to reach 7 kg. With an Excel file, you can automatically add the weight of each item, allowing you to adjust your list until you reach the perfect number. Of course, we advise not to leave with exactly 7 kg; it’s better to have a little leeway to make some purchases at the first destination (although you’ll obviously need to send heavy or bulky souvenir purchases by mail!).
Optimize the Space
Normally, a 35-liter bag should be able to fit all the items you want to take, unless you have very lightweight but bulky items. With 7 kg and 35 liters, it’s usually not the volume that poses the most difficulties.
However, it’s still better to maximize space to make daily life easier during the trip. For example, rolling your clothes. This not only takes up less space but also reduces wrinkles in your clothes.
We have decided not to take storage cubes or compression bags. Although the idea of compartmentalizing clothes is appealing, it seemed less relevant to us. We have taken few clothes. There’s no need to put the only sweater in its cube! And, after all, a storage cube is extra weight… and we prefer to leave with an extra T-shirt than with three storage cubes.
What Can I Do if my Suitcase is Too Heavy?
If the weight exceeds the limit imposed by the airline, then you will have to carry weight on yourself… even if it means resembling the Michelin man! Carrying a sweater and a down jacket can save 500 grams. And a small camera or a GoPro can easily slip into a pocket. This may seem trivial, but between two people, you can easily save 1 kg.
Of course, we try our best to limit our bag to 7 kg, but if you’re like us, you’ll quickly find yourself with unexpected souvenirs and purchases in your luggage… And sending packages home can be expensive. So we try to avoid doing it at every destination, even if it means boarding the plane with our down jacket!
Airlines can weigh and measure your bag at the check-in counter and at the boarding gate. It’s better to wait until you’re on the plane to put your things back in the bag. And to avoid being surprised by the weight of the bag at the check-in counter, it’s always best to travel with a luggage scale, which will allow you to arrive at the airport with confidence! And of course, we always prioritize online check-in, which avoids going to the check-in counter and prevents your suitcase from being weighed by the airline.
Last thing: your bag, no matter its weight, will be your companion throughout the journey. It will be the only thing that will accompany you for all these months, a sort of miniature mobile home. So, take care of it and don’t hesitate to personalize it a bit by attaching a patch, a keychain, or even a badge with the colors of your travel blog!
Are you hesitant to embark on a world tour or a multi-month journey? Here are 5 reasons to do it:
