| "the definitive guide to traveling light"   |
"the go-light guru" —Time Magazine "a wealth of practical advice" —The Wall Street Journal "authoritative and well-organized" —USA Today "incredibly useful site" —Yahoo! Internet Life |
"one of the best [sites] on the Internet"  |
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An Instructional Guide
There's no question: overpacking easily heads the list of biggest travel mistakes. Thus this Web site, offering exhaustive (some might say exhausting) detail on the art of travelling light, living for an indefinite period of time out of a single (carry-on-sized) bag. |
Why I Wrote All This
I travel a great deal, for both business and pleasure, and (like most seasoned travellers) have found that the lighter my burden, the more pleasant my journey. Consequently, I have thought a lot about the subject, read extensively on the issues, even attended seminars on packing techniques. Most important, I have tried all this stuff out, experimenting with a variety of solutions in many cases. This Web site affords me an opportunity to share the resulting opinions.| Been here before? For your convenience, here's a list of recent updates. Read the very latest travel news, for the unabashed information junkie! |
Why Live Out of One Bag?
There are many reasons to "travel light", the principal ones being... Security: By not having to check baggage (or otherwise entrust it to the care of others), you are much less likely to lose same (or its contents) to theft, damage, or misrouting. Would that peace of mind were always so easily acquired! |
 Mobility: You needn't arrive at airports as early. You can board trains, trams, and coaches with alacrity. You can more easily deal with delayed transportation and missed connections (because you can choose alternatives without worrying about what will happen to your belongings). You can travel as an air courier. You can sell your seat (by volunteering to be "bumped") on full flights. You will be among the first to leave the airport for your destination, while others wait for baggage delivery and long customs inspection queues. And you won't feel compelled to take the first hotel room offered; you can easily walk out when the reception counter person quotes too high a price. |
 Economy: You don't have to pay porters and the like to carry stuff around for you. You will be more able to take public transportation, rather than taxis and limos (where you often pay extra for luggage). You can even walk. All of which will also bring you into more intimate (and thus rewarding) contact with the people and places you have come to visit. |
I'm Convinced! How Do I Get Started? |
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Of the several aspects to this challenge, the most important is what to take, another is what to take it in, and a third is how to pack it (particularly the folding of clothes). Visit the associated pages for discussions of these and related concerns. I have also included a resource section, with an assortment of product recommendations, including supplier contact information for any specialty items to which I refer. A "library" page lists a (very) few recommended books on related topics. Lastly, there is a page of carefully selected links to other travel-related Web sites that visitors here will likely find interesting (including a fairly extensive list of travel industry sites for airlines, hotels, and rental automobiles).
The information on One Bag is not particularly directed at campers & back country hikers (who must additionally deal with food, tents, sleeping bags, stoves, etc.), though they may find much of it useful. They certainly shouldn't miss Ray Jardine's book.
Neither is it targeted at those planning extended stays at single destinations, such as resorts and cruise ships, especially if specialized clothing or equipment is necessary (such activities involve minimal travel, thus the issues addressed here are of less concern). Again, though, many relevant suggestions can be found herein.
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And finally... this site is a labour of love (and a vehicle to keep my Web site development skills intact). If you find it useful, have questions or suggestions, or just want to say "hello", please feel free to
. I'd particularly like to hear about what may have led you here, especially if it was a recommendation in some newspaper, magazine, or radio/TV piece; I often have no other way to learn about these. Plus, I meet a lot of nice people this way! ... Doug Dyment |
What Happened to "The Compleat Carry-On Traveler"?
This site has been a popular Web travel resource since 1996, when it was widely known and loved as The Compleat Carry-On Traveler. I discovered, however, that the emphasis on the term "carry-on" led many to believe that it was principally (or even exclusively) concerned with airline travel. This has never been true... if there is an abundance of air travel information here, it is only because of the popularity of that mode of transport among Internet users. Learning to "travel light", however, is a skill that transcends the vehicles (if any) being used. Thus the site is now "One Bag", and even has its own domain (www.onebag.com), though the original link will continue to work. Also, I don't get so many queries about the word "compleat".
Why Are There Advertisements On This Site?
This is a non-commercial Web site; it does not sell anything, nor have I any financial incentive to recommend a particular product or company. The unbiased nature of my suggestions is, in fact, one of the principal reasons for the popularity of One Bag over the years. I do have three associations with outside companies, however, so I thought you should know about them:
(1) The advertising banners that you see at the bottom of each page come from LinkExchange, a service that provides a free banner exchange. You see banners from other sites here; other sites see my banners. No money changes hands.
(2) Where appropriate (mostly the TraveLibrary page), I provide links to Amazon.com, to facilitate purchase of the few books (and a couple of tools) that I recommend. I receive a small commission on such sales (when purchased directly via this site).
(3) Each of the main pages of this site displays, to the right of the content "page", a short vertical listing of fairly unobtrusive text advertisements. These ads are served by Google, from whom I receive a small payment each time someone clicks on one (whether or not anything is purchased). I have no relationships with the companies advertised, and am generally not in a position to comment on the value of their products or services.
These payments are used to help defray operating costs. They are my sole financial connection to anything mentioned in One Bag (and they influence neither my opinions nor my recommendations).
(1) The advertising banners that you see at the bottom of each page come from LinkExchange, a service that provides a free banner exchange. You see banners from other sites here; other sites see my banners. No money changes hands.
(2) Where appropriate (mostly the TraveLibrary page), I provide links to Amazon.com, to facilitate purchase of the few books (and a couple of tools) that I recommend. I receive a small commission on such sales (when purchased directly via this site).
(3) Each of the main pages of this site displays, to the right of the content "page", a short vertical listing of fairly unobtrusive text advertisements. These ads are served by Google, from whom I receive a small payment each time someone clicks on one (whether or not anything is purchased). I have no relationships with the companies advertised, and am generally not in a position to comment on the value of their products or services.
These payments are used to help defray operating costs. They are my sole financial connection to anything mentioned in One Bag (and they influence neither my opinions nor my recommendations).