Team Carry On
I learned pretty quickly that I have to be team carry-on if I want to save money and time. When I was in college we would travel on Ryanair who would charge you ridiculous prices just to check in a bag and we didn’t have time to be waiting for our bags or losing them, so we quickly learned how to travel and pack lightly with very small bags to make sure that we got the best out of our trip.
I’m going to share my tips and tricks with you along with some of my favorite travel products that I use. I am not being sponsored by any of these products at all, I just really love these products and you can see some of the links below in Amazon.
THE SUITCASE
The type of bag you use all depends on the type of traveler you are. I am a backpack girl. Not all backpacks are created equally.
How to Pick A Backpack
- Does it have multiple pockets for organization?
- Can you easily access all your clothing?
- Is it comfortable on your back?
- Does it have an adjustable chest strap and waist strap?
- Are the shoulder straps padded?
If the answer isn’t yes to all of those SKIP IT, KEEP LOOKING!
My go to backpack is the Nomatic Travel Bag. I just love its slim design and endless pockets for organization.
If you’re going on a trip that is less than 5 days and domestic, get your rolly suitcase out. Make sure it fits the standards of your airline, is lightweight and has an expandable pocket. Rolly suitcases are great for resort trips and one location trips. They don’t work for me on trips that involve a lot of moving around and possible tough terrain.
Another great option if you want to have the ability to choose is this backpack from Osprey (Osprey Fairview 36) that Maggie just bought that actually has wheels also! It might be my next purchase.
HOW TO PACK
The first thing I have to ask myself is what is the weather going to be like where I am going?
Hot
With summer clothes you can fit a lot more so you have more options. I always take about two pairs of shorts, one pair of comfy pants for the plane, alot of tops (they make the outfit), some dresses, one pair of sneakers, one pair of sandals and flip flops. I bring triple the amount of underwear ex; If I am going for 3 days I am bringing 9 pairs. My favorite thing to pack is swimwear. I bring a different swimsuit per beach or pool day I have planned, luckily they don’t take up much room.
Cold
My biggest advice for cold weather trips is remember no one can see your clothes under your coat! So just pack as many layers as you can and just make sure your coat is cute!
I know we all want to do it for the gram, but remember if you’re taking a long trip you can always get your clothes washed, so just bring enough underwear to last you through and if you need to wash a couple shirts, then so be it. Washing clothes especially in many cheaper countries will always be cheaper than packing double and having to pay $50 to check in your probably overweight suitcase.
Combo Trip
Combo trips are the most challenging to pack for. Get yourself a nice pack-able light weight travel coat. I use this one from 32 Degrees. Takes up a lot less room when packaging and is super warm.
Hair
The most important thing is what I’m gonna do with my hair. I have very curly hair it’s very difficult sometimes because I need a lot of products and with the 3.4 ounces maximum per product that just doesn’t work for me. Keyword PROTECTIVE HAIRSTYLES! I try to do hairstyles that make my life easy while I travel box braids, faux locs, cornrows and more. You can jazz your styles up with hair jewelry. Box braids and Faux Locs are great for long trips because you can wash them and keep going no matter where you are.
SOUVENIRS
I’m a big shopper when I’m abroad. I love buying things for the home, souvenirs or clothing while I’m in a different country for a bargain. You will find one of a kind items that I’m sure you will get compliments on. I rather bring less with me and bring more back. I travel with a small little compatible travel duffel so that it just fits in your luggage and then when you come home you can open it and stuff it with all your cool souvenirs.
EQUIPMENT
I’m not a huge photographer. I love taking photos, but I don’t love the equipment that goes along with it. I keep it really simple with just my iPhone and my GoPro with me on every trip. They are very compact and easy to carry around. I have accessories for them to make it simple when it’s a trip of just me and Steven we use the remote control tripod for the iPhone and GoPro that can take photos of the two of us. For the adventure junkie in me, I bought this kit for the Gopro so I can strap it to me jumping out of a plane, snorkeling or riding bike!
MUST HAVES
You must must must always make sure you have plug-in converters for the country you are in I have a cool one that has like every country in it and it has a couple USB ports and you could plug-in regular as well so that’s something you must have wherever you go
- Multi Country Plug In Converter – I have this one from amazon. I like it because it has 4 USB ports and a plug in source so you can plug everything you need in at once. It also covers most countries.
- Camera sunglasses – I have snap glasses which are cameras. It’s perfect for when I don’t want to pull out my phone. I can just click the button on the side it’s originally meant for Snapchat, but you can load them up onto your phone and put them on Instagram or wherever you want and it’s so easy to use. It takes 10 second videos and photos so it’s a nice cool thing to have with you at all times.
- Folding Sunglasses – I have Maui Jim sunglasses that fold up and are super convenient to carry around. It is nice to keep things easy and light when traveling. They were actually Steven’s, but I stole them. Many brands have something similar including Ray Bans.
- Travel Purse – I use this Tumi purse which was given to me it’s not too big, not too small and has lots of pockets. It is important your purse is a cross body that can safely be in your view at all times. It is also important that it has many hidden pockets to prevent pickpocketing or your bag being cut open when you aren’t paying attention (it happens!). I stick my wallet in the inside zipper pocket and clip it with a Carabiner clip on the side of the pocket.
-
- Another tip always make sure you have a photo of the cover page of your passport with you at all times on your phone. You can also send it to your email just in case you ever lose your passport. Not just yours but everyone on your trip with you.
- Lonely Planet – I collect lonely planets from every country I go to. It’s perfect for when you want to double check the price of something, look up a map, or just read up suggestions. In my Guatemala 5 day Itinerary you can see I used Lonely Planet’s self guided walking tour which was amazing to explore the city of Antigua.
- Packing Cubes – These really help with organization and not having to make a mess of your backpack or luggage everytime your looking for a new outfit. One packing cube per category of clothing ex; One for shirts, one for bottoms, one for dress etc.
- Travel Air Compressions Bags – My nomatic bag came with a great one. Its good when your winter traveling and have bigger items or clothing or for putting you dirty clothes in throughout your trip so it doesn’t take space.
- First Aid Kit – This is SUPER important. You never want to be left with out the essentials for a cut, scrape, head ache, burn, hangover or even fever. I travel with every pill, band aid and antibacterial possible. But the star of my first aid kit is Pepto Bismol Chewables! They have saved my life multiple times. I also have Party Smart hangover prevention pills that are all natural and were introduced to me in India. I get seasick so I use Travacalm which was introduced to me in Australia and is the best non drowsy motion sickness pill I ever had (sadly it is not available in the USA, let me know if you see it)! You also don’t want to forget your Tylenol, Advil and Z-Pack from your doctor.
- Solar Portable Charger – This might be a little bulky, but OMG does it come in handy after hours outside. Plus never worry about your charger not being charged. I clip it to the outside of my bag and the sun will make sure we never run out of juice!
