Blog — single bag

Did you know that couples who travel together have healthier and happier relationships? That’s if you believe a survey by the U.S. Travel Association. It seems that these new experiences keep things fresh, improving both communication and sex lives. It is also a chance to strip back, forgoing material possessions and focusing on the things that really matter, like adventure and remarkable experiences. To make the most out of your trip, consider adopting a minimalist approach. As a couple, there are a few tricks you can try to keep your packing load down, allowing you to be more efficient and...

For digital nomads, business travelers, and anyone consistently on the move, there seems to be a curious unwritten law: preparedness is next to godliness. Expert travelers -- the thinking goes -- are prepared travelers. Those with the most gadgets, apps, tools, and clothes are supposedly better equipped to handle any and all circumstances, no matter how unlikely they may be. Here at Arcido, we gravitate towards a different mode of thought. While it's important to not just wander into a new country with nothing but Havaianas and an unopened Lonely Planet, there's also a certain degree of satisfaction in being...

Marie Kondo’s life-changing approach to organizing your possessions are spreading like wildfire, helping people all around the world to get their lives in order. She was named by Times as one of the top 100 most influential people in 2015; pretty impressive for someone who writes books about tidying up. For one bag travelers, her methods are magic. A small bag allows you to skip the baggage reclaim and head straight into town to explore. You don’t even need to drop it off at the hotel as you might with a larger rucksack. However, for even the most minimalist long-term...

Are they just pointless knick-knacks, a waste of space in the backpack? Are they designed solely to overcharge tourists or are they a meaningful way to preserve the memory of some of life’s greatest experiences? Whatever your thoughts on souvenirs, they pose a problem for minimalists. On the face of it, it seems that a true minimalist will only pack the bare essentials, but this isn’t necessarily true. Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, who wrote the book on minimalism, define a minimalist lifestyle as choosing your possessions “more deliberately and more consciously.” With that in mind, you can apply...

Chase Reeves knows a thing or two about bags. As the founder of BagWorks and a YouTube channel closing in on 50,000 fans, this eccentric vlogger is the authority when it comes to Carryology. His mix of outlandish delivery and honest critiques have earned him respect from bag buyers across the interwebs.Although only a year old, his review of the Arcido Akra (at the time of writing) has more than 26,000 views. He covers every imaginable aspect of the bag, down to the minutiae. From the outset, we'll excuse Chase for mistaking the Akra for the Faroe – after all, they're both great carry on bags with similar touches, and both designed for one bag travel.Kicking off with an explanation of why you might want to purchase the Arcido Akra, Reeves briefly touches on the concept of one bag travel and how the Akra is designed to make you more travel-efficient. “Packing minimally can make for a much better trip,” he mentions – and we couldn’t agree more. He then does a wear test… as only Chase Reeves can do a wear test. The ventilated back padding, curved shoulder straps and waist strap and the “lightweight moveability” all make this a winner as a small travel backpack. Next...

You’ve likely heard the old adage: “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” And for the more romantic, “It is with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly.” You don’t need a degree in philosophy to learn that minimalist travel is rewarding. All it takes is a quick scroll through some cringe-worthy Pinterest pages to discover the value in accumulating experiences rather than possessions. But how many of us genuinely internalize those messages? How many of us are smug,...

It’s been a few thousand miles of travel since my last update - Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam - and now I find myself on the sleeper train from Hanoi to Danang. I’m sharing a cabin with two very charming insurance lawyers living in Cologne. They’re travelling down to Hoi An to visit one of Vietnam’s historic cities. In the morning we fall into conversation about their travels and, inevitably, their luggage. They’re carrying two enormous backpacks, a handbag and another carry-on bag. In total, that’s four bags, which they plan to lug around from north to South Vietnam, on trains,...