Notes on how to pack to travel with only carry on hand luggage

How I approach packing so I can travel with only carry on/hand luggage, as someone who is definitely not a minimalist.

Travelling light does not come naturally to me. I like things and products and having a spare pair of knickers (pants) just in case. However, I also like keeping my things with me as much as possible and not paying huge fees for things where possible, so I’m trying really hard to be a ‘carry on only’ person.

I did a lot of research on this and every trip I adapt/refine things a bit more, so here are my tips for now, which I’ll continue to update. If I’ve missed anything or you’d like to know more about something let me know either in the comments or by email.

Bags

Main luggage bag

I spent a long time reading about bags but in the end it came down to asking ‘which bag is as close as possible to the allowed size for the airlines I’m travelling on?’ Cabin Zero was the answer. I have the Classic Backpack 28L for weekend trips and the Military Backpack 44L for longer trips (this did me a month in Vietnam and Cambodia, with a small day pack).

Below I’ve listed what I pack for a trip that’s a week or longer, which is also shown in the following photograph.

Packing cubes

Packing cubes are one of those things you think are really unnecessary until you give them a go, and they make it all much easier. I usually have a medium one for tops and bottoms, a small one for underwear, a larger one for dresses/shirts and a smallish empty one for putting worn clothes in when they need to be washed. I have this set from Travel Dude* that have double zips so you can compress them a bit and are made from recycled bottles. I to the set of 7 that two of us share between us but they do a set of 4, too.

Clothes

I don’t have special ‘travel’ clothes, I pack enough clothes to get me through about a week in whatever climate I’m travelling to, that can be hand washed and dried fairly easily in a hotel room. If they can be mixed and matched to form slightly different outfits all the better (I mostly where black so that’s easy for me, but whatever you where you can usually mix up skirts and shorts with different tops if you want a change). I pack them in packing cubes in the main body of the bag, apart from my pyjamas, which I put in the front pouch for easy access after a long day.

In the picture above the large packing cube is packed with things for a warm/hot climate: 1 pair of wide legged trousers, 2 dresses, 1 flared cotton skirt, 1 stretchy pencil style skirt, 2 shirts, 1 cardigan, 1 sarong, 1 going out top, 1 black v-neck.
The medium cube is packed with: 5 T-shirts, 1 vest top, 3 pairs of shorts.
The small cube is packed with: 1 swimming costume, 1 bra, 8 pairs of knickers, 5 pairs of socks.

I usually travel wearing jeans with a bit of stretch in them (I got some Skinny Outdoor Jeans from ACAI* on sale a while back and while the waterproofing went away after many, many wears and washes they are still really comfy for walking/travelling – use my link* to get us both £10 off), a T-shirt, shirt and hoody, (plus underwear of course) which has served me well when travelling to hot and cold countries, as I can remove layers if needed and add them back in if there’s air con. If I’m going somewhere I’m likely to need it I’ll wear a waterproof coat too. I have one from Seasalt that I love because it could almost just be a normal coat, it’s not so obviously a ‘raincoat’, not plasticky (not sweaty) and I like the longer length. My faithful is losing it’s waterproofing so I think at some point I’ll get the new version of it, the Coverack Waterproof Coat next.

If it were for a colder destination I’d take slightly thicker versions of tops and trousers, another cardigan and some thermal vests and long johns instead of the shorts.

Laundry sheets, a plug and a clothes line

Dr Beckmann Magic Leaves* were brilliant – flat to pack and washed everything well in a range of sinks across the world. Pack a sink plug (we had to buy one in a supermarket in Greece) as not all sinks have plugs.

We took this travel clothes line* – it’s quite bulky so you might find something smaller, but the pegs were useful for hanging things on windier balconies. Worth mentioning that booking rooms with balconies is definitely a good idea if you’re doing in-hotel hand washing.

Pouches with non-liquid toiletries, accessories etc.

A have a few small fabric zip up pouches in which I put things like a razor, first aid things, painkillers, plug, makeup etc. Any pouch will do, you’ll likely have some at home anyway or you can easily get them from somewhere like Muji. I took nail scissors too but they were taken away from me when leaving two destinations, despite being under the 6cm allowed. Still, they were useful while we were there.

Airport-issue liquids bag filled with liquids under 100ml each

The biggest hand luggage challenge I always have when flying is fitting all my liquids into those tiny sandwich bags. I look forward to the day the rules change on that (June 2024 in the UK perhaps?) but for now we’re still squeezing containers holding 100ml or under into those airport issue bags.

I’ve written about what makeup I take and how I try to swap liquids for pastes and powders in a separate post but I use these silicon bottles* for things like suncream, body lotion etc. as well as some little pots I picked up from Flying Tiger.

I usually pack this at the top of my bag so I can take it out easily for security and then have it with me on a long haul flight so I can take out my contact lenses, put on face cream etc.

Luggage scales

So there’s no worry about being over the weight limit at any point. We’ve had ours for ages but they look very much like these*.

Plug adapter

Make sure you have the correct type for your destination!

Refillable water pouch

Being able to fill up with drinking water saves money as well reducing plastic waste but refillable bottles are so bulky! I like this pouch* instead because it folds down flat when it’s empty.

Sandals and flip-flops in a sandwich bag

I’ll wear trainers most of the time when we’re travelling but I pack sandals and flip-flops for warm places and keep them in a sandwich bag so they don’t get dirt on the rest of the bag. My favourite sandals are Saltwater Sandals – they come in loads of different colours, you can wear them in the sea, they are really comfortable despite being very flat (which is a bonus for packing, too) and they last really, really well.

