If you overpack, hate dragging luggage, or think carry-on only travel is just for minimalists, let me show you the benefits of traveling with less. You’ll leave believing you can do this and why it is worth it. In my next post, I’ll even share exactly how to pack carry-on only for every trip, with a detailed packing list.
I have been adamant about traveling carry-on only since a trip to Italy in 2008 when I needed help lifting my overstuffed backpack over my head to get it into an overhead rack on a train, and I was alone. After that, I decided I didn’t want to carry more than I could lift over my head by myself. As a solo female traveler, I feel safer and more mobile being able to keep my stuff with me at all times, and be able to handle my luggage without help.
Since then, I have spent years perfecting my packing plan, testing which kind of luggage is best for each trip, and learning how to use packing cubes. I’ve been on countless trips for work, girls trips, solo travel excursions, road trips, and even extended travel abroad. The system I use helps me pack carry-on only for every trip – whether that is a weekend girls trip, a two-week vacation, or even a four-month trip to Europe. I will get into exactly how I pack in another post, but for now, let me show you why traveling carry-on only is the best way to go, and how you can do it too.
Why I Pack Carry-On Only
My number one reason for traveling carry-on only is feeling safer as a solo female traveler. With less stuff weighing me down, I can always keep my luggage with me, and I can leave whenever I want. Not to mention, if you plan your wardrobe well, decisions about what to wear every day are simpler.
Overall, travel is easier with less stuff. I spent four years traveling all over the United States frequently for work. For being constantly on the move, it becomes more effortless to move locations, navigate airports, and load and unload a rental car if you just have less stuff to carry. The same applies to leisure travel. If you have less stuff to pack up to move to another location, it is just less complicated.
Another reason I love carry-on only is not having to take the time to check a bag at the airport or pay the extra fees. Imagine arriving at the airport and walking past check-in and straight to the security line. I do this every time. Also, the airline can’t lose your luggage if you don’t check it. And someone else won’t accidentally take your luggage off the train if it is with you.
Traveling lighter becomes even more of a benefit in Europe when you have to maneuver luggage on more stairs, cobblestone streets, and train stations.
Overall, packing light feels safer, avoids decision fatigue, and allows for faster transitions.
The Mindset Shift That Makes This Possible
I know some people struggle with packing carry-on only, especially for a long trip, but the biggest shift is mindset and planning ahead. To pack carry-on only, I plan a capsule wardrobe for a week. Not endless options or a different outfit for every day. A capsule wardrobe means planning your entire wardrobe so that every item can be mixed and matched to make multiple different outfits with fewer clothing items.
In addition to planning a capsule wardrobe, plan on wearing some pieces of clothing more than once. I wear jeans multiple times at home before washing, so why not on vacation? Another thing that can help with packing less, is repeating outfits on a long trip. If you change locations, no one will know you wore that same outfit a few days ago.
The next thing I do on trips that are longer than a week is laundry. If I am traveling for more than a week, having one quiet night in or a slow morning doing laundry feels like rest I need anyway. I like having an Airbnb or Home Exchange for doing laundry, but I have also paid for wash and fold service in Thailand, used a laundromat in Europe, and even washed clothes in a shower and used dental floss as a clothesline in Scotland. I don’t recommend the last option, but if all you need to wash is a few pairs of socks or underwear in a sink, it’s doable.
For me, prioritizing mobility and planning a good capsule wardrobe is a worthwhile trade-off to avoid lugging around extra clothing options and dirty laundry for weeks.
You Can Travel Carry-On Only On Long Trips
Yes, packing carry-on only is possible for every length of trip. I have done this for a nine-day girls road trip, three weeks in Thailand, and even a four-month Europe trip. The secret is packing enough for one laundry cycle and planning out a capsule wardrobe. That allows everything I pack to mix and match to create different outfits with less clothing.
I find that the climate and activities I have planned matter more than length of time. The more variation in weather, the more challenging this is, but it is still possible.
Worst case, climate changes and you buy some new clothes and ship some things home. In 2022, I went to a wedding in England, and was planning to continue to Belgium, then Budapest and Vienna. When I left home, the weather forecast was in the mid-60s and rainy the entire time. Once I was in Belgium, the weather shifted to sunny and 80 and I packed for the wrong trip.
I was able to ship a small box home with a pair of boots, the dress I wore to the wedding, a sweater, and some warm socks I no longer needed. I went to an H&M in Ghent and bought myself a basic dress, shorts for sleeping in, and a hat. I was able to use the other layers I had to create outfits for the weather change.
This isn’t the ideal option, but even if I had packed more, I was not expecting the weather to change and probably wouldn’t have packed for it to turn into summer.
What I’ll Share in Part Two
If you were skeptical about carry-on only travel, I hope this convinces you to try it. Honestly, once I started packing this way I haven’t gone back. As a solo female traveler, I won’t travel any other way. Having less stuff while I travel feels easier, safer, and gives me more freedom to move faster and lighter with less decision fatigue and delays.
In my next post, I’ll share my exact system and packing list. I will also share the list with my monthly email subscribers. Sign up if you don’t want to miss it.
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