With the high cost of checking bags, more and more travelers are choosing to pack all of their belongings in their carry-on luggage rather than incur any additional expenses. In addition to expense, however, packing only a carry-on also provides the extra security of having your bags on you at all time, ensuring greater peace of mind while you travel. Finally, travelers also can avoid the stress of wondering if they will arrive with their bags or whether they will be delayed en route.
Minimize your clothing. This is one of the most important packing tips for learning to pack just a carry-on, and is also the step that so many people struggle with. Select a color scheme so all your clothing can coordinate. Pick just a few tops and a few bottoms. You may want to pack a light pair of jeans if you are visiting somewhere with a moderate to cool climate. If you are going to be visiting a colder climate, take a coat that can also provide protection against wind and rain. For warm climates you will still want to pack a light jacket for rain or an umbrella.
Limit yourself to a minimal number of shoes. Two pair should be enough for your trip: a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of sandals. Wear the tennis shoes when you are doing most of your traveling to save space in your luggage and when you have reached your destination switch to sandals if you aren’t going to be doing any serious hiking.
Compress. Use packing cubes or compression bags to compress your clothing as much as possible and fit everything into your bag.
Toiletries. You can do without most of your toiletries for a period of time. Just pack the basic travel toiletries, making sure they all fit into a quart size Ziploc bag.
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