My impression, formed in the first hour of our carrying our bags is that we’re carrying far too much with us, despite obsessing about it for months before leaving.

The bags at 10-12kg (22-26lbs), which is a little on the heavy side, but very much on the BIG side. Unmanageable on the lap, and too big to walk through a store with or wear in an elevator. I certainly don't feel light and airy with it on.

We need to cut what we have with us. We don’t want to feel like loaded pack mules as we did when we made our way to the train ticket office at the Munich airport, forced to take the escalator rather than the stairs, or how the first thought on arrival at the train station was "do you think they have a place we can store our bags so we can have a look around?" ... exactly what we wanted to avoid.

Look for us to cut down on our burden as we figure out what we’re really using all the time.