How’s that possible? Washing machines. They clean your clothes quick and easy like. You only need to pack for about a week. After that, you wash and wear again.

* lugging a heavy bag all the way through the airport
* finding space in the overhead bins
* living without whatever personal item the TSA has banned that week OR buying it at inflated prices once you reach your destination

Sure, if I’m going somewhere for 3 days that’s one thing. But otherwise I’ll have a leisurely stroll through most of my traveling and listen to my iPod for 10 minutes while I wait for my bags to unload.

I will say that I am a seasoned traveler. And, although I prefer to not checking my bags, sometimes necessity overrides preference. This is why:

- Shipping is quite expensive and not necessarily better than check in. For instance, on my last trip, a co-worker shipped business materials that the hotel never found, although the delivery service confirmed they had left them there.

- It is also too difficult to live out of a small plastic bag of 3 oz. toiletries for 3 weeks and/or to carry all of my clothes and camera equipment in the carry-on size bag. In many countries, it is just not practical to purchase all of your basics when you arrive.

“First, the seasoned traveler has two bags. One is their business luggage of some sort. The other – and this is what distinguishes them – is the carry-on bag they packed with just enough to survive.”

You keep forgetting that real seasoned travelers never check their bags. Ever.

If you have to check, then ship your bags separately.