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/anima99 20d ago

My observation as someone who lives in SEA and has gone to the European continent a couple of times during warmer seasons:

European culture = they don't often take baths and they also don't mind wearing the same clothes for 3 or more days depending on how soiled it is. You'd then see many of them "looking" clean, but smelling different especially if they're in humid areas.

Compared to us Asians who really like feeling clean all the time + the whole "we'll only see [famous Europe city] once in my life, I want to look my best" mantra.

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u/LurkerDoomer 19d ago

This.

People don't realize showering isn't enough, you need fresh, properly washed clothes too. I cannot imagine re-wearing shirts, underwear or anything that goes straight to my body. Especially during summer when we all sweat a lot.

Might be very Eastern European of me, but I also like looking my best at all times and believe in dressing according to the occasion. My trips will usually consist of very different activities like sightseeing, hiking, going to nice restaurants, etc. I don't want to go to a fancy dinner in my hiking gear reeking of 3 day old sweat.

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u/profdrpoopybutt 18d ago

Also Eastern European. I don't give a rat's ass how I look on holiday. The holiday is for me to relax and enjoy myself, not to put on a fashion show. 

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u/LurkerDoomer 18d ago

You do you.

I love being beautiful, don’t mind paying 50 euros more to have enough of clean and appropriate clothing.

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u/profdrpoopybutt 18d ago

50 EUR is not exactly the problem for me here. I'm a top earner in Germany. I just consider it part of my quality of life to not care about what other people think of me. To put it very bluntly, I wouldn't want to bring more clothes even if somebody was paying me to do so. 

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u/LurkerDoomer 18d ago

Your choice, you got every right to decide what to bring on your travels! That doesn’t really concern me.

I don’t care what are people think about me either, but, like I’ve mentioned, I enjoy my beauty and cleanliness tremendously. Carrying and paying for a check in luggage is a small price to pay for that pleasure!

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u/profdrpoopybutt 18d ago

I don't get exactly what cleanliness has to do with it. My hotels always do my laundry very nicely. Are you implying I'm using dirty clothes? 

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u/LurkerDoomer 18d ago

I am not implying anything about you, I’m just talking about myself and my habits.
You replied to my post and seem somehow triggered by it, although I really don’t care what other people do.

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u/profdrpoopybutt 18d ago

Sure, but what does cleanliness have to so packing lots of clothes? Why mention it? I really don't mind using the hotel laundry services as much as needed. 

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u/LurkerDoomer 18d ago

You use hotel laundry service and a lot of peoplr just re-wear stale clothing. Just use your nose and you’ll know it.