How I Travel Southeast Asia with Just a Carry-On (No Checked Bags Needed!
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42 Comments
My Travel Gear: https://giointhephilippines.com/shop/
How I book My flights: skyscanner.pxf.io/EK0dVP
🌏 My Website & Resources
📍 Website & Blog → https://giointhephilippines.com
📍 Travel Gear & Essentials → https://www.amazon.com/shop/giointhephilippines
📍 Book a 1-on-1 Consultation with Me → https://calendly.com/giointhephilippines
📍 Patreon – 100+ Exclusive Videos & Perks → https://www.patreon.com/giointhephilippines
📍 Become a Channel Member → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClMlXTxpTNMZRE4AEjlc5RA/join
❤ Dating in the Philippines
💘 The Only Dating Website I Recommend for Serious Filipinas → https://bit.ly/RecommendedDatingSite
💬 Awesome Free Dating Site (500+ new members daily!) → https://www.pinalove.com/?ai=3494&cid=1
💍 Need a Visa for Your Filipina? → https://www.filipinovisa.com/?partner=1210
🛡 Travel Safety & Tools I Personally Use
🔐 The Only VPN I Trust – Surfshark → https://get.surfshark.net/aff_c?offer_id=934&aff_id=17091&url_id=1320
📬 How I Get My Mail Overseas → https://travelingmailbox.com/?ref=1384
💉 The Travel Medical Insurance I Use → https://safetywing.com/?referenceID=24748534&utm_source=24748534&utm_medium=Ambassador
📶 Best eSIM for Travel – Holafly → https://holafly.sjv.io/POrKr6
Discount Code: GIOINTHEPHILIPPINES
💸 Travel & Finance Tools
💸 Wise – Get Your First Transfer Free → https://wise.com/invite/dic/giovannis229
🧾 Throwaway Ticket for Only $16 → https://onwardticket.com/giointhephilippines
🏨 Book Your Hotel in the Philippines → https://bit.ly/38CvDgr
✈ Find Cheap Flights → https://skyscanner.pxf.io/EK0dVP
☕ Support the Channel
Buy Me a Coffee → https://www.buymeacoffee.com/italiagio71
Donate via PayPal → https://www.paypal.biz/GioSanTeaching
📞 Need Medical Insurance in the Philippines?
🧳 Travel Health Insurance I Personally Recommend
Travelers health insurance for worldwide travel 🌍
✅ Covers COVID-19
✅ Suitable for visa processing
✅ Available to citizens of all countries
✅ For travelers aged 2 months to 100 years
✅ Buy online — fast, simple, and secure
🔗 Get covered here → https://ektatraveling.tp.st/fO4cVbN1
Contact Michael Onstead
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Some of the links above are affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you use them. I only recommend services and gear I use personally and trust.
That is minimalist! 😂 Good stuff and tips tho!
Hey my friend… I love to play craps and blackjack. Are there Casino's in the Philippines? And are they any fun or a rip off?
I needed to see this! Thanks Gio!
Happy travels
I've had my luggage lost twice. Once by the airline and once by a man who took my luggage thinking it was his. I've gone carry on only ever since the second time.
Sometimes I walk from airport to accommodation. I don't want to carry anything more than a backpack, large enough to accommodate my laptop computer. I also carry a very small, over the shoulder, strap bag for money, passport, cards. Cargo luggage is a waste of time, waste of physical effort, and waste of attention.
Great content Gio
Thanks for the onfo Gio!
Question- I notice on all your title pages your head and neck are always leaning out. What's up with that? Just an attention getting youruber pose? Did you think that up or is it common creator lore? I'm not a creator myself, I'm just curious.
How many bags are you allowed to carry on
Hi Gio. Good advice. We travel from DGT many times throughout the year. That includes 1-2 international trips with our family of four. We also pack carry on luggage only. Each of us wear a backpack to travel while my wife always brings a personal bag. I occasionally bring my computer bag but usually pack my iPad Pro in my backpack. We do everything possible to avoid checking in luggage to save time.
