Rhoda and Bernie Goodman in front of the Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Our first visit back to London after making aliyah was for our son’s engagement; our second, for his wedding. Both visits were wonderful (apart from the weather) but there was always a real downside. As we inevitably stayed at the homes of different family and friends over the course of our visits and, in the case of the wedding trip, in two hotels also, we were always schlepping our “normal-sized” luggage from one place to another. That meant packing and unpacking and packing again. Naturally, whatever we needed was always at the bottom of the suitcase or else had seemingly disappeared in a tangle of clothing. However efficiently I had packed, there was always a stage at which everything became a tangle of clothing.

We were, therefore, understandably interested to hear that our friends Motti and Susan travel back to the US each year with hand luggage only. Their mode of travel is somewhat similar to the Jack Reacher style of peripatetic roaming. Jack Reacher, Lee Child’s hero, travels with a toothbrush in his top pocket and wears one set of clothes until he is ready to buy a new set, discarding those he has been wearing. That may be perfect for stateside travelling perhaps, where toiletries and clothes are significantly cheaper than they are in Israel, but less attractive in more expensive parts of the world. Furthermore, I rather like my clothes and don’t wish to discard any. The concept of traveling with hand luggage only nevertheless increasingly appealed.

We had a “once in a lifetime” trip booked for a five-week journey to and from Australia and thought traveling light might be the way to go. We did a dummy run back to the UK for the birth of our son’s first baby. This took place in January when it was snowing, so heavy winter wear was the order of the day. Nevertheless, taking hand luggage worked brilliantly. Checking in online, it took us only 17 minutes from the time we walked through the doors of Ben Gurion Airport until the time we were in the duty-free area. When we left for our big trip we shaved seven minutes off that time and did it in ten.

In London, my husband purchased a few microfiber T-shirts, sweat shirts and trousers that became shorts when unzipped. He ordered quick-drying microfiber underwear online, and took one lightweight zip-up jacket, one white shirt and one tie for shul, to the relief of our Sydney friends.

I had enough lightweight cotton wear and chose non-iron items. My very best accessory was a pashmina/sarong, of which the only downside was that it appears in virtually every photograph. On our way home from London last winter  we purchased miniature-sized toiletries in the airport and ordered plastic see-through bags online in which to put them, a requirement for travel through both London and Australian airports when carrying any liquids in hand luggage. We also bought travel-wash so that we could wash our worn clothes each evening, and took three hangers with us to hang things up. This all worked well except for Hong Kong where it was so humid that nothing dried and my husband had to send his clothes to the hotel laundry.

With Qantas Airlines, travelling from Hong Kong to Sydney, we had to start checking in our luggage because the Qantas weight allowance was just seven kilos. We, naturally, had already begun to buy presents for our family en route and pictures in India which had added somewhat to the original weight. Even so, using hand luggage continued to be an advantage. No heavy cases to pull off the carousel and no trolleys required.

“Is that all you have?” check-in staff enquired over and over again. And we smiled in a Cheshire cat way, very self-satisfied. Our lack of possessions enhanced every aspect of our holiday. It was liberating, easy, fun and highly recommendable. It truly is the only way to travel (unless, of course, you have a retinue of staff and fly by private jet). We have given away all our large luggage with which we made aliyah, and kept “just in case”, thereby freeing lots of space in our apartment and in our heads.

The adage that you take yourself with you wherever you go is, of course, true. You don’t need to take all your stuff too. The whole concept of traveling light has sent me scurrying to the computer to book the next trip. You may want to try it sometime.

Rhoda Goodman, B.A. Honors, came on aliyah in 2008. In the UK she served in the directorships of Shaare Zedek, Chai Cancer Cure, and the office of the Chief Rabbi. Her local volunteer work includes Barzilai Medical Center and Jewish Association for Physically Handicapped (UK). She also writes articles, press releases, and edits magazines.