Hostel worker in Lisbon told me my backpack was why I kept paying for checked bags
She said I was overpacking because I brought "just in case" stuff, so I dumped half of it at a free swap shelf and did 10 days in Portugal with a 28 liter bag. Now I fly carry on only and haven't paid a bag fee since. What's the one item you always end up ditching on the road?
Packed three pairs of "just in case" shoes for a two week trip once and wore exactly one the whole time. My back still has not forgiven me for hauling those extra two around like a total idiot. Now the swap shelf at every hostel gets first dibs on whatever I was dumb enough to pack.