How to Pack for a Week in a Carry On

Want to learn how to pack for a week in a carry on? It's easy to do with some planning! Here I share my top tips for smart packing, no matter where your destination.

Travel has changed a lot over the past few years.

While I've always been a fan of traveling with carry-on only bags, the travel conditions in the past few years have made me even more of a carry-on only traveler.

In fact, I don't even own full-size luggage!

So what's my packing secret? Years of practice, constant editing, and often choosing function over fashion.

If you're looking to travel lighter, ready to learn how to pack for a week in a carry on? Fasten your seatbelts: let's get started!

🌟 Benefits of traveling with carry-on luggage only

There are many reasons why I prefer to travel with carry-on luggage only.

• Peace of mind - when you have all of your bags with you at all times, there's less anxiety and you don't have to worry about whether or not your luggage will make it to your destination. We've all heard horror stories about luggage being lost for weeks and even months in some cases, especially over the past year.
• Lighter travel - Traveling with carry-on bags only forces you to pare down and only pack the essentials. No dead weight!
• Easier to travel - When you pack carry-on bags only, it's easier to travel with them from city to city, up steep steps, and over cobblestone streets.
• Travel delay ready - If your flight gets cancelled and you have to spend a night unexpectedly in a layover city, you'll have everything you need with you.

🧳 Choose your luggage wisely

There are so many different luggage options available, and the best tip I have for choosing luggage is to research, and try them out to see what works for your style of travel.

Whether you choose hard-sided luggage or soft-sided luggage, here are some things to keep in mind.

• Buy sturdy well-constructed carry-on luggage that you don't have to worry about ripping, breaking, etc.
  
• If you choose to have a travel backpack, make sure the straps are comfortable on you even when loaded up with gear.
  
• Make sure your carry-on bags fit most overhead compartments of the airlines you usually fly.
  
• Some airlines have weight restrictions on carry-on luggage, so be sure to check how much your bag weighs without anything in it before purchasing.

My favorite carry-on luggage: I use the Away Bigger Carry-On or the Away Carry-On, depending on the trip and airlines, for my overhead luggage. Then I always bring this travel backpack that has tons of pockets as my under-seat personal item carry-on. 

☀️ Packing for different weather

Obviously, packing for warmer weather is easier than trying to stuff heavy winter clothing into carry-on only luggage. But it IS possible to travel internationally in winter weather with only carry-on luggage!

I've done a 11-day trip through Japan including to the Snow Capital of the World - Aomori - with heavy jackets, sweaters, and boots.

My Ireland travels around Dublin and up and down the Wild Atlantic Way? Did it all with carry-on luggage only. And that included heavy waterproof boots and winter jackets.

I traveled for 11 days and island hopped in Greece with only carry-on luggage.

While your particular packed items will differ from anybody else's, here are some packing tips to help you pack for a week with carry-on only bags.

👚 Clothing tips

• Choose one color scheme for clothes so tops & bottoms can easily mix & match. I usually wear a lot of black since it's just easy to pair with a limited number of shoes.
  
• Bring clothes that are wrinkle-resistant, breathable, and odor-free/wicking material. A lot of my travel clothes are Athleta brand. 
  
• Wear heaviest clothes on the flight. I usually wear boots, jeans, and layers (a top and sweater, plus bring my jacket) on the plane. 
  
• Invest in a set of packing cubes with compression!! 
  
• Roll clothing to fit more in. But that doesn't mean to try to squeeze everything in... make sure you can still lift your luggage overhead without assistance before leaving the house.
  
• Try on all of your outfits in different configurations before packing. 
  
• Start packing a few days before your trip. Then edit your wardrobe as you get closer to the trip. I usually find that the more time I have to really think about each item, the clearer I am about whether I will actually use each piece or not. Last minute packing usually results in over-packing!

There's no room for a fussy, high maintenance wardrobe when you're traveling with only one carry-on luggage and one personal item.

✅ Carry On Packing List

Here's a general packing list for a one-week trip.

This list is based on what I tend to pack for week-long travel trips abroad for work.

If you're traveling for vacation, you can probably get away with packing even less, since you won't need to change outfits for different occasions as much!

Plane outfit: comfortable jeans, compression socks, loose top, cardigan, and comfortable white sneakers (usually Veja Campo sneakers, Adidas Samba sneakers, or the all-white Hoka Solimar sneakers).

Outerwear: In the spring/summer I wear a classic trench coat.

In the fall/winter, I either wear a packable, insulated puffer coat or I stuff it into the cover of my neck pillow and take it out once I arrive at my destination. So handy!

In my overhead hard-shell luggage:

• 2-3 pairs of shoes: running shoes and comfy yet cute wedges.
• Large packing cubes with my main clothes: usually 2-3 dresses, 1 pair of jeans, 2 skirts, 2 sweaters/cardigans, 1 pair of slacks, 3-4 tops
• Medium packing cube with 1 pair of pajamas, 1 set of workout clothes, t-shirt, hoodie
• Small packing cube with the extras: socks, underwear, bras, swimsuit, etc.
• Toiletry bag, including laundry detergent sheets you can use to wash clothes in the sink during your travels (they don't take up much space).
• Dual voltage flat iron
• Travel steamer - I don't always travel with this, but it's great for work trips where I'm packing dressier outfits.

In my backpack:

• My trusty Sorel sandals are packed into the bottom shoe compartment of my backpack. If I have room, I also sneak a pair of thin, comfy slippers in there.
• Small electronics organizer with all my chargers & cords
• Universal USB travel power adapter
• GoPro Hero 10 (waterproof camera for action & underwater), mini tripod
• MacBook Pro Laptop
• Cell phone, USB charger, and power bank.
• Small bag with:
  • medications & supplements in a mini travel pill organizer
  • face masks
  • hand sanitizing wipes
  • mosquito & insect repellant wipes
  • mini first aid kit with bandages, antiseptic gel,
  • contacts
• Small make-up bag and compact hairbrush
• Snacks + empty mini water bottle to fill after security (I've tried the collapsible water bottles and do NOT like them. They never stand on their own and you have to be careful when drinking because if you squeeze them just a little too much, you'll get water all over you.)
• Quart size bag with travel toiletries, including Downy Wrinkle-Free spray, which helps clothes smell clean the whole trip -- and helps de-wrinkle!
• Travel documents in a waterproof zipper bag in an easy-to-reach secret compartment.
• One gallon size ziplock bag with one full set of extra clothes, rolled and packed tightly. This has come in handy when I've had to check my carry-on luggage on a small regional plane and then ended up getting stuck overnight in an airport in another country without my carry-on luggage. You just never know!

🎒 Packable backpacks

If you're going somewhere you anticipate buying lots of souvenirs or gaining items to bring back home, consider packing a small packable backpack.

When I do this, I check the overhead luggage on the way back and carry the two backpacks on the flights home. I don't mind checking a bag when I'm just flying home.