'We're going on a 5-week European holiday with just carry-on luggage'

Lise, her husband and their two kids will embark on their holiday with nothing but a 7kg backpack.

Aussie radio personality and soon-to-be carry-on queen Lise Carlaw will embark on a five-week Europe trip with nothing but a 7kg bag.

The mother-of-two revealed to her Instagram followers and listeners of her Forty podcast – with best friend Sarah Wills – she is serious about her wild endeavour.

She’s even got it in her Instagram bio – ‘Carry-on only for 5wks in Europe’ – so I guess she has to commit.

Over the past few weeks the former radio show host of Those Two Girls has captivated followers with her brave undertaking as she takes them on a packing journey, revealing how she plans to travel with such minimal items.

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Aussie radio personality and podcaster Lise Carlaw is doing something wild. Picture: Instagram/lisecarlaw

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Her two kids and husband will stick to the 7kg rule as well

And it’s not just her, she’s subjecting her two kids and husband to the 7kg rule as well.

In one of her most recent Instagram Stories, the Brisbane local revealed she’s got a Ziploc bag for her make-up, with items removed from their packaging, and a Ziploc bag for her skincare.

“I’m not taking a toiletry bag, but then I realised, what happens with the toothbrushes? They can’t go willy nilly.

“So I went to Kmart and I bought four of these [toothbrush cases]. I think they’re going to be great.

“[The boys] can put it in their man satchels.”

To help with creased clothing, Lise said she learned of a great hack involving a tiny bottle filled with tap water and some lavender oil that’s also going into her carry-on.

“The other thing I bought that came into my DMs that I love the idea of but yet to see if it’s practical, is carabiner clips,” she said.

“The suggestion was to clip these on to our backpacks and if the boys have extra stuff to hook on, like a hat, perhaps [they can].”

Lise, who is known for her hilarious and relatable content, joked that she fantasises about people seeing her family traipsing through Munich airport.

“[And] they say ‘look at those backpackers, look at those middle aged people with their children, look at them backpacking the world with their carabiner and their hats.”

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"For us, it was an absolute no-brainer"

Lise, who heads to Europe on Wednesday, went on ABC radio Brisbane to chat more about her backpack undertaking, answering the ultimate question of, “why, when you have paid for checked-in luggage?”

“For us it was an absolute no-brainer,” she told Afternoons host Katherine Feeney on Tuesday. “We’re travelling with our two boys; Remi is 13-and-a-half and Max is nine-and-a-half – and I don’t want to be in an airport carousel after a 23-hour flight with tired and hungry children.”

Lise said she also doesn’t want to risk losing luggage and having their plans affected.

“For us as a family the freedom excites us, of each of us putting on a backpack and dominating metro stairs, dominating cobblestones.”

Lise and her family are going to hot spots within France and Italy, which are known for their cobblestone footpaths.

“My husband and I actually lived in the south of France for three years and we know what it’s like – have you ever pulled a suitcase on a cobblestone path?”

Despite having checked-in luggage included in the overall airfare fee, this still didn’t phase Lise.

She is going on a five-week Europe trip with nothing but a 7kg backpack. Picture: Instagram/lisecarlaw

The research was in-depth and in-length

“I just don’t want to lug 20kg just because I paid an airfare that’s allowed me too. I don’t think that’s a good enough reason,” she said.

“The research [for this] was in-depth and in-length because we are flying with two separate airlines.

“The first airline allows 7kg carry-on and one personal item in the form of handbag or man satchels – and the second airline allows 8kg, so hence why we’re going under 7kg.”

Lise said she has been planning for the past month with the biggest challenge fitting everything into very strict dimensions.

“The backpack we purchased are specifically to carry-on requirements for the airlines,” she said.

“It’s just about filtering down and the thing I’ve done is allow time. No way I could audit what we really need if I was doing it on a time crunch.

“It is time reflecting, obsessing and being neurotic and turfing as you go.”

She’s going on the family trip with her two sons and husband, joking that she has ‘forced this ridiculous challenge’ upon them too. Picture: Instagram/lisecarlaw

This will allow her and her family to make less decisions while over there

When asked what happens if she doesn’t have what she needs, Lise joked that there are shops in Europe.

“Mate, I’ll just go buy a jumper if I’m really cold,” she laughed.

And when it comes to washing clothes, they're mainly staying at Airbnbs so they will be able to wash and dry clothes, which Lise plans to do every five to six days.

Lise said what she likes most about “this ridiculous challenge that I have forced upon my family” is the luxury of not making decisions.

“No, they are actually really on-board with it,” she joked.

“I understand for some people this challenge is their idea of hell. [But] I’m at this point in life where I’ve realised I want to make all decisions now, and when I get there, that luxury of not making decisions and being free of the mind clutter; that is really appealing to me.”

This article originally appeared on news.com.au and was republished here with permission. 

Originally published as 'We're going on a 5-week European holiday with just carry-on luggage'