Over the decades that I’ve been traveling, I’ve found myself packing fewer items every year. This year, I accomplished my personal best pack—2 ½ months in a 20-inch carry-on and a personal item! Now granted, hubby also had a 20-inch carry-on and a personal item, so some items we didn’t need to pack twice like a noise machine, travel cribbage board, etc.
This pack was especially difficult because we took a transatlantic cruise from New Jersey (leaving in April) to Italy (arriving mid-May). We needed clothes for formal, casual, and active occasions with a range of weather from chilly 50 degree Fahrenheit days on the Atlantic Ocean to 100 degree days in sunny Italy.
Plus, I’m a woman who wears makeup, uses lots of skincare, and is of an age where medications are a necessity.
But I did it. And had room leftover to bring back a few souvenirs.
The first thing I recommend is to start with lightweight, hard-sided luggage that is thoughtfully designed. Mine has a built-in dirty clothes bag, a compression side for clothes, a zippered-side for everything else, and zippered pockets built into each side. Plus, it expands in case I need to check it on the way back. It weighs around 7 pounds unpacked, so it’s not too heavy (when full) to lift in an overhead but its polymer exterior makes it sturdy in case I have to gate check it.
Your personal item should fit easily over your roller bag and have pockets/space that makes sense for you. If you carry a purse, like I do, make sure there is room to toss it in, too, in case the airline is strict on number of items. I like a weekender style bag (12×17) with a top that opens wide and more structured sides, whereas my husband likes a well-designed, lightweight backpack (11×17) that unzips and opens like a clam shell bag; this way he can use packing cubes to organize it.
Another essential aspect of packing light is creating a detailed packing list where you list every single thing that you are going to bring—that includes every item of clothing. With mine, I write down details on everything, e.g. black sleeveless Cece top, black linen J Crew pants, etc. Here is a sample packing list to give ideas of what items to bring: Packing List for Traveling Light
Clothing/Accessories
- Wear your bulkiest outfit on the flight—jeans, tennis shoes, jacket, sweater, etc. Jeans are bulky. Don’t pack them, if possible.
- Clothes should mix and match. Make sure clothes are in the same color palette and that every top can be worn with every bottom. Choose items where you won’t need a bunch of different undergarments. Select darker-colored, light-weight clothes for versatility. For 60 days, I take/wear: one jeans, two pants, two skirts, one dress, two shorts, two shrugs (one long sleeved/one short sleeved), one cardigan, and seven tops (sleeveless or short-sleeved).
- Shoes—I recommend having only two pairs of shoes total–one comfy pair that you wear on the plane and one dressier (but still comfortable) pair that you pack. If your shoes are really flat and small, then maybe pack a third pair—like sandals. To pack shoes, I use disposable shower caps (like the kind at hotels) to keep the rest of my clothes clean and take up no extra space. Use the interior of your shoes to pack items.
- Evaluate the likelihood of using it. If there isn’t a 90% chance you’ll wear it, don’t pack it. Only pack clothes that make you feel good when wearing them. I can’t stress this enough. Bring clothes that you enjoy wearing and look nice on you. Make sure you have an outfit for each type of activity you plan to do, but don’t bring items for “just in case” scenarios. If you end up going to a gala, buy the dress there.
- Bags—I suggest bringing one cross-body bag (with zipper-closure) that can hold your necessities (passport, wallet, phone, small cosmetics bag, etc.) but doesn’t weigh you down or invite theft. I also carry (or buy on location) a lightweight cloth shopping bag to hold a travel umbrella, snacks, bottles of water, scarves, souvenirs I purchase, etc. (my YouTube video below gives an example).
- Compression socks—To ward off deep vein thrombosis and just to help keep swelling to a minimum, I pack a pair of compression socks for the flight. I’ve found they can also keep my feet warm if hit with unseasonably cold weather I hadn’t packed for.
- Jewelry—like my clothes, shoes, and other items, I pack just a few pieces other than what I wear on the flight. I use a small jewelry holder (no bigger than a small wallet) for organization, ease of finding, and to help keep my baubles at a minimum.
Personal Care
- Consider what’s already available. Leave behind items that are offered where you are going. This likely means a hairdryer, iron, soap, and other toiletries. Unless you absolutely have to, it’s best to just use what is there…and, as an added bonus, you won’t need an electrical plug adapter. Speaking of adapters, make sure your electronics are dual voltage if necessary and bring travel adapters. The only electrical tool I bring, is a tiny travel straightener for my hair that is less than eight inches long that converts from 110 volts to the European standard of 220 volts.
