Carry On Challenge – 3 weeks,3 kids
A couple of summers ago our family of five spent 3 weeks holidaying in Europe. A week on the Greek island of Kythera, followed by a week cruising and a week in Arezzo, Italy. My one rule – all family members were only allowed to take carry on luggage!
Surely one needs more than carry on you say?! The boys did not mind so much. Our 17 year old daughter needed more convincing…
Losing luggage in Europe during the height of summer seemed very high so I didn’t want to risk it. It was absolutely the right call. Had we not done so we would have spent the entire cruise with the clothes on our back!
Flying from Kythera to Athens most checked in luggage, for reasons unknown, did not make it on the plane. Passengers waited hours at the conveyor belt for their luggage only to find out they had not left the island!
With only one flight per day, luggage would not be received until the arrival of the flight the next day. In our case, we were going straight on a cruise ship the next morning. Any luggage would not have been returned until we got back to Athens after the cruise!
After finding out about that incident, our teenage daughter was convinced – Carry On Only was a brilliant idea!
Top 3 Essentials for Carry On Only
1. Packing Method
To follow the Carry On Only policy one needs to implement the 5-4-3-2-1 packing method. I originally read about this on a home and lifestyle website.
The 5-4-3-2-1 packing method involves variations around –
- 5 tops
- 4 bottoms
- 3 dresses/jumpsuits and 3 shoes
- 2 swimming togs and 2 bags
- 1 accessory (hat, scarf, sunglasses)
This packing method has been invaluable and by keeping to matching combinations it is not difficult. For the most part we looked fairly decent. The uber cool waitstaff at the Dolce and Gabbana Martini restaurant in Milan would probably say otherwise!
Our outfits in holiday snaps are same/samey but hey, are you a tourist or in a fashion show! (Actually in Milan it was probably the latter!)
There can be lots of variations to the 5-4-3-2-1 method. Our daughter had about 15 tops but teenage girls tops and indeed all their clothing items seem to be minimal. They didn’t take up much extra space!
As a base template this method will massively cut down on your packing. Of course using packing cubes are also a must.
I have also tried this for winter destinations, swapping out dresses and swimsuits for jackets and thermals. It is much harder to squeeze ski gear in carry on but usually I will wear or hold bulkier items. We also followed this method when we went on safari although all items were khaki in colour!
2. Transfer Liquids
The biggest effort with Carry On Only is what to do about liquids. I suggest ordering a range of 50ml and 100ml travel bottles to transfer moisturisers, cleansers and hair products. Note – stricter airports only allow a 1 litre in one see-through bag. If you are happy to use any products then you can always buy supplies when you arrive at your destination.
Transfer all liquids into 100ml containers
3. Get on board early – carry on needs overhead space
Another challenge when travelling with Carry On Only is finding enough overhead locker space. Nowadays people seem to bring all sorts of items of varying shapes and sizes and it fills up super quick.
It is not unusual to have your cabin bag in an overhead locker nowhere near your seat. This makes it easier for opportunistic thieves to take something from yours while pretending to open theirs! To avoid this, queue up at the gate early so you can “bags” the lockers above your seat. Don’t worry if you look like a keen bean!
I highly recommend you give Carry On Only a try. It is such a win to walk off the plane, go through immigration and then straight out the door. A wonderful head start to your holiday!
Thanks for reading and I do hope you give it a try!
Shareen
All packed and ready to go! Carry On Only for 3 weeks in Europe for a family of 5!
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