I don’t like checking luggage.  At all.  And I don’t see why 90% of the people that do it, do it.  No need to check a thing, with a bit of planning, willingness to absorb astronomical hotel laundry charges (or – my usual choice – do your own damn laundry), and purchase of quality clothes in the the first place.  As my kitchen-sink packing friends can attest, I’m quite proud of multiple-continent-multiple-week trips accomplished with a laptop backpack and a medium duffel.  So, all that out of the way, these guys are nuts:

In what is potentially the most minimal “technomadic” experiment ever, Rolf Potts (author of one of my favorite travel/lifestyle books Vagabonding) has set out on 6-week, 12-country, round-the-world trip without a single piece of luggage.

That’s a bit of a promotional gimmick, but this guy appears to be serious:

How to take as much as you like in your hand luggage from Matador Network

He’s also a great illustration of the tragedy of the commons – his carry-on antics squeeze out  folks who would just like to put their bags in the overhead.  On the other hand, if you’re flying Ryan Air, you’re just asking for this kind of company.

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Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much you pack, but what you pack:

The Immigration Officer swiped my passport, glanced at his computer screen and almost immediately stamped me back into the country. But just before I started to walk away he asked, “So you went to Afghanistan and Pakistan. How was it?” The only reply that I could muster up was a quiet, “Very interesting.”

He then called the next person in line and I turned away, relieved beyond belief at how well that had gone. Of course, that relief lasted a mere six seconds, right until the moment when a Customs Officer approached and asked me to step over to one of the inspection tables.

The following hour and a half of my life is a period of time that I will never forget and truthfully, never really want to endure ever again.

It’s a funny read.  If you’re into black humor.

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Speaking of jokes, everyone hates the TSA.  Everyone.

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A long long time ago, I used to be a WorldMate user on my Palm Treo.  At some point I decided it wasn’t worth upgrading, and stopped using it.  I just gave it another look, in Android version, and wow.  Good stuff.  Recommended.