GaiaGeek

With the ever-increasing chance that you’ll have to pay extra to check your bag the next time you fly, you may take a shot at flying with only a carry-on bag and not checking any luggage. More and more people are doing so, and there entire websites, such as www.onebag.com, devoted to the art of traveling with only a single carry-on bag. Many people choose to try this with rolling luggage, but as discussed in another article, Luggage or Backpack?, there are some clear advantages to traveling with a backpack – and the advantages are even greater when going the carry-on route.

First, the additional hardware used in rolling luggage takes up valuable packing space and also makes the bag heavier. This means you’ll have a harder time keeping it under the carry-on size and weight limits which vary amongst airlines (see The International Maximum Carry-On Size and Weight Limits). Second, because rolling luggage tends to have a hard structure to it, if your bag is larger than what the airline accepts, you won’t be able to squeeze it down to a size that fits the luggage templates and you’ll be forced to pay for a checked bag. A backpack, on the other hand, is soft and can easily conform to the size of the luggage template – even if it means pulling out a sweater. Carry-on backpacks are also about half the weight of rolling luggage, meaning you’ll be less likely to have to worry about weight limits, which can be as low as 5kg or 11lbs on some airlines.

If you decide to go the way of the carry-on backpack, here are some choices to consider:

Rick Steves Convertible Carry On

If you’ve never heard of him, Rick Steves is the host of a TV travel show where he usually features various destinations in Europe. At 21″ x 14″ x 9″ this bag meets standard US carry-on size restrictions, and if you pack it properly you should be able to squeeze that 9″ depth down to 8″ to fly on foreign airlines with stricter size limits. It’s only 3 lbs and claims 2,500 cubic inches of packing space. You can use it with the included shoulder strap or with the backpack straps, which tuck away when not in use. Most important of all, it has a waist belt with pads for your hips, making it a top bag to consider if you’ll actually be carrying your bag any fair distance on your back, as waist-belts shift the weight off your shoulders and on to your hips.

eBags Weekender Convertible

Also at 22″ x 14″ x 9″ this bag is similar to the Rick Steves bag above. However, it’s heavier at 3 lbs 10 oz and lacks hip pads on the waist belt. eBags describes this bag is having a capacity of 3066 cubic inches, but I think it’s safe to cry foul at that, as if you calculate the volume of a 22″ x 14″ x 9″ object, it’s 2772 cubic inches – so unless eBags found a way to defy the laws of physics, I think it’s safe to say the capacity is closer the 2,500 cubic inches of the Rick Steves bag. It does not include a shoulder strap. It does have the advantage of being cheaper, but with the reduced weight and hips pads, the Rick Steves bag is a better buy.

Lowe Alpine TT Carry-On 40

Lowe Alpine is a reputable manufacturer of backpacks and other hiking gear, and this bag represents part of their aim to move into the travel market as well. At 22″ x 12.5″ x 8″ this bag is a better size for meeting the stricter carry-on limits of some foreign airlines, such as the budget airlines in Europe. It’s also slightly lighter than the Rick Steves bag at 2 lbs 13 oz, yet claims a capacity of 2,600 cubic inches. It does include a detachable shoulder strap, but lacks the hip pads on the waist belt. The big advantage of this bag in my opinion: it just looks better – although the fact that it’s made by a reputable bag manufacturer is a big plus, too.

High Sierra Passport Travel Pack

This may be a good choice for a backpack that’s as useful on a hiking trail as it is at the airport. It’s 22″ x 14″ x 8.5″ with a capacity of 1830 cubic inches and weighs in at 3 lbs 8 oz. The advantage this backpack has over the others is it’s waist belt has much more adequate padding – the kind you’d expect on a pack for the hiking trail. If you’re expecting that your travels will take you well off the beaten path, you’ll be much more comfortable with the weight riding on your hips using this bag. When it comes time to check in at the airport, the backpack straps can be concealed behind a zippered panel to help you avoid raising any eyebrows over it’s size. The disadvantage: those nice shoulder and hip pads take away from your packing space, which is why this bags capacity is lower than the others.

Briggs & Riley Baseline 20 Convertible Travel Tote

This may be the preferred choice if you’re a business traveler looking for something that will look suitable walking through the lobby of a nice hotel. It’s 20″ x 12.75″ x 9″ with a stated capacity of 2571 cubic inches and a weight of 3 lbs 13 oz. It features a should strap or hideaway backpack straps, though without a waist belt. It also features something Briggs & Riley calls a SpeedThru pocket, which is designed to hold your keys, wallet and PDA when going through security checkpoints. Disadvantage: twice the price of any of the other bags here, but if it’s for work, perhaps you can write it off as a business expense.

