An overseas trip with just carry-on luggage? Yes, we can

Australian travellers are not difficult to spot in Europe. It has nothing to do with our accent, our ability to spread ourselves out in public places or even our lack of patience with timed entries to museums that never seem to run on time.

No, what really makes us stand out is the size of our suitcases. While Europeans and Americans blithely trip around hotels with little more than carry-on luggage, Australians are better known for lugging cumbersome cases up and down staircases of charming Italian pensiones and pretty Parisian apartment blocks where the lifts are either nonexistent or out of order.

But does it have to be this way?

Lise Carlaw and her family took a five-week trip to Europe with nothing but carry-on luggage.

Australian airlines are the outliers when it comes to restrictions on cabin luggage, with Virgin and Jetstar limiting weight to seven kilograms and Qantas to 10 kilograms. While overseas carriers limit the size of carry-on bags, some have no weight restrictions or, like British Airways, have limits similar to checked bags.

This week, Qantas announced that it would be increasing the size of its overhead lockers by 50 per cent on its 737 aircraft. This raises the question: is it possible to take an overseas holiday with just carry-on luggage?

For Lise Carlaw and her family, the answer is yes. Carlaw went viral in 2023 when she and her family went on a five-week European sojourn with just carry-on bags.

Carlaw says her motivation was simple: “I was also on holiday and I didn’t want to be anyone’s slave.”

Everything Carlaw packed for her trip to Europe had to meet her criteria of function, fit and flair.

Instead, she spent weeks planning how to pack everything her husband and two young boys would need without exceeding the seven-kilogram weight limit. The first things to go were the wheeled suitcases.

“Carry-on cases can weigh two kilograms to three kilograms on their own, so you need to get the lightest you can find,” Carlaw says. “The backpacks I found were very light and had loads of pockets. They were so much better than wheelie suitcases.”

She spent weeks planning how to pack the backpacks, setting aside a room in the house to put aside everything she thought they would need and then planning out the necessities – and what they could leave at home.

“Everything I packed had to meet the criteria of function, fit and flair,” she says.

While she adhered to the concept of the capsule wardrobe, where separates are selected to mix and match, Carlaw took it one step further.

“I created looks and I took photos of my looks on my phone before I left,” she says.

To add a point of difference to her look day to day, she said small changes, like a different scarf, sunglasses or costume jewellery were enough.

Interiors stylist and frequent flyer Jono Fleming agrees it’s the details that don’t take up precious luggage space that can make an impact when travelling.

“Accessories can do a lot of the heavy lifting for changing up your look,” Fleming says. “I use sunglasses and belts, but you can use jewellery for the same purpose.”

Jono Fleming says that when he travels to Morocco he prefers wearing natural fibres like linen, which are easy to wash and quick to dry.

He, along with business partner Julia Green, will be leading a trip for design enthusiasts to Morocco in April, something he does twice a year. He says packing light is a lot easier when you’re heading somewhere warm.

“In warmer climates it’s lighter shirts and dresses, things you can layer and use to change up your outfit,” he says. “You don’t have to have separate outfits to freshen up for dinner, you can just change your shirt or put a shirt over your T-shirt.”

Lightweight, natural fibres that are easy to wash and dry quickly are also a good choice when your options are deliberately limited. It’s a basic piece of advice, but even checking average temperatures at your destination will help whittle down choices.

Travelling light is easier when you’re going to warmer places like Morocco, says Fleming.

Carlaw says adaptable, flexible choices also help.

“I took a gorgeous pashmina rather than a jumper and I used it to wrap around my son when we were out and he got cold,” she says.

Like many seasoned travellers, Carlaw and Fleming are sold on the value of packing cubes, which not only keep your clothes organised but maximise the efficient use of space.

Travel writer Carolin Pilligrath says packing cubes are a lifesaver for the light traveller.

She has recently discovered the delights of solid toiletries, which serve more than one purpose when flying.

“Solid toiletries like shampoo bars, toothpaste tablets, and stick deodorant are amazing to save space and avoid liquid restrictions when travelling with hand luggage only,” Pilligrath says.

For Carlaw, there’s no going back.

“Now my family are completely sold on it.”

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