Traveling with 15 Lbs of Luggage or Less

By: Holly Kreider 
drholly@wishesfamilytravel.com 
August 15, 2023

I have a lot of baggage.  Emotional baggage that is.  I hate that most airlines now consider carry-on luggage a luxury worthy of higher airfare.  I loathe long waits at baggage carousels, lost or damaged luggage, and extra fees tacked onto any and all checked items.  Mostly out of spite, but also out of being extremely cheap and lazy, I often travel with just a backpack.  Two weeks in Malaysia?  A cruise with formal wear every evening?  A recent Japanese junket?  All embraced with only a backpack on hand. 

If you too want to avoid the cost, heft, hassle and emotional airline capitulation entailed in loads of luggage, consider these tips gleaned from my recent trip to Japan. 

Fly cheap and spend on activities instead.  I’ve flown nonstops on budget airlines like WOW! to Reykjavik, Norwegian Air Shuttle to Oslo, and ZipAir to Tokyo.  It’s probably not a coincidence that two of these airlines went bankrupt and the other just started service in 2023. Be warned that if you choose “basic economy” you may need to go to the check-in counter to have your backpack weighed, even if you have an electronic ticket.  But traveling with just a backpack makes a cheap ticket even cheaper and leaves more funds for in-country spending. Sushi anyone?  I highly recommend Sushitatsu in Tokyo’s Omoide Alley.  I’m now spying nonstops from San Francisco to Lisbon and Barcelona on TAP and LEVEL airlines. Hola paella and a bottle of cava! 

Invest in a few key items. Get a lightweight backpack with a little structure and padded straps. My favorite is my kid’s old school backpack – worn out, spacious, and feather light. Also buy a small digital luggage scale for $10 on Amazon. Or just step on your scale at home with and without your filled backpack and do the math. 

Pack wisely.  For a one week trip to Japan in April, I brought one dress, a few yoga pants, six lightweight shirts (short and long sleeves), enough undergarments, mini sundries and meds in a ziploc bag, a windbreaker, and a pair of flip flops. For longer trips, I hand wash and dry some items midway through my trip. 

Wear it. I wore my heaviest items on the plane, including jeans, a belt, hiking boots, a sweater or two, and a proper jacket, some of which I immediately peeled off on the plane. I looped my bluetooth headphones around my neck and stuffed my jacket pockets with snacks.  My fanny pack contained my phone, glasses, passport, charger, and more. No one weighed my fanny pack.  A utility vest like this one would also do the trick. 

Share it. Traveling as a couple means you can share the load. My boyfriend carried the iPad. I carried the camera. He bought more souvenirs, but I had the spare pounds and packing space to stash them for our return trip. 

Recategorize it.  Remember medical equipment never counts as part of your carry-on luggage limit.  I lug my CPAP machine everywhere free of charge.  For Japan, I brought along my mini-CPAP, which fits snugly in a padded camera case.  I tucked my hearing aids, their clunky charger, and a few other cords and chargers in the same case, because why not? 

Acquire it in country.  We had just one day of rain, but our windbreakers weren’t up to the job, so we bought a $5 umbrella from a nearby FamilyMart and left it at the hotel for future guests.  Easy peasy.  I strained my arch and bought some cushy shoe inserts at the subway station.  Yes, our main subway station in Shinjuku had shoe stores, restaurants, four train operators, 200 exits, and millions of riders each day! 

Buy it or ship it. On our return flight, after making it past baggage weigh-in and security, we loaded up on gifts for family, friends and co-workers at duty-free shops in the Tokyo airport, which were surprisingly inexpensive. You can also opt to ship items directly from shops in-country. Tosaiga ceramic paintings in Kyoto and professional chef knives from Tokyo’s Kitchen Town tempted us greatly. 

Go lightly.  The best part about being unburdened by wheelie bags is the freedom.  We dashed through crowds to catch the next airport train into downtown Tokyo.  Then we glided onto a subway train unencumbered and walked with ease to our hotel.  When the subway was crowded, we took our cue from locals and turned our backpacks to “frontpacks,” even though crime appeared nonexistent. We hopped on the bullet train to Kyoto at lightning speed. We held hands. 

So go forth and explore.  Enjoy your incredible lightness of being.