- Buy when you get there. For many toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, lotion, contact cleaner, etc.), I buy a full-sized product when I get there and just carry a travel-size on flights. A small size is just to get me through the first night and to bring back with me so I have a back-up if there are delays, but that way I’m not bringing multiple small bottles of contact lens solution or several tiny tubes of paste. If it’s not a necessity, or there will be a hotel version (like lotion and shampoo), I don’t even bring a small bottle. I just buy a larger one when I get there and have fun trying out the local beauty products.
- Minimize the size of your toiletries. I take a lot of skincare products (eye cream, serum, face cream (day and night), toner, cleanser, sunscreen, and a prescription dermatological product) so one would think right there that my beauty essentials take up a lot of space…but they don’t. I have small jars that each hold about a half ounce of product, which I fill with the creams I need more product of like face cream, sunscreen, and serum. When purchasing my full-size goodies, I always ask for a sample which I can then use for travel. A contact case can also be a great way to carry eye creams and serums. For liquids, I like the squishy, silicone containers that allow you to squeeze out every last drop of shampoo, conditioner, cleanser, lotion, etc. If your toner has alcohol or acids in it though, I recommend getting regular plastic 3-ounce bottles, so the toner doesn’t make the silicone gummy.
- Find products that multi-task. I look for hair styling products that do several things in one or tinted moisturizer that also has a sunscreen. By combining products, I save space.
- Washcloth—if you’re going to Europe, you may want to bring a washcloth. I’ve found that many European countries do not stock washcloths, so I always bring one along for myself and one for hubby (with a Ziploc bag to bring them back if not totally dry).
- Downsize your makeup wardrobe: Although when I’m at home I love having lots of lipsticks and eyeshadows to choose from, when I go on vacation, I put one lipstick in my purse and pack a complementary eyeshadow palette that can go from day to night. I also bring all the other makeup essentials (foundation, concealer, powder, bronzer, blush, eyeliner, mascara, brow gel) I need, but only one of each product. For a makeup diva like me, it’s difficult but I’ve done it for years now and survived…even through a professional photo shoot.
- Find mini sizes of your favorite products: Makeup is one area where it might make sense to find a smaller package, especially given how bulky some items can be. If you can find a mini and save a bunch of room, this would be the time to do it. But be aware of small sizes in big packages. For liquid makeup, you can just put some in a sample jar or contact lens case like you would a skincare product though.
Medications/First Aid
- Don’t pack a small pharmacy but do pack what won’t be available or might be expensive. Depending on where you are going, it may make sense to pack a few first-aid items. For instance, it’s expensive to get OTC pain relievers in Europe so I pack ibuprofen and aspirin and other over-the-counter meds that I use for aches, pains, gastrointestinal issues, etc. Bandages are plentiful abroad, but since they don’t take up much space and are useful, I pack them, too. I also pack triple antibiotic cream for blisters since I’ve had difficulty finding this abroad.
- Repackage vitamins and medicine. Instead of bringing a bunch of bulky bottles, take the vitamins out and put them in small Ziploc bags (snack-size). They take up a lot less space and if you count them out correctly you bring nothing home. For prescription medication, ask your pharmacist if they will give you your prescription label separately so you can carry it with you. Once you have the label, you can then transfer your medication from those bottles into small bags.
Electronics
- Keep all your cords and electronic bits and bobs organized in a small travel case. Mine is about the size of a paperback book (just under 5×8 inches). It holds my earbuds, a charging cord, a battery pack, an external microphone, two types of wall chargers, and ear plugs. I also have a small bag of electronic travel adapters.
- Bring a portable sound machine—At home we always sleep with a fan on but finding one of those can be near impossible in many lodgings. Years ago, I bought a portable sound machine, and we have slept like babies ever since. It is smaller than 2×2 inches and can attach to the exterior of our personal item, if necessary. It charges via phone charger, so I don’t have to worry about bulky batteries or more phone cords. With 15 sounds, I can find one that lulls me to sleep in no time.
- Digital nomad life—For the person working while traveling, I often bring a foldable Bluetooth keyboard (folds to 5×4 inches) and slim, compact, Bluetooth mouse. These items transform my thin, lightweight tablet into a makeshift computer. My tablet has enough power to keep several tabs open at the same time, so I can send emails, grade papers, and Zoom with ease. Plus, I can stream shows from our streaming services and cast them on televisions (make sure you use a VPN to mimic being in the US) with this technology (sometimes, we bring a USB-C to HDMI cable with us). For most people, this probably isn’t a necessity but when you’re traveling for months at a time, it’s necessary to be a digital nomad.