The biggest challenge is to stay under the 7 KG limit as some airlines (Cebu Pacific especially) are very strict on the weight. We do have concerns over the new rules on carry-on items.
All good but one thing you didn't mention is weight. Philippine Airline has just introduced a new rule 7kg all up as carry on. So backpack and laptop bag can only weigh up to 7kg's. Most airlines are all doing the same now.
Gio, when you travel around on your motorbike, you leave your suitcase in your condo. If I am coming and plan on renting a motorbike to go to different cities, what do you recommend I do with my carry-on suitcase? Can it be attached to the bike? Or do I just pack super light with a backpack from my home country? Planning on 90 days or ???
What dimension suitcase (carry on ) do you have?
Its not on your Gio page..
Almost no reason to be traveling with checked bags! Get yourself a 40L backpack or duffel and some packing cubes. You can easily fit 2 weeks worth of clothes in a big backpack, can almost fit your entire wardrobe 😂. It makes airports so much easier. On domestic flights I can proceed straight to security and because of that I can leave house much later. No lost bags, no waiting for bags, no damaged bags, no extra fees. Only time I check bags is for golf clubs and that’s the only exception. Get yourself a good laptop bag or man purse to hold the extra stuff/sounvenirs as well. Remember you can carry on 2 bags and I’ve never had my bags weighed or looked at but they were definitely overweight every time.
Great show and tell Gio. I have a similiar approach but missing several things u covered. I have a tote but not lockable…more wicking shirts and that universal charger on my list for sure!
Excellent video Gio, filled with great practical advice and super informative! I will be sure to review it again prior to my upcoming move to bv the Phils on.or about early August this year. Thank you for sharing this great boots on the ground, tried and tested products and travel tips.
Good info! Curious about what voltage is in the Philippines? 230 120? Ty.
Great advice as usual. That adapter is bad-ass peice of equipment.
I've been waiting for this video!
I go it with a carry on( backpack wiith wheels on it and foldable handle ) , no laptop or tablet I use xreal AR glasses hooked to my samsung and remote desktop into my home PC. also Fu*K NAIA airport, they always try to get in and steal everything. I always buy clothes if I need them in the asian country, I can always pay like $2 to get my laundry done.
What are the names of the stores that sell T-shirts for only $2 or $3? I guess not in the malls.
But there's only one downside: you can't bring a Swiss army knife with you, which i really need sometimes.
My filipina wife and i have one carry on each for years now and we tavel the world this way. The last trip was 4 countries and 5 weeks. Its the only way to travel.
traveled asia for 20 years, with one carry on……………
I like those multiple adapter thingy 😊
I’ve travelled extensively for decades and the road warrior adapter is the lightest, smartest, most compact universal adapter I have ever found, great quality too.
Ideal setup, best thing about just carry on is layovers are so much easier. I sometimes even extend the layover so it becomes 2 trips for the same price(just book them separately) but I wouldn't do that if I had to roll around a bunch of stuff. Plus going through your stuff is so much easier. I can't tell you how much time I spent looking for something in multiple suitcases when I needed it the most.
As far as those overweight fees, you should look into the "Scottevest QUEST vest" It can hold a laptop, power bank, or whatever heavy thing is onto your clothing so you never pay any overweight bag fee again, it should pay for itself overtime especially if one does this full time.
I can see in the background you have way too much stuff, there is no way all your stuff fits in that. Sure it would be great but doubt it can happen practically. I guess that is the pro of home base. You can leave your stuff somewhere instead of carrying it with you everywhere. If one could actually pack everything they own in just carry on and personal item then sure no need for homebase but not sure if that is realistic
Staying under 7kg is the real challenge for carry on. Maybe you could do a follow up video on that topic?
