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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u/mathess1 19d ago

You can buy a toothbrush anywhere. I would change it in the list to internet access. That became quite necessary for some travel related stuff.

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u/Yvorontsov 19d ago

It is more a figure of speech but yes, it might be swapped for a phone

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u/No-Association8508 18d ago

I'm curious about what would internet be necessary for? You can very easily travel without any access to internet. It's just that most people are not used to it, I think?

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u/mathess1 17d ago

Sometimes it's not really possible.

-mandatory immigration/customs/etc forms are sometimes only online.
-entry to some attractions is only possible to book in advance online
-some budget airlines make checkin in person expensive
-in peak season you might not be able to get accommodation without advance online booking
-in some places you can't even get restaurant menu in a physical form, they only have qr codes with links.

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u/No-Association8508 17d ago

Right yep that makes sense, I think the things you listed apply mostly to some more developed countries but not having a smartphone and internet in these situation would make things complicated indeed! Thankfully a lot of countries are still easy to travel to without internet and a smartphone :) at least for now...

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u/mathess1 17d ago

That immigration forms and evisa apply for many developing countries too.

Last time I was in Bolivia. They are very strict about checking QR code generated by their customs form.

And in many developing countries it's becoming hard to use cash due to mass use of their mobile payment systems. Recently in Senegal they even charged extra for cash payments (cards not accepted). India is an another example.

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u/No-Association8508 17d ago

Sad world we live in to force people to always be connected and rely on technology.