Success for any trip that involves visiting multiple cities, changing hotels and squeezing into small regional flights is mastering the art of how to pack in a carryon. Traveling with only a carryon bag saves you time, money, and headaches trying to lug oversized suitcases around. And it gives you peace of mind that you always know where your belongings are.
Between my consulting lifestyle and insatiable wanderlust, I’ve traveled A LOT over the past few years. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve checked a bag over the last 5 years. And I can also count on one hand the number of times it’s been lost by an airline. The ratio is not good.
It’s not that I don’t trust airlines to keep track of my bag (Delta and United have made significant improvements over the last few years to ensure that doesn’t happen). But if I’m using precious PTO and lots of money to fly to a new city or country, the last thing I want is for my trip to be derailed because an airline lost my bag in the process. My extensive experience traveling all over the world from Russia to Morocco and Germany to Singapore and more has ensured that literally no matter where you’re going and no matter how long, it’s totally possible for you to learn how to pack in a carryon bag.
Why carryon bags are the best
Here are just a few reasons why packing in a carryon is the best thing for your next trip.
Airline can’t lose your bag. Should something happen and your checked bag not make it to your destination, it’s a pain in the butt to track it down—especially in a foreign city. In my experience it takes a few days for the luggage to be returned, which means precious hours of your vacay will be lost at a convenience store picking up underwater and toiletries. Not to mention the stress of sitting on hold and not getting up-to-date information while your suitcase gets routed to 10 other cities except for the one you’re in.
You’re more mobile should your flights get rerouted or canceled. Any time you have a connection, there’s a risk that weather, mechanical problems, delayed crew or some other misfortune might occur and cause you to miss your connection. In that scenario, it’s quite easy to talk to a gate agent and switch flights should you get delayed. In some cases, as a courtesy, the airline will put you on a completely different carrier should your flight route be canceled entirely. This flexibility means you’ll be able to get to your destination; however, your checked bags will usually be stuck in limbo with outdated tags lost in some warehouse with less mobility. Dealing with travel disruptions when you’re jetlagged is already hard enough! Traveling with only a carryon ensures that you can hop on whatever flight suits your fancy with no worries.
You save money. Unless you’re flying a super budget airline, a carryon bag is free while a checked bag can run you anywhere from $25 to $75 extra per leg.
You can travel faster. If you check a bag you have to get to airports extra early, especially for international flights. With just a carryon (and TSA Precheck!) it’s easy to breeze through security. Not to mention you don’t have to wait at baggage claim or spend time rechecking bags between international flights. During my consulting days, I was actually able to time it perfectly where I could call an Uber on the tarmac and it would be waiting for me as soon as I exited the airport doors.
You can fit into small spaces. Squeezing into small places like a taxi is a legit concern when traveling abroad. Tossing a small bag into a car or even into the hull of a boat is clutch when space is tight.
You can always keep your luggage in sight. If you’re taking train or bus trips, smaller luggage can usually fit in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you. It’s somewhat of a risk to leave your bag in the luggage compartment unsupervised during train or bus trips with multiple stops where anyone has access to the area.
You can get places easier. When traveling abroad, taxis and conveniences in the US aren’t always a thing. It’s a pain to lug massive suitcases up and down escalators, stairs and over cobblestone. In Paris, elevators were an afterthought in buildings so no more than two bags and 1 person could fit in the elevator at one time. Many Metro stops didn’t even have escalators. In Morocco, I had to carry my bags up winding staircases in ancient roads. I navigated pedestrian only plazas and alleys where cars couldn’t go in Spain. In Croatia, I was carrying my backpack into water taxis and marina docks. If you have to hustle because you’re running late for a train, being able to quickly lift your lightly packed bag and carry it up a flight of stairs is a huge asset.
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My Suitcase Essentials
How to Pack in a Carryon
It’s 110% possible to pack in carryon no matter the occasion. I’ve done 2 weeks in Siberia in the winter, backpacked through Morocco for 10 days, and glammed it up in Italian summer for 9 days… all with a carryon. My crowning jewel was going from Yacht Week to 2 weeks in Europe where I had to wear business casual and attend meetings onsite. Here are tips on how to pack in a carryon.
Pack in the right bag. Depending on the trip, I prefer to fly with a small suitcase or backpack. I use the TravelPro Walkabout 21”. If you notice it’s what flight attendants and pilots use, so you know it’s a sturdy travel bag. I also alternate with my 40L hiking backpack. The backpack is good when I know I’m bouncing between several cities or hotels and need to be mobile on my feet in city centers and on several forms of transportation. Both can squeeze into an overhead bin of a tiny puddle-jumper plane or under the seat in front of me.
Don’t use the suitcase zipper expansion. As soon as you do that, you risk not fitting into the overhead bin and having to gate check your bag. Not the end of the world, but I like to save the suitcase expansion as a safeguard should I get lazy on the way back and not want to fold my clothes as neatly or need space for souvenirs.
Pack for the weather. If it’s going to rain the entire trip, I’m not going to bring five swimsuits and a coverup. Expecting 100 degrees and full sun? I know I won’t end up wearing jeans or leggings. If it’s freezing outside, I’m going to wear a massive sweater the whole time anyways so who cares what kind of shirt I’m wearing underneath. Worst case scenario if the weather changes unexpectedly I’ll buy something.
Be honest about what you’re going to wear. Knowing the itinerary, I like to determine how many types of outfits I’m going to need for different activities—e.g. heels for nice dinner, sweater because planes are cold, scarf to go into a mosque, etc. I try to bring only my *favorite* clothes of the moment so I know I’ll be excited about wearing them no matter the day. If something doesn’t *spark joy* I don’t bring it.
Outfit repeat. When packing, I like to lay out all my outfits and everything else I want to bring (books, toiletries, etc.) Then I start to make cuts. If I’ve picked 3 running shorts, chances are unlikely (I know myself) that I’ll end up running thaaat much. If I’m going for 10 days, I’ll bring 7-8 outfits and assume I’ll repeat outfits on travel days. For trips longer than 2 weeks, I account for doing laundry. Jeans, scarves, jackets, purses, and especially shoes can be worn multiple times during a trip.
Travel with a capsule closet. I ensure that everything I pack can be layered. I bring underwear and socks for everyday and ensure everything else can be mixed and matched. For example, if I’ve pulled a bunch of sweaters in pink, grey and beige, I know they’ll match. Then, I might cut a yellow shirt or a bright blue dress that doesn’t go with everything else.
Cut down on the toiletries. Beauty products are heavy and take up a lot of space. I only travel with the most minimal of products. Candidly I’m not putting on a full face of makeup to climb mountains or swim in the ocean. My curling iron does make the trip sometimes. But any full-sized product of face wash, hair spray or conditioner gets cut.
Cut down on the shoes. If you’re traveling, you’re likely going to be walking a lot. The most unused thing in my carryon is the heels I somehow always justify bringing. If you can wear the same shoes the entire time, do it!! My favorite travel shoes are my White Nike Tanjun and navy Keds.
Wear the bigger clothes on the plane. If I’m tight on space, I’ll wear a chunky sweater and boots on the plane and pack the smaller items. This is assuming that I’m prepared wear the same thing on travel days.
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I keep an updated master list of anything I have ever needed on the vast variety of trips I have taken. I scan the list every time I travel, avoiding the frustration of having forgotten to bring something obvious. One time I went to a professional seminar without the power cord for my laptop and purchasing another one was insane!