A bit of carry on.
When Jane and I took off for six weeks last year we decided we would do the whole trip with carry-on luggage only. We’d heard all the horror stories of punters losing thousands of dollars worth of bags and contents somewhere between check-in and landing. The airlines’ only response seemed to be banning trackers (mostly Apple Tags) which were embarrassing them.
This bit from the ABC caught my eye.
It had some weird shit about people renting their clothes while overseas…
Japan Airlines started a pilot program offering overseas travellers the option to rent clothes for their stay in the country in advance. Tourists can ditch their bags altogether, avoiding the stress of deciding what to pack and what to leave behind, and simply collect their clothes at their holiday rental. The scheme began in July and will run through to August next year. For as little as $44, people can rent outfits for a particular season, colour scheme or style.
I mean, it seems reasonable, but also… eewwww.
We did pretty well with one carry-on and one day bag each. And that was with having to pack for both Saigon (very hot) and European autumn. Global warming to the rescue! Daily maximums in Paris and Rome kept topping out at 30C. Terrible for the future of agriculture and probably civilisation, but it meant I could reuse my clothes from Saigon.
I reckon I only used about 40% of what I took because none of my heavy winter gear turned out to be appropriate.
Apart from the "ewww" factor, the one thing capitalism has struggled with is catering for any markets that deviate from the norm. So as well as having to deal with shrinking seats and leg room on flights, Humans Of An Unusual Size will then also have to try to find, and rent, clothes that will fit them in countries where their first language may not be spoken. And if they fail, they'll have to rinse their underwear in their hotel room every night for their trip. That's totally not going to end in tears 🙄
Also, have the airlines not grasped the concept of GOING SHOPPING WHILE OVERSEAS? I had an 8 week trip across Hong Kong, Egypt, Jordan and North America in 2018, and deeply startled my father when he came to pick me up from the airport when I got home, because I'd left with a duffel bag and came home with 2 suitcases he'd never seen before.
Imma going rent me some guy’s holey undies next time I travel. Nothing could go wrong surely.