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There are few travel experiences more ignominious than arriving at the departure gate to find your carry-on, which you slavishly packed – in part to avoid the hefty checked-baggage fees on some airlines – is overweight.
But Lise Carlaw has become a professional flyweight – in travel, not boxing, terms – packing for her five-week trip to Europe with her husband and two sons with only cabin bags. Total weight: 24.8 kilograms.
Lise Carlaw, in three different outfits drawn from her carry-on baggage challenge.Credit: Instagram
When this masthead speaks to Brisbane-based Carlaw, who co-hosts The Lise and Sarah Show with Sarah Wills, she is in the French Alps, where the weather has turned a little nippy. No matter, she says, the “rules” allowed them to pick up some additional layers at a local sports store. “You could say we’re cheating, but I was very clear at the start of this the [carry-on] was critical at the start of the trip: we were on planes, trains and moving every few days,” she says.
Carlaw, who spent a month packing for her trip – a process which included creating a “Europe room” in their house – says travelling light means the family has focused on experiences over stuff. “We still haven’t shopped or bought souvenirs,” she says. “It would just be a punish for everyone involved, me included, if we’re traipsing through boutiques – that’s not what this trip was about.”
The Carlaw family’s ‘Europe room’, where Lise meticulously packed and weighed their bags.
Travelling light to this extreme, of course, is easier in summer. And, as Carlaw freely admits, this mode of packing, which also requires an almost blatant disregard for the “shame” of outfit repeating on social media, isn’t for everyone. “There are two types of people – those who think they could do it and love the simplicity of not having much, and the others who think, ‘That’s my idea of hell, I want to go to Cinque Terre and have seven outfit options a day’. And I support both!”
Personal choice it may be but, still, the scourge of noise pollution was enough for the Croatian city of Dubrovnik to recently consider a ban on “wheelie” suitcases. Travellers who defy the rule will reportedly have to pay a $430 fine.
Speaking of bags, one of Carlaw’s secret weapons has been a convertible tote-cum-backpack, which fits all the family’s necessities, but is chic enough to take to dinner. Her most controversial inclusion were four pairs of sunglasses, which she says are an easy – and light – way to change up her look. But stylist Nicole Bonython-Hines says skip the accessories and focus on versatile garments, such as a tunic or shirt dress that can be worn numerous ways.
One way to increase the ability to mix and match, Bonython-Hines says, is to shop items from a single brand, as the fabric and shades are more likely to match. Also, avoid anything that needs dry-cleaning. And definitely skip the “What if I need?” items that often end up rumpled and unworn in the bottom of a bag. “You’re going on holidays, you don’t need a ballgown,” she says. “If something comes up at the last minute, deal with it when you’re there.”
Haulier founder and designer Jeremy Hershan agrees any pieces that don’t match with others in your bag need to go. He admits he sometimes over-packs shoes, but tries to limit himself to one pair of boots and trainers. “I tend to carry or wear my jacket in transit, and always pack special pieces and a spare change of clothing in my carry-on … [in case] you arrive at your destination and your luggage doesn’t.”
Handbag designer Jessie Wong, founder of Yu Mei, is a proponent of “the art of packing” and says time spent fussing about outfits on holidays is time wasted. “There’s nothing worse than the guilt of lugging around superfluous items for five weeks,” she says.
What’s in their carry-on?
Lise Carlaw, podcaster and carry-on traveller: Three pairs of shoes (sneakers and two pairs of sandals), a striped T-shirt, denim shorts, two dresses, a denim jacket, linen pants, plain tank tops and T-shirts.
Nicole Bonython-Hines, stylist: Long pants, a short skirt, a singlet or T-shirt, a light cardigan, a sandal, a tote bag and a smaller bag for night, dress, swimsuit and a foldable hat.
Jessie Wong, founder and designer, Yu Mei: Lightweight pants and blazer, two shirts, coloured skirts, sandals, heels, runners, cashmere knit, one set of gym gear, two pairs of sunglasses and her favourite jewellery.
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