In addition to these bags which are designed for carry-on travel, you may be able to use a small hiking backpack with the right dimensions or a laptop backpack. Of course, the latter would make a lot of sense if you need to bring your laptop along, but keep in mind that a standard 14″ laptop will take a pretty significant chunk out of your bag capacity, leaving you less room for clothes. Also, if you do go with a laptop backpack, make sure the laptop sleeve is closest to your back when wearing it. You always want the heaviest items closest to your back to ease the load on your shoulders.

Have you found a backpack that works great as a carry-on bag? Let us know with a comment below – and if you’re up for it, pull out your ruler and give us the dimensions.

(Updated with new codes.)

AirTran, American Airlines, Delta Airlines and Virgin America have started offering WiFi internet on select flights through Gogo Inflight Internet. According to this thread on SlickDeals.net, you can try it out for free if you’re on a flight where it’s offered by following these instructions:

• On the flight, connect to the ‘gogoinflight’ wireless network.
• Open any webpage.
• Create a new Gogo account.
• On the payment info page, enter promo code 1669da59g1.

The above code expires September 30, 2009. For American Airlines, try code 1815rft3321 which expires October 31, 2009.

While a rural Australian town may be the first to ban the sale of bottled water, whichever side of the great bottled water debate you fall on, there is an undeniable fact about drinking bottled water when traveling in developing countries: your empty bottles are almost certainly not being recycled, and instead destroying the beauty of the very country you traveled thousands of miles to see.

I once bought some bananas from a street-side fruit vendor in India and decided to eat one right away. Just near the fruit vendor stood one of India’s many (estimated at 200 million) roaming cows. After finishing my banana, I held the remaining peel out for the cow, which promptly devoured it, and in that moment I realized how that banana had been a perfect zero-waste food: I got mine, the cow got hers, and nothing was left for the landfill. I can only imagine that India looked much cleaner years ago when the majority of garbage was either food waste or paper, both of which India’s many cows will happily digest. But with the introduction of plastic-packaged food products, suddenly there was waste with no consumer – and to make matters worse, most places in India have no municipal waste facility: no garbage truck that takes your bags of garbage away to a landfill where you’ll never see them again (something most of us take very much for granted).

While glass bottles do get recycled in India (probably because of deposits), plastic bottles get thrown out with all the other trash – meaning they go on the side of the road, in the local stream, or to the heap of garbage just outside the village, which will eventually be burned to make room for the next pile of garbage. If you’re lucky, you might even see Indians burning the day’s collection of garbage at the beach. Foreigners look at them like they’re crazy (”Don’t you know that burning plastic creates toxic fumes?”) but they are simply dealing with the situation that they have to deal with: getting rid of the garbage (and often times it’s your garbage).

While it’s possible (and quite preferable) to avoid buying pre-packaged foods in favor of eating at a local restaurant, water is one thing we can’t go without. Of course, if you’re in a developing country where one of the standard rules is “don’t drink the water,” how do you get around this problem of staying hydrated without leaving behind a huge pile of plastic water bottles?

Technology to the rescue: a small, wand-like device called the SteriPEN promises “safe drinking water anywhere” by using ultraviolet light to sterilize water from lakes, streams and questionable taps in developing countries. You simply insert the device into your water container and stir (or shake) for about 90 seconds. When used properly, the UV light kills “99.9999% of bacteria, 99.99% of viruses and 99.9% of protozoa (i.e. Giardia and Cryptosporidium).” It’s smaller than pump-based purification systems and a better solution for long-term stays than water purification tablets (which can also add a chemical taste to your water).

