Best Carry-On Packing Tips

To check or not to check (your luggage)… that is the question!

Should you travel with checked luggage or carry-on only?

Hands up if you’re guilty of overpacking! We’ve all done it, packed twice as much clothes as needed thinking we would wear a daytime and evening outfit for each day of our vacation. In reality, we wear a handful of our favourite pieces over and over again, just like we do at home. So why do we feel the need to pack everything in our closet when we go on vacation?!

Overpacking means you have to check your luggage, and now that we’ve discovered how amazing it is to travel with carry-on only, let’s go over the pros and cons of each.

Of course we WERE guilty of overpacking, too! We can’t even count how many trips we hauled a giant suitcase to the airport, waited in check-in lines, waited even longer for our luggage to appear on the luggage belt, and then only wore half of what we brought. This is especially true on beach vacations where we live in our two favourite swimsuits the entire week… but we packed five, just in case.)

We will be 100% honest in saying that the main reason we now travel with carry-on only is because of the additional fees airlines charge for luggage. When we started planning our trip to Croatia, we realized how much money we could save by NOT checking our bags. Fees were in excess of $50 for each bag, multiplied by three flights. We were determined to go on this TWO WEEK VACTION WITH ONLY CARRY-ON! We’ve travelled with carry-on before, but not for this length of travel and carry-on travel was typically for short business trips; two days in Montreal, four days in Kelowna.

Travelling with carry-on still gets you two bags!

One piece of luggage goes in the overhead bin and the second goes under the seat in front of you. That second bag is referred to as a “personal item” and is usually described by airlines as a purse or laptop bag. Don’t let them fool you!

Take advantage of that personal item. Here’s how:

• Start with a good-sized backpack, preferably one with multiple compartments. We love this travel backpack from Amazon – It has a waterproof pocket in the front, perfect for all your liquid containers. It also has a separate compartment at the bottom to store shoes, keeping any dirt away from the rest of your other items. Depending on the size of your feet or the type of shoes you pack, you can fit two pairs at the bottom of this bag.

• If your purse doesn’t fit inside this bag, only pack what you really need for your flight — Passport being priority #1 — and put your purse in your carry-on bag (more tips below on what you really need in your purse when you travel – hint, it’s not much!)
• Keep your Ziploc bag of liquid containers in this bag so they are within easy reach at the security check. Remember, liquids have to be in containers that are 100ml or less. We still can’t understand the logic of being able to pack 3-100ml bottles of shampoo, but not one 300ml bottle!
• Phones, laptops and other electronic devices should also be in this bag for easy access at security.

If you haven’t experienced it yet, let us save you the trouble by saying it is NOT fun opening up your carry-on suitcase at the security check to pull things out. Put anything you know security wants to see in your personal item bag.

Now, let’s be clear that a “carry-on” allowance is very different than a “personal item only” allowance on a flight. Budget airlines like Spirit, Flair, Frontier (in North America) start their base pricing without any carry-on bags or checked luggage. You get one personal item only. It wasn’t until we wanted to take a quick (aka cheap) long weekend trip to a beach that we learned just how light we can really pack by booking a flight with Spirit that only allowed a personal item. More tips for packing with carry-on and personal items only below!

How to travel light: Our best tips for travelling with only carry-on

Your travel destination, purpose of the trip and the season you travel will all impact your packing list. While skiing is one of our hobbies, our vacations are almost always to destinations with warm weather no matter what time of year we travel – we love the heat and sundress! Our packing tips will be based on beach vacations, vacations to Europe, and girls’ weekend city getaways.

#1. Our top tip has to be packing cubes! We know EVERYONE talks about packing cubes and you’re wondering if it’s realistic or worth the money/time/effort. We promise you, it is! This 8 piece set of packing cubes from Amazon is great. Not only do the cubes help compress your clothes, they also make it easy to unpack and stay organized when you get to your hotel or Airbnb. We like to roll our dresses and tuck them all together in one of the medium sized cubes. The make-up kit in this set holds A LOT and has multiple zippered sections to keep your stuff organized. Maybe being organized is really tip #1!

#2. You need half as much clothes as you think. There’s no need to pack a different outfit for each day of your trip, especially if you plan ahead and book an Airbnb with a washing machine. If you are visiting multiple cities on your vacation, plan to have a washing machine at your accommodations every few days/cities. Pack enough clothing for 3-4 days and coordinate your pieces so you can mix and match your tops and bottoms. You can bring half as many bottoms as you do tops, too!

#3. Pack a maximum of three pairs of shoes (although we cheated and packed four for Croatia because we also wanted water shoes for the pebbly beaches). One pair of running shoes, one pair of comfortable sandals and one pair of dressier shoes/sandals.

#4. If you love to read when you travel like we do, get a Kindle! You can have an endless supply of books at your fingertips and it takes up less space than one book in your carry-on.

#5. Mobility and medical equipment are allowed as an additional item at no extra charge. Confirm with your airline, but most airlines allow you to keep your equipment such as CPAP machines in a separate bag without counting as your carry-on or personal item.

#6. Pack a quick dry towel. Not only do they come in handy at the beach or by the pool, but they double as a blanket or pillow on the plane. We travel with this microfiber quick dry towel.

#7. Finding best value on travel size beauty supplies. There are many >100ml travel size options you can buy at big box stores or pharmacies, but did you know that dollar stores have them too, and they usually the same brands for up to $3 less. Sunscreen is a great example: We purchased Hawaiian Tropic at Shoppers Drug Mart for $6 (on sale) and then found the same sunscreen at Dollarama for only $4 (and we quickly stocked up). Some containers allow you to easily refill (like the 100ml Pantene shampoo and conditioner bottles at Dollarama), so you can replenish with your favourite brands.

If you have a favourite perfume but can’t bring your full sized bottle in your carry-on, ask your department store for samples. Another idea is to look for the scented lotion and fill a 100ml bottle for travelling.

#8. You DO NOT need a full purse when you travel, especially if you aren’t travelling with kids and needing to carry a million “just in case” items. Pack your ID, credit/debit cards, some cash and your passport in a small handbag (remember, it has to fit inside your personal bag for getting through security at the airport).

#9. Wear your bulkiest clothes and pair of shoes on the plane. Save space in your carry-on luggage buy wearing layers on the plane when you travel. A sweater or jacket can easily become a pillow for your flight!

How to travel VERY light: Our best tips for travelling on budget airlines with only a personal bag

We’ve only travelled with a personal bag on 3 or 4-day getaways, but if you have access to a washing machine, you could easily travel very light with a backpack for a week (or two if you don’t mind wearing the same things over and over again).

1. Don’t bring soap, shampoo, body lotion, or anything else a hotel provides. If you’re staying at an Airbnb, ask if they provide those amenities before you travel.
2. Really think about your itinerary for required clothing. There’s no need to pack a different outfit for each day if you plan on spending most of the day at the beach or by the pool. Pack two swimsuits, one cover-up and two outfits for dinner and evening activities. On the flipside, if you’re getaway is taking you hiking and out for adventure, pack clothing that dries quickly so you can wash it by hand at night and only take 2-3 bottoms and 3-4 tops.
3. Only travel with two pairs of shoes – one of your feet and one in your backpack.
4. Don’t forget our purse tip up above!

What are your top packing tips? Share with us on social media — and save this post for future reference!