Travel Dispatch: How to Travel Ultralight
Pack neat, to fit under the seat.
Travel Dispatch
August 27, 2025

Packing ultralight is a cheaper way to fly (some of the lowest-cost fares have restrictions on carry-on bags, as well as checked-in luggage). It’s also freeing. Here are some tips to lighten the load.

An illustration depicts the back of a person with curly dark hair and headphones wearing a backpack that is transparent. The items inside -- sneakers, clothing, separate small bags containing things like glasses, toothpaste, medications -- are all neatly arranged. The person is standing in a windowed corridor, and, in one corner of the illustration, a plane can be seen rising in the sky.

Weston Wei

How to pack a carry-on bag →

An illustration shows a man sitting in a cramped airline seat, focusing only on his legs, feet and hands as he slides a small bag beneath the seat in front of him.

Weston Wei

Go ultralight: Fit everything under the seat →

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