I wouldn’t consider us backpackers. We just figured out that suitcases were getting in the way.
When we first started planning our Thailand and Vietnam vacation, I did a TON of research. If there was a YouTube video available, I watched it. If there was a guidebook in the library, I checked it out.
And somewhere along the way, I realized something that would completely change the way our family travels:
We didn’t need suitcases. In fact, I started thinking that suitcases might actually make our trip harder.
And we’ve been traveling with backpacks ever since.
Why We Ditched the Suitcases
The first thing I noticed was the cost.
We had five separate flights on that Thailand/Vietnam trip. Not five legs of one flight, five actual flights, each with multiple legs.
Can you imagine the luggage fees for five people? No thank you.
But honestly, the money wasn’t even the biggest reason I wanted to leave the suitcases at home. I kept thinking about how we were actually going to get around.
Ferries? Small cars? Tuk-tuks? Local buses? Trains? With five suitcases in tow?!
That could be a problem.
And then there was the thought of actually walking with all of them.
I could picture the five of us dragging large suitcases down small alleyways in the heat, in the dark, and through crowded streets. And it just wasn’t conducive to my idea of exploring.
So naturally, I started paying attention to what other “explorers” were using.
Backpacks.
We all know about backpackers, and to say we’re not your typical backpacker is an understatement. But the more I thought about it, the backpackers were onto something.
You really do need less than you might think.
Finding the Perfect Travel Backpack
Once I decided we were going the backpack route, I did what I always do. I researched the heck out of it until I knew exactly what I wanted:
No metal frame. Too heavy.
No traditional top-loading backpack. Too disorganized.
Lots of pockets. Because I need to know where my stuff is.
It had to open like a clamshell. This was non-negotiable.
And it needed to be the perfect size- Not too big. Not too heavy. But still big enough to hold everything we needed.
And what we found was that 35L is the sweet spot for an adult. It’s small enough to be considered a carry-on on the vast majority of flights, but large enough to “fuel” our travel for a month at a time.
For my girls, who were a little smaller when we started, we chose 28L backpacks. They’re entering their teen years now, though, and they’re ready to graduate to the larger size.
Oh and there was one final requirement for my personal backpack: While my son was perfectly happy with black, I love color, so mine had to be pretty!
And that’s another thing I love about backpacks. You can find one that fits your personality instead of everyone looking like they’re hauling the same boring piece of luggage through the airport.
You can find our backpacks here, here and here!
You Really Don’t Need That Much Stuff
This is probably the hardest part for people to believe.
If we’re going on a 30-day trip, are we taking 30 shirts?
Heck no! Not even close. We’re very intentional about what goes into our backpacks, what stays in there for the duration of the vacation, and what comes home with us.
And we do laundry about once every five days, give or take.
That’s it.
You’d be surprised how many hotels and Airbnbs have washers, and when they don’t, there’s usually a laundry service or laundromat nearby. Once you see how easy it is to wash your clothes on the road, you realize you don’t actually need a month’s worth for a month-long trip.
You just need enough clothes to get you to the next laundry day.
It sounds obvious now, but before we started traveling this way, I would have thought packing for a month required a ridiculous amount of luggage.
It just doesn’t.
What Happens When You Actually Travel With Five Backpacks?
This is where I really fell in love with the decision.
It’s an amazing feeling to know that when we need to grab a rideshare with five people and five bags, we’re all going to fit.
When we need to hop on a crowded local bus in Vietnam, we can set our backpacks on our laps.
When we need to get on a jam-packed rush-hour train in Japan with our backpacks, we’re going to be just fine.
Yeah, that one wasn’t my favorite.
But we made it.
And when we’re walking through a crowded city, we’re carrying our bags instead of dragging five giant suitcases behind us.
The backpacks don’t just save money. They make us more mobile, and that’s exactly what I wanted when I started planning that first trip.
I wanted to explore; I didn’t want our luggage to dictate how we moved through a place.
The Kids Carry Their Own Stuff
There is another nice little benefit to this system.
Everyone has their own backpack, which means everyone carries their own stuff.
That makes you a little more intentional about what you pack.
Because when you know you’re going to carry that bag through an airport, onto a train, down a street, and up a flight of stairs, suddenly that fourth sweatshirt doesn’t seem quite as necessary. And the kids have learned this, too.
There is a limit. And that’s okay.
We’ve Never Gone Back to Suitcases
We bought our backpacks before that first month-long Thailand and Vietnam trip, and I have not once regretted the decision. In fact, I haven’t taken a suitcase on another trip since.
We’ve traveled this way through multiple countries and on trips lasting weeks at a time, and every time I pack my little backpack, I’m reminded how much easier it is than hauling a suitcase around.
I even got tickled the other day when a friend was going to Walt Disney World for a week with four people and was taking six suitcases, four of them large-sized.
Six suitcases. For four people.
It was pretty much the exact opposite of my backpacking style, and I couldn’t help but think how funny it would be if she knew how I travel.
I’m not saying everyone needs to travel like we do, but I am saying you probably need less than you think.
Apparently We’re the Backpack Family Now
We’ve even gotten a few funny reactions along the way.
Once, a woman in an airport called us “the Cotopaxi Family.” For some reason, this made me ridiculously happy.
Another time, we stepped off a train in Taiwan and were stopped by a woman who asked if we were the backpacking YouTube family she watches.
Sadly, we aren’t. But again, it made me smile.
Apparently five people walking around with colorful backpacks is enough to make you look like you have your own travel channel. Maybe someday. Sigh.
We’re not your typical backpackers. But after traveling this way with five people for weeks at a time, I can’t imagine doing it any other way.
Five people. Five backpacks. And somehow, everything we need fits inside.
I guess that makes us backpackers after all.
One comment