I personally used the SteriPEN Classic almost every day for my 5 month journey through India, so I can attest that it works. My daily water purification ritual was to couple my SteriPEN to a Nalgene water bottle using the SteriPEN Prefilter and shake the bottle gently for the required 90 seconds, usually while enjoying the view from my room. If you don’t already have a wide-mouth Nalgene-type water bottle, you may want to get the System Pack which includes the SteriPEN Classic, the Prefilter and a 32 ounce water bottle. If you want the most portable version of the SteriPEN, there is the SteriPEN Adventurer and the SteriPEN Traveler which are half the size and weight of the Classic (3.4 ounces vs. 8 ounces). However, the shape of these models (they only differ in color) doesn’t allow them to work with the Prefilter, which means you’ll have to stir your water rather than shake it. This may be fine if you’re only spending a week abroad, but for the long-term, I think the “shake” method is far less tedious than having to sit and stir water every day. Fortunately there’s now a new, middle-ground option called the SteriPEN Journey which will work with the Prefilter, but is smaller and lighter than the Classic. It also features the addition of an LCD screen which tells you which dose you’ve selected (.5 liter / 16 ounces or 1 liter / 32 ounces), the battery status and the time remaining during a purification treatment.

The Classic runs on four AA batteries, which should either be rechargeable NiMH batteries or lithium AA batteries (regular AA alkaline batteries are not recommended). Using either of these options should get you about 200 purification treatments of 16 ounces of water, or 100 treatments of 32 ounces. The other versions of SteriPEN, including the Adventurer, Traveler and Journey, all use two CR123 lithium batteries, which are smaller and more powerful than AA batteries, though also more expensive. These models will get you about 100 treatments of 16 ounces or 50 treatments of 32 ounces per set of batteries. Note: lithium batteries must be disposed of properly, so if your lithium batteries die on you while traveling, please take them home with you to ensure proper disposal rather than throwing them out in a developing country, where they may end up in a local stream.

Keep in mind that using the SteriPEN or any water purification device does not guarantee that you won’t get sick while traveling. If you’re staying in an area where the water is questionable, there’s a good chance that you’ll be exposed to something through the food you eat (an inevitability that comes with traveling to exotic places). If you do get sick, I speak from experience in saying that you may find the SteriPEN to be your holy savior, as even if it’s the middle of the night, all you have to do to get drinkable water is turn the tap and shake for 90 seconds.

Pickpockets can often be a concern when traveling, and some major cities have even started posting “beware of pickpockets” signs in heavily touristed areas because it’s such a frequent problem. You can safe-guard your cash and passport by using a money belt, but they aren’t always practical – or even necessary. Here are a few tips to help you keep your wallet in your own pocket.

- Keep your wallet in your front pocket. Never wear it in your back pocket. In a crowded area, it’s much easier for someone to “bump” into you and remove your wallet without you noticing. If your wallet is too thick, take out the things you don’t need regularly and get a different wallet if necessary.

- Use a chain wallet. PacSafe makes a wallet called the WalletSafe which keeps your wallet attached to your belt or belt loop by a low-profile chain which should stop any pickpocket dead in their tracks. The WalletSafe also has zippered pockets and is made of fabric, which is lighter than leather and better in humid climates, where leather can develop mold problems. However, if you don’t need the extra features, you can always go with a standard chain wallet instead.

- If a chain wallet isn’t appropriate because of the style of clothes you’ll be wearing (i.e. if you’re a business traveler), wrap a thick rubberband around your wallet and leave a couple twists in it. If someone does try to pull your wallet out, you’ll be much more likely to notice it.

- In a pinch, use a pin. If you discover that you’re in an area where pickpocketing is a known problem and you or someone in your party isn’t prepared, you can use a safety pin to seal a pocket shut. Obviously it’s not the most fashionable solution, but it will keep a stray hand from getting into your pocket and it only takes a few seconds to undo it when you need to get your wallet out.

- If you’re concerned about muggings or any situation where you might be forced to hand your wallet over, carry an extra ”handover” wallet. Keep a small portion of your cash in that wallet (a believeable amount) as well as some expired credit cards (best if they are from accounts you have closed, so the number is no longer in use) or some of the fake credit cards that came with credit card offers in the mail. An old driver’s license is a good as well if you have one, and maybe throw in a couple scraps of paper with phone numbers or other notes on them to make it seem real. The idea is to make the thief believe they got your wallet and run off with that.

- Be aware of your surroundings and look like you know what’s coming. This advice extends far beyond the safety of your wallet. Criminals often prey on the unsuspecting, such as tourists who are distracted by the “sights” around them or who have had a few drinks and are caught up in conversation with one another. Be conscious of where you are and the people around you. If you feel you’re in a high risk area, look at each person (especially those who don’t stand out) for about a second: long enough for it to at least appear as if you are “registering” their face and might recognize them if you saw them later. If a thief knows you’ve seen them and might recognize them, they’ll be much less likely to try anything.

