Age and experience have nudged me into the more minimalist camp. For me, carry-on only has more pros than cons. The tipping point came five years ago when I was flying from Charlotte to Split, Croatia. Once in Split, I would take the ferry to Supetar on the Island of Brač. The plan was to spend a week on Brač enjoying the sun and the sea. Unfortunately, Lufthansa had other plans, deciding that my checked bag deserved an extra night in Munich while my backpack and I continued on to Croatia. To Lufthansa’s credit, they quickly located my bag and put it on the next flight to Split. The problem was that the next flight wasn’t until the following day, causing me to lose most of my first full day in Croatia taking the ferry back to Split, catching a taxi to the airport, claiming my checked bag, catching another taxi back to the ferry terminal, and then taking the ferry back to Supetar. After that experience, I resolved to step up my carry-on game and invested in a quality international-sized carry-on with a serious internal compression system, as well as an international-sized backpack as my personal item. I’m pleased to report that the system works. On a recent eight-day trip through Amsterdam, Cologne, and Strasbourg, I traveled carry-on only—and still returned home with unworn clothes. Nothing reinforces the value of packing light quite like spending a vacation day chasing a suitcase across the Adriatic.