We travel carry on only, and not just for short trips.
Pack about a week’s worth of clothes only This is the key carry on tenant. 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 months of travel, it doesn’t matter. One week. This requires planning and being purposeful with what you bring. Some considerations before you go:
- A clean simple wardrobe that can be mixed and matched. Nothing gets packed that applies to the statement “this only goes with that.” Your goal is to ensure you can mix and match. Stick with basic colours and limit the prints.
- Clothes that don’t need to be washed after a single use or are quick dry. You can wear pants multiple days without washing, especially jeans. Merino wool is your ultimate friend for shirts as they can also go days without a wash, are good in warm or cool climates, and can easily be washed in a sink if needed and dry by morning. They also look good when you are out during the day or at a nice dinner. They are pricier so something you will invest in over a bit of time.
- Layers over bulk. Pack a light wool sweater or long sleeve shirt that you can wear over your tshirt instead of a heavier fleece.
- Related, know the climate before you go. If you’re heading to Paris in April you’re assured to get cool rainy weather vs going in July. If you’re going to be spending time in the Alps or going to Peru, then that lighter puffy jacket could be useful.
- Don’t pack “I might need this” items. “I’m going to The Phillipines, I’ll take an extra pair of pants just in case.” Nope. You don’t need it. The pair you wore on the plane is enough.
- Shoes. Pack one, wear one. Pack only shoes that go with all your clothes and for all occasions.
- compression or packing cubes. These are a bit polarizing. They can be helpful to organize your clothes and can reduce the size of them a bit. The danger is you just pack more stuff because you think it’s smaller now.
Carry on bag. I’m a believer in no wheels. My view is wheeled bags are far heavier and the structure takes up space. I am a believer in simple backpack like bags that open fully not top loading ones. I find this style of bag is easier navigating the airport, transportation, and the city streets that are often not wheel friendly.
Last year we were on a 6 week Europe trip later March-May and another 4 week trip in Sept-Oct. I took similar stuff on both trips:
- wore 1 pair of pants and took 1, (grey)
- 2 pairs of shorts (grey and black)
- 3 wool tshirts, 3 cotton, 2 dry fit (black, navy, red)
- 3 pairs of socks
- a weeks worth of underwear
- Wore black Asics, packed black waterproof shoes (Vessi)
- 1 long sleeve
- 1 wool sweater in the spring (wore on plane)
- rain jacket
- toiletries
- chargers, adapters, other stuff
My bag of choice is an Under Armour Undeniable. My personal bag in a Pacsafe crossbody bag that is no longer available. It holds my tablet, cameras, phone, snacks, water bottle.
You can find a billion packing videos on YouTube.
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