When Taylor and I first met we knew we shared a love for traveling. I had grown up overseas and Taylor being half Bolivian, grew up traveling as well. However, when I would travel internationally I would be going to Japan for weeks at a time which made me feel like I always needed to bring a large checked bag… Taylor on the other hand has always had the “carry on only” mindset. He has done all of his European travels with a 38L Osprey backpacking pack and occasionally his Osprey messenger bag. When we went on our first international trip I was only allowed to bring a carry on and a personal item because there was no way my husband was going to pay the checked baggage fee now. So I went to work searching for the perfect bags to help me bring the most items possible with the least amount of baggage. As a woman who loves to have comfy outfits, cute outfits, different shoe options, make up, and toiletries this was difficult… Nevertheless, I persevered, and I’m here to share what I have learned along the way!
The best way to travel carry on only is to be organized and limit what you bring. No matter how long you are going on your trips (we usually go 7-10 days) always bring items that can be recycled (think pants, basic tops, and shoes). I have purchased these packing cubes which help me maintain organization during our travels. The 8 piece set is nice because it has different sizes with pictures on them telling you what to pack in each cube as well as a shoe pouch and a dirty clothes bag. I use this carry on suitcase and pack the packing cubes dispersing the large and small cubes between each side. To save space in my carry on I add my make-up bag and toiletries bag in my “personal item” which is this cute travel backpack. Make sure you have limited liquid items because once you get to Europe most locations make you take out your liquid items and put them in a 1-litre Ziplock bag, even if your liquids are in a TSA approved clear bag because we’re no longer following TSA rules 🙂
Once you have your packing cubes, carry on of choice, and personal item you can’t forget the accessories that help minimize what you’re carrying around when you’re exploring. I highly recommend getting a small cross-body bag or fanny pack to carry money and cards close to your body. Pick pocketing is common in larger cities that we’ve been to so I used this bag.
If you can think of something that helped you travel minimally comment below! We look forward to sharing more advice and itineraries from our previous and future travels!