Not everyone can embrace minimalism, but there's a time I'd highly recommend it: During air travel. Carrying-on your bags (rather than checking luggage) is a no-brainer for me because it saves so much time, hassle and stress. When you carry-on you always have your bags nearby. I even try to limit my carry-on luggage to a single bag that can fit underneath the seat in front of me. Now I have access to my bag throughout the entire flight.
Most gate agents have all but given up trying to stop people from stuffing the overhead compartments with 3+ carry-on bags, making the space under the seat into my private little goldmine. Even better, I can board at my leisure because I compete with no one for my bag space. My bag won't get lost or destroyed by handlers, and I'll avoid long check-in lines and painful carousel watching.
Lucky for me, I am not more than six feet tall, so my personal premium on legroom is not too high. I can always slide my feet under or rest of top of the bag.
If you're working inflight, a small laptop with a widescreen is a big bonus. With tight spaces, a 13-inch or smaller screen in a wide format means the top of your open screen can fit behind a reclined seat in coach while on your lap. I've given up on using the tray as a laptop table--the dimensions are just too tight and the keyboard is an un-ergonomic reach. Plus if the occupant in front of me unexpectedly reclines, my laptop can get caught in the vice of the seatback and tray table. With couple of good batteries and a cell modem, I can work pretty much anywhere and anytime.
So how does my bag get so small? I keep the layers minimal and the clothing light. I try to re-wear pants on a trip. I carry clothes I can launder at the hotel or even in my room. I don't always need a full suit, but if I do I want only one suit jacket. And if I need a warm coat or bulky sweater, I wear it or tie it around my waist so I never need room for it in my bag. I wear one pair of shoes and bring some light slippers for working out on a bike or eliptical.
My job requires a fair amount of domestic cross-country travel. I try to keep my trips quick and focused. I set my meetings, and get in and out of a town as fast as possible. I'll even take a red-eye if my meetings allow. Here's why it makes sense: If I ticket domestic travel at least two weeks in advance of travel, I can usually overnight travel for the same price as a hotel room. Add food, the daily rate for a rental car, and all other travel incidentals and soon it financial makes sense to stay airborne. I don't like sleeping in a plane seat, but I don't like sleeping in most of the hotels my company will pay for either.
In contrast, on those rare occasions when I travel to one location and stay for several consecutive days, I go ahead and load up a big checked bag so my stay feels downright luxurious!
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