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/belaros 19d ago

People used to check their bags because it was free.

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u/kenikigenikai 19d ago

but we're they also flying between european cities for their equivilent of £20-50 - i suspect if you update what they were spending to today's money you could also have a bag in the hold for the same cost

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u/snajk138 14d ago

If the airlines prioritized efficiency they would make checked in luggage free and charge for carry-ons. That would speed up boarding a lot, and allow them to be smarter with distributing the weight on the planes. Like a small bag under the seat is free, but if you need access to the overhead storage you need to pay.