As travel bounces back, we’ve been busy keeping up with all our friends and colleagues’ jaunts across the world.

Their luggage, however, has more often than not been far less successful in keeping up.

Staff shortages at airports and flight disruptions have seen a surge in late or lost luggage over this past year, prompting many to forego checked luggage altogether.

Travelling light comes with its own set of challenges, though, so we caught up with seasoned traveller Flight Centre’s Tom Walley to get some tips and tricks on how to travel with just carry-on luggage.

As managing director of Flight Centre’s SME division, Corporate Traveller, Walley has seen the impact of the travel disruptions on executives who travel frequently.

“Some forms of disruption are likely to continue for at least the remainder of the year as airports around the world slowly return to normal efficiency levels following the pandemic and associated isolation rules for positive cases,” he said.

“Business travel is a comprehensive undertaking, usually jam-packed with meetings and events, leaving little to no time to file a baggage claim or purchase new clothing if luggage fails to arrive. To navigate the current climate, it’s a smart idea use carry-on luggage wherever possible. Fortunately, there are myriad ways executives can pack lightly and strategically to avoid checked baggage.”

Below, Walley offers eight tips to help pack everything you need for your trip in carry-on baggage, whether it be for business or leisure.

Get the maximum carry-on baggage allowance.

Choose an airline that allows up to 14kg in carry-on baggage, either as part of the airfare or through purchasing an additional carry-on allowance, which is often cheaper when purchased before you arrive at the airport.

Domestic and international flights allow one personal item that can fit under the seat in front, while some airlines also allow passengers to take a garment bag. You can use this allowance to pack more essential items in a small backpack or a laptop.

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Book a hotel with a good range of amenities

Reduce the need to pack all your essentials by booking a hotel with premium toiletries, skincare, and hair appliances; gym and pool facilities; and spa services to give you everything under one roof. Don’t forget to pack any further essential toiletries in travel sizes, ensuring they adhere to airline guidelines on liquid items.

Avoid technology and bulky hardcopy files

Take an ultra-slim, lightweight laptop or tablet on the trip if you can. If you need to take hardcopy presentation documents, contracts, training manuals or other files, consider digital copies – saved on a device, USB or on the cloud – and organise to have them printed at your destination hotel.

Kindles are another storage idea for reading materials on your flights. They are ideal for storing large files and weigh no more than 188g, with a charge that can last weeks.

Pack multipurpose items

Pack business clothing that can transition into leisure wear and stick to neutrals that can adapt well to different situations. Consider taking loungewear that can be worn on international flights and for sleep.

Packing three tops for every bottom can also help you transition the same items from day to night, and from work to leisure.

Utilise empty spaces in your luggage items

When packing, cleverly place smaller valuables inside other items. For instance, jewellery or phone chargers could be stored inside shoes or coat pockets. Tightly roll clothing items to allow for more compact packing and prevent creasing. Some experienced travellers, however, prefer folding clothes and preventing creasing by placing tissue paper between each fold to ensure items remain neat.

Wear your bulkiest clothing on board

When travelling to colder destinations, consider wearing bulky outerwear or boots in transit to avoid wasting limited luggage space. Another clever space-saver is to place loose items such as wallets, passports, and pens, into your jacket pockets, provided they have a secure zipper. Many flights have hooks on seats for passengers to hang jackets.

Consider using a packing app

Free smartphone apps such as PackKing or PackPoint can generate a packing checklist based on the travel destination, duration of stay and planned activities, along with information on laundry amenities and other essentials in proximity to the booked accommodation.

If you’re using a travel management company, take advantage of the expertise of their travel advisers and innovative technology, which provide in-depth information that can assist with planning your travel, including packing strategically.

After you pack, try to reduce your luggage by another 20 per cent

When you have finished packing, step back and consider whether every item in your carry-on is essential and will be used well and remove items that will not be.

Know that you can purchase additional essentials at your destination and plan to use your hotel laundry service to wash clothing items that you will wear more than once.

Featured image: iStock/onurdongel