Other items I bring/tips
- Keep essential documents together and safe. Make sure that you pack all essential documents in a safe place, easily accessible, RFID protected, and that won’t risk being gate-checked. I have a slim passport cover (with RFID protection) that holds both of our passports, some cash, and our credit cards. I bring a wallet for day-to-day activities that has a RFID protection card in it.
- Money matters—For travel, especially abroad, I recommend taking two debit cards (from two different banks) and two credit cards (from two different accounts). Have one set for day-to-day activities and leave one set in the hotel safe. Make sure all cards are free from foreign transaction fees. If you’re robbed, you will lose the cash on you, but still have a backup set of cards, so you can freeze the accounts with stolen cards and use the non-compromised cards. It is a waste of money to convert USD to foreign currency before you travel (banks, AAA, etc. charge a fee for the courtesy, which you won’t pay at an ATM). It is an even bigger waste of money to change USD to foreign currency in the foreign country (it is legitimized robbery). Just go to an ATM in the foreign country and use a debit card with no foreign transaction fees. Charles Schwab bank will even refund you any ATM fees you incur for using a machine. This way, you don’t need to get out too much money and can withdraw as you go. BUT—big but here—don’t let the ATM machine “convert” the money from foreign currency into USD. This is called dynamic currency conversion and, just like a financial institution will do if you get euros, pounds, pesos, etc. at home, there will be a fee for the “courtesy.” Just decline the conversion and get your money.
- Evaluate everything to see if it is necessary. Travel pillows, water bottles, coffee mugs, and other travel gadgets take up unnecessary space. I just buy a disposable water bottle when I get to my destination and reuse it. As for the rest, I deeply evaluate it and think about what I am taking that could be used in a pinch. For instance, rolling up a jacket rather than bringing a travel pillow.
- But bring the things that will make your trip better. Besides clothes, toiletries, medications, and electronics, I bring:
- a mini travel umbrella (fits in my purse and is about the length of my hand)
- a journal/pen
- an 11×14 zippered envelope (for receipts, travel documents, brochures I collect, etc.)
- a Tide pen, laundry detergent sheets, and lint roller
- a travel-sized cribbage board and deck of cards
- sunglasses and case
- a few Ziploc bags in various sizes (snack-size for vitamins, medicines, and jewelry, quart and gallon just in case)
- a foldable backpack or tote bag that weighs only a few ounces and folds into no bigger than an 8 inch square.
Everything you see on the list that I uploaded at the top and here is all I brought for a 2 ½ month trip. Granted, my personal list has every item of clothing, toiletry, makeup product, and medication detailed, but the groups and what I took are the same.
I recommend investing in packing cubes. They’re an essential part of my best way to pack a suitcase and do a great job of organizing your clothes and keeping them away from other items (I switch one to dirty clothes as we go). I pack clothes (in the same color palette—pretty much all black) that don’t easily show stains and can be worn in different combinations. Jeans and black pants can go with a variety of different tops. For women, sleeveless tops don’t take up much room and can be combined with a cardigan for warmth. I doubt that anyone will notice that you’re wearing the same cardigan if the tops underneath change.
To roll or fold? I find that rolling tends to leave my clothes with fewer wrinkles but, depending on the fabric, uses more space. So, I do a hybrid—roll most tops and fold pants or clothes of bulkier fabrics. Underwear and socks get shoved in shoes.
I pack my shoes in disposable shower caps (like you get from a hotel, or you can order 100 for less than $10). My liquids go in a quart-sized clear plastic bag that is TSA-approved, which makes getting through security points quite easy. I like the protection they provide for the rest of my luggage from unnecessary spills. Anything that I think could leak goes in a plastic bag.
I have never uttered the words, “I should have packed more.” In fact, it’s the exact opposite. I get home and realize I didn’t even wear something. Over the years, I’ve streamlined my packing list, allowing me to be a lean, mean packing machine. Today, I travel the globe comfortably with only a carry-on suitcase. Watch my video below to see some of the items I use for packing.
Happy travels! What’s your packing tip?
P.S. You may want to a bring a travel lock if one isn’t integrated into your luggage already. Having a travel lock ensures that your valuables will be kept safe if you have to check your carry-on bag. A bonus—that travel lock can be used on your bag in your hotel as a makeshift lock box.
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