There were some big lessons to be learned from the Hand Luggage Only project, but there were also some smaller gems as well. Here’s 20 useful travel nuggets for the active road worrier.
A little over a month ago, I announced my plans to roam Australia on the ultimate business travel trek, visiting every state and territory for work while using just a single carry-on bag. Now the journey is over, what key lessons have I learned?
The Hand Luggage Only project has almost come to an end — so it’s as good a time as any to do a detailed photographic expose of what I’ve been carrying around in the infamous and now damaged bag.
When I decided to purchase a new PC for the Hand Luggage Only project, I had a pretty open mind about what I might get, but I must admit there was one decision already made: I definitely wasn’t going to buy a Mac.
It’s been quite a banner day for the Hand Luggage Only project. One wheel on the all-important bag has fallen off and I’ve encountered my worst 3G reception yet — within metropolitan Sydney.
Up until today, I’d done 11 flights (and one boat trip) for Hand Luggage Only and only experienced a minor delay of 10 minutes on one journey. But that pretty impressive record got blown out the window when my Sydney-Perth flight was an hour late boarding because of “technical requirements”.
If you’re trying to travel light (which is what the Hand Luggage Only project is all about), keeping your washbag trim is a key strategy. But how can you do that effectively and still stay clean, healthy and presentable?
Battery life is crucial, but there’s an equally important test for any notebook that’s going to get regularly used on a plane: is it small enough to fit on the tray, allow typing when there’s someone sitting next to you and not end up half-closed when the person in front reclines their seat?
When I wrote up Lifehacker’s guide to capital city airport transfer options earlier this week, I deliberately avoided door-to-door shuttle services when there was a regularly scheduled public transport option. Today I remembered one reason why: because sometimes they just don’t show up.
I can guarantee that Hand Luggage Only isn’t going to see a more outlandish or enjoyable mode of transport than a hot air balloon, but drifting on the breeze does pose some organisational challenges for the compact traveller.
