Minimal essentials – one change of clothes and money. But if we travel carry on only for shorter trips – and we often do these days, a few clothes, flip flops, trekking boots, a hat and scarf plus waterproof jacket – purely because it’s ultra light and has deep pockets to get heavy items onto the plane. all the tech gear, solid shampoo, a toothbrush and a tiny pot of toothpaste from home. We buy more toothpaste as needed. Find our post on how to carry travel on only. The brown under-seat bag is all I take now.

I would love to hear your minimal essentials after reading this! I have poured over your suggestions and now, after reading this, I want to scratch off 1/2!

Thanks Katy. I had to go re-read the post, I thought I’d had a good old rant about the US because of the first sentence of your comment. I hadn’t, but we both know that a lot of fingers are pointing that way. The Australian government are just as bad, our minister for the reef doesn’t even accept the reef is under threat from climate change and they’re still allowing more coal mining. We are here on the reef, we can see the waters rising. Money before planet. It’s madness. I just pray that people are waking up. The climate deniers can’t go on refusing to accept science, surely? Wonderful Greta Thurnberg has achieved so much in just 12 months. I think it’s time the parents started protesting and pushing too. But above all, acting. If everyone just planted a tree, planted 10 trees, it would help. I’m a big believer in just doing something, anything, millions of people acting in some tiny way must help. Because if we wait for the governments to stop lining their own pockets – we just don’t have the time. #plantatreechallenge But there is good news too, I’m trying to focus on the good, things are improving, people and businesses are acting. I read this morning how many UK universities are only serving vegan food or have red meat bans, the world is changing.