Excellent vid brother! I’ve been traveling around Southeast Asia for four months now and completely regret bringing everything I ‘thought’ was essential. It’s amazing how little of it all I’ve used. Lesson learned for next years trip.
Is your magnetic wireless charger equally fast at charging as wire charger?
Travel to South East Asia direct from Iloilo
Nice video Gio. My quick comment is that you have only 7 kilos when going carry-on — although they're fine with up to 7.9 kilos. I've discovered that Jet Star and Zip Airlines allow ONLY 7 kilos and this does include everything: your carry-on bag, personal bag, as well as fanny packs that are on your person . Of course, this changes the game when before you placed a few kilos in your personal bag / fanny pack; however, this is no longer possible w/ those airlines. For now, I just avoid those airlines. Rules change all the time however. Ex: I noticed that Zip Airlines in Tokyo weighs everything but Zip Airline in Manila doesn't.
I have found those compression bags not useful. Reason is, it's not space, but rather less weight that you need. Therefore, if you have more space in your bag, you tend to pack more, which pushes up the weight. to keep it under the 7.9 kilo limit, my secret is, have a portable scale whenever I travel I make last minute changes from carry-on bag to personal item bag. Also, my last trip I hid my personal item bag from the attendant, and saved around $50 in excess fees.
My big secret is to do laundry often. For my last trip that lasted 5 weeks, packed two shorts and regular five shirts and 5 tank tops for working out in the gym — when you wear a regular shirt for 2 days, it's more than doable. I need to look at that quick-dry clothing.
Shoes, I have two pairs. One is a open toed rubber for when it rains. The 2nd is a Nike running shoe (fakes, cost 1500 pisos in RP). Nothing else is needed.
My carry-on bags I pick up in Thailand, MBK for 900 baht and never a problem. They're light, strong, and I use the locked luggage as a portable safe. Also I recommend you get luggage silicone wheel covers. They're ridiculously cheap, like under $4 for eight of them, and they'll save your wheels.
I can't believe any discount airline like, Air Asia or Cebu Pacific, would let you on the plane with those first four bags. A carry-on and a personal, that's it. I frequently use AA to run around SEA out of Bangkok and it's always a battle of some kind.
I've been travelling, carry-on only, for nearly 8yrs now. Most recently that, included, a month's trip to Phil's to get married &, last trip, was taking a years worth of baby clothes, for my newborn. So….There's no excuses. Compression sacks are game-changing, as is the freedom of going carry-on only. Where,I would differ from Gio,is that I don't take a hard case but,I use a rolltop waterproof, drybag rucksack,which is perfect for tropical countries. Quick dry clothing, merino clothes, all essential minimalist travel hacks. My greatest achievement, was making the Wife do the same, on a trip to Bohol! 🤣No point, if you're going minimalist, if ya Filipina is travelling Philippines style, i.e. everything but the kitchen sink.
I'm surprised you get all that stuff in your bag and it weighs less than 7kg which is the norm for Asian airlines. Heck my empty carry-on weighs half of that. My solution is cargo pants and a light jacket. I stuff all the heavy stuff like batteries into my pants and bigger stuff into my jacket especially using the liner pockets. Once while using Singapore Air I even had to rip open the liner of my jacket to stuff my tablet in to stay under the 7kg limit. After check in I just stuff my jacket into my carry-on.
Nice commercial Gio, it would have been great if you actually showed how you fit all that stuff in the one bag….
I know the airline is getting really strict on the weight. I had to get away with that now it’s in Cebu. They weighed my suitcase. It was like a pound over 2 pounds over they want to charge me phenomenal amount of money to take the stuff out and put it on. I just curious cause Danny put all that stuff together. Got our backpack and.
Your hand luggage must have everything that's vital. I got a bag ( pilots case) legal for cabin. Take 15 kilos easy. 😅
Keep the basic. When traveling
You have good useful information Gio not all the BS great presentation. Thank you.