Ah, the joys of traveling with only carry-on luggage. We don’t have to wait in baggage check-in lines or stand around in baggage claim. If plans change, we can instantly adjust, without worrying whether a checked bag will catch up with us. On cruises, we’re unpacked and relaxing by the pool before most passengers have received their luggage, and we’re among the first to disembark at the end of the voyage. Oh, and we don’t have to pay those checked-baggage fees that most domestic airlines now charge.
“How do you do it,” friends ask, “especially on a cruise or very long trip?” If you follow a few basic principles, it’s easy.