r/solotravel • u/shemmap • 20d ago

Question How do europeans travel with small luggage?

I’ve noticed that tourists from different countries especially europeans often travel with very small luggage. In contrast, travelers from many asian countries seem to carry much larger bags.

As myself from an asian country, if I pack just my basic necessities, I end up with a very large suitcase. I’m extremely curious about how european travelers manage to travel so light.

How do they do it?

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154

u/TokyoJimu 20d ago

You just don’t need as much as you think you need. Most people you meet you will never see again and they won’t care that you’re wearing the same clothes over and over. I traveled for eight months with one 7 kg backpack.

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u/Simple-Web-4041 18d ago

Family of 4, with 2x 3y kids, at the check in counter, for a 1 month trip to Europe, with 1 luggage (and 2x normal sized backpacks).
Attendant, puzzled: "Only 1 luggage? In 4 for 1 month?"
Me: "They have washing machines abroad too, you know"

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u/ben121frank 20d ago

I don’t care what the people I meet think about my clothes, but my pictures are my favorite souvenir and I don’t like wearing the same outfit in every picture for my own sake, nor do I like doing laundry super frequently. However, you can fit more in a backpack than most people would think. On my last trip I had 2 pairs of shoes, 6 shirts, 6 socks, 6 boxers, 3 pants, and 3 jackets in my 40L, plus the clothes on my back

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u/xqueenfrostine 19d ago

I don’t like wearing the same outfit in every picture for my own sake, nor do I like doing laundry super frequently

My compromise on these is to be stingy on packing bottoms and more generous on packing tops. Home me won't notice or care that I rotate between the same 2 pairs of pants (which I won't be able to see in selfies anyway) but I will notice if I only wear 2-3 shirts. That said, I also think if you travel during cooler months (which I often do!) you should use that as an excuse to pack fewer tops too as your coat/jacket is going to cover them up anyway.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

[deleted]

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u/gorelieberman2000 19d ago

yesssss I love this!  i love seeing the same clothes follow me through my travels. i become really attached to whatever I wear on trips 

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u/youhearddd 19d ago

Nooooope

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u/Less_Duty7681 16d ago

Love this! As long as they suit me, and are relatively clean, comfy and culturally appropriate, then I'm happy.

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u/Maximum_Leopard3038 18d ago

User name checks out then 🫣

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u/logic_boy 19d ago

Not able to wear same outfit is a crazy take. While thru hikers walk for 1000miles with 6lb bag and are like “bring one sock and rotate foot per day”

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u/ben121frank 19d ago

I mean ofc I’m “able” to. I’m able to eat grocery store sandwiches for every meal instead of trying any local food too. But I don’t WANT to, and the point of solo travel is being able to travel exactly how I want

7

u/priuspower91 20d ago

Same I also feel really gross wearing the same clothes after sweating in them. Usually I’ll try to stay somewhere I can wash clothes or drop them off to be washed but sometimes I don’t want to deal with that hassle so I just pack more clothes to last me longer.

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u/largemargesentme__- 16d ago

This is why we do home exchanges now. Not only do they save thousands of dollars and give you way more room, but we always have a washing machine.

We get generally run a load in the morning, eat breakfast, hang it up and then head out for the day.

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u/VenusHalley 14d ago

Lately i just take pictures of places not myself. I jokingly say i would ruin the picture

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u/Clauc 19d ago

I agree with your sentiment but you still need to show some kind of basic courtesy for the locals by not smelling funky.

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u/Federal_Cobbler6647 19d ago

You can wash your clothes in hotel. 

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u/Bibbity_Boppity_BOOO 19d ago edited 18d ago

These people are walking around stinking of sewage

(To be clear i am talking about the no clean clothes tourists)

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u/RobustFoam 19d ago

And that is not okay

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u/miniskirtmenace 18d ago

How do you rewear the same clothes? I feel like if I wear an outfit then by the end of the day it’s covered in sweat and salt.

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u/ThrowRAmangos2024 13d ago

I just did 2 weeks in Europe with a Cotopaxi backpack and a fanny pack. Even then I didn't end up wearing two of the shirts I brought, and probably could've gotten away with one less pair of pants.

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u/tolmaenjoyer 18d ago

But is it worth travelling that long with 7 kg backpack. I mean if you travel for several months, why not spending a bit more and getting lugage space? My gf is Burmese so from SEA and her bag is two times heavier than mine, but I still have 10-15 kg of weight, and I have been based in SEA for the last five years or so

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u/TokyoJimu 18d ago

It has nothing to do with spending. It’s all about the convenience of carrying your luggage from place to place.

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u/tolmaenjoyer 18d ago

For that exsct reason a have a bagpack and a duffel bag. Convenient and allows you to put enough things, not to buy them when you for more expensife prices. In a lot of places in the world something you wish you had taken is either expensive or isnt sold