I’m all about traveling light so I’ll post the contents of my travel bag here because I like to keep track of what I packed and also in hopes that it might inspire you to try traveling with less.
I know that carry-on only isn’t for everybody but it’s something I’ve done for years and I’ve gotten quite obsessed with figuring out how to cut out unnecessary items in my bag. For me, the less I travel with, the less I have to keep track of and worry about. Also, it saves me a ton of time and I get to focus more on important things—seeing the sights and enjoying my vacation.
Packing list from my last international trip:
Trip
length: 12 days (10 needed for outfit changes since 2 days were lost
flying there & back)
Weather:
2 days of warm/hot weather (high-70s F), 10 days of cool weather
(50-60s F) and weather at home was 60-70s F
Expected
activities: Hiking, touring around a city and some towns
While I generally pack mostly the same things whether I’m going for 10 days or a month, I will tailor my packing to match the destination weather and what I plan to do there. Obviously, I would have packed slightly differently for a beach vacation in 80’s F weather.
Bags
– Foldable 30L backpack (basically the size of most kids’ school bag)
– Smaller convertible backpack/crossbody bag to use as daypack/purse
Clothes
– Tops – 5 (4 short sleeve tops, 1 pajama top)
–
Pants – 4 (quick dry, yoga pants, jeans, pajama pants)
–
Outerwear – 3 (rain jacket, hoodie, cardigan)
– Dress – 1
– Shoes – 2 (trail runners, sandals)
– Socks &
undergarments
Accessories
– Sunglasses
– Watch
–
Buff
– Scarf
– Hat
Toiletries:
– Bar of soap
– Face wash
wipes
– Powder detergent
– Sunscreen
– Toothpaste
– Toothbrush
– Hand sanitizer
– Makeup – eyebrow
pencil, chapstick, mascara, lipstick, eyeliner
– Hair ties
–
Hair brush
– Travel towel
First Aid & miscellany: Band-Aids, medical tape, meds (motion sickness, antihistamine, pain relief, antacid), etc., tissues, mini sewing kit (needle, thread, safety pins), tweezers, ear plugs, tampons, pads and a few other things I generally always take with me in a Ziploc bag
Edibles: granola bar, Emergen-C, instant coffee
Tech
– Camera (Sony DSC-HX50V)
– Phone
(iPhone)
– Power bank
– Charger & cables
–
Converter to adapt to overseas voltage
– Earbuds
– Selfie
stick
Other
– Umbrella
– Travel neck pillow
– Water bottle
Basics: Passport, Wallet, Keys
How did it work out? Great. I didn’t ever think ‘Gee, I should have brought more stuff.’ In fact, I came home with things I didn’t use (not much, but there were a few things I didn’t use). The only thing I would change is to swap out my sandals for a pair of canvas slip-ons and some super-thin flipflops. The sandals served as shower shoes but they didn’t dry fast enough and it was too cold at night to wear open-toed shoes so I ended up having to wear my trail runners to dinner. It wasn’t terrible because it was a casual area anyway but I would have liked to have another option and not to have to cram my feet back into my shoes that I’d been hiking around all day in. Other than that, I can’t think of anything major that I’d change.
Also, this was the first trip where I had a bag that was under 10 pounds and it was awesome. I didn’t get worn out trudging through the airport. My previous trips were still probably under 20 pounds but it made a big difference to scale down even more.
Update 2021: Packing List for a Really Short Trip
Trip length: 2 days
Weather: Temperate 60-70s F
Expected activities: Sitting (at a conference) and light activity
Packing goal: Bring as little as possible. Since I was only staying 1 night, I really wanted to challenge myself to essentially show up with just a purse but still have something different to wear each day.
Bags
– Large purse (12 x 16 x 4 inches or thereabouts)
– Small wallet purse
Clothes (* = packed in purse, otherwise just worn)
– Tops – 2 (2 long sleeve top/cardigans worn in layers)
– Pants – 2 (1 pair of reversible jeans, 1 casual print pants that folds super small*)
– Dress – 1* (silk, folds small, could be tucked in as a shirt, doubled as pajamas)
– Shoes – 2 (ankle boots, flipflops*)
– Socks & undergarments (2nd set packed in purse)
Accessories
– Sunglasses
– Watch
– Bracelet / Necklace
Toiletries
– Toothpaste
– Toothbrush
– Hand sanitizer
– Makeup – eyebrow pencil, mascara, eyeliner, sample face cream
– Hair ties
– Hair comb
– Travel towel
First Aid & miscellany: Band-Aids, tweezers, pen, and some other minor items already in my purse
Tech
– Phone (iPhone) & work phone
– Power bank
– Charger & cables
Basics: ID, credit cards, Keys
How did it work out? Great. I breezed through check-in/check-out and never had to repack or worry that I had all my stuff. I probably had less in my “travel” purse than most people have in their everyday purse. I didn’t find anything that I wished I’d brought and despite my tiny wardrobe, I still had different looks for the 2 days plus a slightly different outfit for the evening.