I caught two people working this scam while in Boston near the convention center. They watch for a group heading toward the revolving doors. One person gets ahead of you and the other right behind you. As you approach the door, the person in front slows down and, on going through the door, his packages or his bag get jammed in the door. You bump into him and the person behind you bumps into you. When the person in back “bumps” into you, they lift your wallet out of your back pocket – or out of your purse (most women tend to push their purse back, behind their shoulder when going through a revolving door). As soon as everyone is through the door, the person with the wallet hands it off to a third person going a different direction (in case you immediately notice your wallet is missing). Then they all split up, only to reunite later to share your cash and credit cards.

The scam works like this: A nice looking girl or some other innocent looking person walks up to you at the airport or train station and points out that you have mustard on your clothing. They get you some napkins and try to help you get the mustard off your clothes. While you’re busy wiping away the mustard, their partner has walked off with your bag or purse which you’ve set down in order to take care of the stain. Then the helpful stranger offers to get some more napkins, only to disappear as well and leave you wondering where your belongings are.

Credit cards are not as widely accepted when traveling in foreign countries, so it’s inevitable that you’ll need some cash from day to day. I’m often asked how to deal with getting cash when abroad, and the fact is that the easiest and most economical way to get cash is by using the ATM, Debit or Check card issued to you by your bank.

If you look at the back of your card, you’ll probably see a logo that says Plus, Cirrus or Maestro. These are the names of the international ATM networks, Plus being Visa’s network and Cirrus and Maestro being part of MasterCard’s network. So, for example, if your card has the Plus logo, it can be used at any ATM in the world that is designated as being part of the Plus network – and you’ll generally see this same logo somewhere on the ATM (have a look next time you use one). This means that getting cash while traveling abroad is simply a matter of finding the nearest compatible ATM, which is never too difficult as many are part of both networks. If you know where you’ll be staying, you can see if there’s one nearby by either using Visa’s ATM Locator if you have a Plus card or MasterCard’s ATM Locator if you have a Cirrus or Maestro card.

Withdrawing money from ATMs as you need it is not only safer than carrying a wad of cash with you, but it’s also more economical because you’re getting your money converted into the foreign currency using the exchange rates which the banks use with each other, thus avoiding the usual commission that’s inevitably built in to any currency exchange you perform at a currency exchange booth and at many banks. (If you think your local bank isn’t making money off of currency exchanges, the next time you’re in the bank, make a note of their rates and compare them with the exchange rates listed on www.xe.com.)

There is a catch here, and depending on your bank, it may be a big one. Some banks charge fees for using a foreign ATM which, in some cases, can be pretty high. Check out the FlyerGuide Wiki chart to see what your bank charges or ask your local bank what the fees are for making an ATM withdrawal abroad. Often the bank will charge between 1% and 3% of the withdrawal amount and sometimes an additional flat transaction fee. For example, if you have a Chase or Washington Mutual debit card and you make an ATM withdrawal in Europe, you’ll be charged 3% plus a flat $3 fee. If you have a Wells Fargo card, you’ll pay 3% plus a $5 flat transaction fee. A unique case is Bank of America, as with their cards you’ll pay 1% plus a $5 transaction fee, but the $5 transaction fee is waived at their partner banks worldwide, which include Barclays (UK), BNP Paribas (France), China Construction Bank (China), Deutsche Bank (Germany), Santander Serfin (Mexico), Scotiabank (Canada and Peru) and Westpac (Australia and New Zealand).

With some of those rates being as high as they are, there really may be no economical advantage to using your ATM card over doing cash exchanges. However, if you’re willing to move your money into a new bank, some offer a clear advantage when it comes to taking money out overseas and avoiding ATM fees. At present, that list includes Bank of Internet, Schwab and TD Bank. Not only do these banks offer the possibility of ATM withdrawals abroad with no fees of their own, but they also reimburse you (often within limits) for any ATM fees charged by the ATM-owner, which also makes them great for withdrawing cash in the US without having to worry about which ATM to go to. See the notes on the FlyerGuide Wiki chart for the particular details of each. Note that you usually need to keep a minimum balance in order to avoid account maintenance fees. If these balances are more than you’ve got, check with your local banks and credit unions to see what their rates are when withdrawing money from ATMs abroad, as they might have a deal that’s better for you.

Does your bank offer fee-free ATM withdrawals while traveling abroad? Leave a comment below and we’ll add them to the list.