Microfibre hair towel

My hair is dyed and I don’t want to stain other people’s towels. I was given the towel I have now (which I also use at home) but next time I’ll probably buy a towel turban from Only Curls*.

Hair straighteners

I have a fringe (bangs) and I am much happier when I can control it/them so I slip hair straighteners in the side.

Silk eye mask

Useful for rooms with thin curtains. I was given a lovely one for Christmas but I’ve used this one* in the past and it’s great.

Slippers

I hadn’t bothered with these before but on our recent trips I popped a pair of ballet style slippers in my front pouch and they made me feel much more at home.

Headscarf

As I’ve mentioned, my hair is dyed so I tend to sleep with my hair in a headscarf to prevent any mess and keep my (newly discovered) curls looking nice. I also used it as a sort of swimming cap just to keep my hair up.

Travel towel

I didn’t use it loads in the end but it was useful when I did and it packed so small it was really handy. The one I have is a Pangea standard bamboo towel but I think I was lucky and got an old-style one at a discount. The new ones are here.

‘Personal item’ bag/day pack

On flights where you can take a ‘personal item’ in addition to your ‘hand luggage’ I take a Muji rucksack and it’s where I put my most important things that I’ll want right by me when travelling. They don’t seem to have the exact one I have on their site, it’s very like this one, just more rectangular.

Then, on days when we’re not travelling to new destinations, I’ll use it as my day pack.

In it I usually pack the following for travelling, shown in the photo below:

Electronics and related accessories

Main Camera

I take a Fuji XT-3 travelling. It’s light, much smaller than my Canon 5D mkIII, I like how much you can control so much through dials rather than menus and I like the look of it, too. View it at WEX here* or Amazon here*, but the X-T4 and X-T5 are the more recent versions.

Instant Camera

I take a Lomo’Instant Square with me because I love having an instant photo souvenir. It packs up really small, I love it!

Instax film

I try not to overdo the Instax so usually take 1 pack per week unless I’m feeling flush/inspired. I get it from WEX here* or Amazon here*.

Lenses

I generally have the Fuji 35mm on the camera body most of the time as I like the crispness (WEX here* or Amazon here*). I take a 10-24 for wider views (WEX here* or Amazon here*) and if I have the space and feel I’ll want to get closer I take the 60mm (Amazon here*), but I use that a lot less.

Straps

I just have the strap that came with the XT-3 when I’m wearing it over my shoulder/cross body, but I bought a Peak Design Cuff wrist strap* and I absolutely love that. It’s much more secure and discrete.

Lens wraps

I’ve tried a few different things here. I use these Domke wraps* for the main lens that’s not on my camera and another as a pouch for my Lomo’Instant. If I take the 60mm lens I use the wrap that came with it. I tried using a bigger wrap for the camera itself when it’s in my daypack but it was too bulky. Now I just use a hat. Berets are good for this, or whatever hat you’re taking anyway (though you may need to wear that).

Camera cleaning things

I take a lens pen*, mini blower and travel cleaning kit with me. Remember to put any liquids from these into your liquid bag when flying!

SD cards

The XT-3 holds 2 cards at once and I choose to have photographs write to both cards at once so I have an instant backup. 2 sets of 128GB SD cards* (so 4 cards total) usually sees me through a month-long trip.

Laptop

If I can I take a laptop so I can back up my photos. I take the one that I have, which is bigger than you’d probably want to travel with, but I can’t currently afford to buy a second one for travelling!

SSD

Solid State Drive: I keep my files and a Lightroom catalogue on an SSD connected to my laptop when I’m travelling. I have this Samsung 1TB drive* and it’s so neat. Each day when I come back to where I’m staying I back the files on my SD cards up to it. When I’m travelling about I try to keep the drive and the camera in separate bags in case one goes missing.

Kindle Paperwhite

Generally I prefer reading paper books but when travelling around for a while the Kindle Paperwhite* is much easier and lighter. It doesn’t feel as harsh as reading a tablet/phone screen.

Pouch with all the essential documents

Passport, tickets, print out of insurance policy and all reservations in case I can’t get online later.

Charging/connection cables

For phone, watch, laptop, Kindle, camera (rather than the bulky charger), power bank etc.

Adapter

Rather than the standard laptop charger/adapter I take this plug*, which is smaller and has ports for 2 USB Cs as well as a normal USB, so you can do several things at once (but make sure the laptop or watch is in the laptop one).

Earphones

Bluetooth ones for listening to my phone and plug in ones in case you need them for audioguides/planes (a double adapter and splitter might be handy too).

Spare batteries

For my cameras, in a little pouch.

Powerbank

So many tickets are on phone now, I like to have backup so I don’t run out of charge.

Phrase book

I always try very hard not to just speak in English and although I know apps are great I like to try to learn things from a book when travelling and to have handy when out.

Art things

Small sketchbook, tiny watercolour set, pencil case with pen, pencil, rubber, sharpener and washi tape.

Sunglasses and prescription glasses

I wear contact lenses almost all the time but I take my glasses in case for some reason I can’t wear lenses.

Makeup

I love makeup and that’s no different when travelling. With some trial and error I’ve perfected a minimal kit that I’ve been really happy with and you can read the fine details of that in this post.

If you have any other suggestions please let me know – I’m always keen to try new things and find better ways!

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Notes on Travel is a blog by photographer Jayne Lloyd, noting the things I found useful to know when I am travelling. I’ve tried to be accurate but please do check for up-to-date information before going as things are always changing! I apologise for any mistakes, please do let me know if you have more recent info.

*This post contains affiliate links, indicated with a ‘*’ – if you click them and decide to buy something I may receive a small cut of the payment, but it won’t cost you more. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Find out more in my Notes on Affiliate Links. Thank you!