The Freedom of Carryon Only

I clearly remember my first big international trip. I was in Japan. We were taking trains between cities every day and the trains there run exactly on time. One day, we were running late due to traffic getting to the train platform to catch our train and we had to literally RUN to make the train on time. At that moment, I promised myself I’d figure out how to travel without checked luggage.

Everything for a 4 day trip to visit family in one backpack and a sling bag

There are a few rare exceptions where I’ve had to check a bag. The main one is when we travel somewhere and take our snorkel gear. I’ll be honest though. I’ve considered getting different fins just so I can fit them in a carryon size bag…

Even when I go to Europe for a multi-week work or personal trip, I go with one small backpack or purse and 1 rolling bag. Thinking about when and how to do laundry is a part of that planning. I also use a concept called a capsule wardrobe when packing so I can mix and match my tops and bottoms. The real secret - minimize how many shoes you bring and wear the “biggest” ones on the flight to and from your destination.

On a recent 3 day trip to Washington D.C. I achieved the ultimate in minimalist packing. It was all possible because I only used 1 pair of shoes. My goal was to reduce down to a single bag which also had to include my computer and binder.

Everything that needs to fit in my bag including my compression packing cube with all my clothes

I also had the challenge of needing a bag that would be allowed to go through security into the Capitol of the US so I measured my bag size carefully once it was packed.

Making sure I can get through Capitol security - max size of 18” wide x 14” high x 8.5” deep

Width check < 14 inches, whew

Less than 8 inches and good to go

Thanks to my compression packing cube, only taking the shoes I was wearing and using a capsule wardrobe approach I made this work. Usually I use this rolling bag and a shoulder bag or small backpack but this experiment for a short trip made my travel worry free even with a tight timeline from our last meeting until when I needed to be at the gate for my flight!

If you’re interested in packing cubes or travel capsule wardrobes and want to know more check out the links here for some more information.

- Jenny