I took my first international flight 14 years back and my learning curve has never been the same. However in the all previous years of domestic travelling, one thing was consistent; I was never a light packer. My mom made me pack my own luggage since I was really young and she used to keep on reminding me to pack less. However my logic used to be pretty simple: I can't get photographed in the same outfit at different places. 

Our trip to Penang last month was an impromptu one. Husband saw a lucrative price and he lured me into saying yes to both a couple's trip and flying through Air Asia.

This time, since it was a couple's trip + short getaway (6 days), my husband convinced me to save some money on this, and he promised he would let me shop extra. I was bought.

The issue arised because of a silly misunderstanding on my part. In all the other airlines we had flown (KLM, Turkish, Emirates, Saudia etc) I had read that hand bags are not counted/weighed and so aren't laptop bags and diaper ones. Somehow that thing was etched in my mind and I did the cardinal mistake of taking a heavy purse of mine, filled it with books, diary and cosmetics and I was doomed when everything was being weighed at the ticket counter.

Now different airports have different strictness levels. So while I was "harrassed" at IGI airport, our experience was pretty smooth in the Malaysian ones. However once bitten, twice shy, we were ready to brave the situation with tonnes of clothes on our bodies.

Now here I am sharing my 2 cents as to what one can do to avoid such situations.

Do's and Don'ts while travelling with a carry on only:

1. Wear your heaviest outer wear and footwear for the flight. 

2. Apart from the coat and jeans and shoes, wear your chunky jewellery too, if you are carrying.

3. Keep your water bottle and lunch box away as they are exempted from weighing.

4. Don't carry multiple bags, even if adhering to the 7 kg rule. Only two bags are allowed per person, and the total of the two should not exceed 7kgs.

5. If possible, choose a carry on that is not too heavy in itself. That will give you an extra kilo to stuff your stuff.

6. On the way back, make sure to dry your swimwear or any other wet clothes because you don't want to be weighed down with water.

7. If you plan to shop at the destination, then keep your bags at least 2 kgs lighter from home.

8. It goes without saying that since liquids are not allowed, fill travel sized bottles with your necessary toiletries (like shampoo, conditioner, hair mask and body wash).

9. For makeup, avoid glass bottle packaging as they are heavier. Carry tube foundations (or even squeegee types). Don't carry your entire brush set; just the basic ones.

10. Make sure your purse is not heavy in itself. Some hand bags have sophisticated, heavy hardware that makes them less ideal for such trips. Save them for those flights where they give you 35 kgs limit and handbags are not even counted!

11. While umbrella is a necessity, it's not permitted in cabin baggages. We visited Penang during its wettest season, so rain protection was non negotiable. We bought the lightest possible raincoats for that reason and for protection from the sun, I carried a couple of wide brim hats.

12. Don't carry any stationary other than a pen. Books are heavy and so are diaries and agendas. While reading a book on vacation might be your idea of paradise, you have to decide whether to prioritise reading, fashion or shopping, while on a 7 kg restriction.

13. Fine jewellery is your best friend and wear all them while travelling to save the space (and weight) of their boxes. Don't carry any chunky stuff and of you are, then wear them on your flight.

14. The flip flops or the sandals that you pack should be as light as possible. Not the ones studded with stones and all.

While there are way too many nuances to this thing; like a laptop is at least 2 kgs, the consolidated weight of all the chargers and power bank comes out to be around 2 kgs, etc etc. So if you are going on a longer trip and travelling alone, this might not be feasible. Also cold destinations would mean a lot of heavy layers, which again won't permit squeezing within 7 kgs.

Long story short, sticking to cabin baggage only is more convenient if you are travelling in a big group. Like for a group of 6, you are getting 7x6=42 kgs of free luggage limit. Now the only limitations would be liquids (read toiletries), sharp objects and umbrellas. If you can survive without these, then you will save a load of money!

Are you a light packer or a carry entire wardrobe/household person?

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop with the theme-Travel.