How to Travel with Carry-On Only (or Backpack)

At this point, I consider us travel experts. Or at least travel virtuosos that travel light, with a carry-on or backpack only.

^{Last updated: September 14, 2024}

Traveling Light

Traveling with a backpack or carry-on bag became our reality when Dylan joined us on a “mission” of exploring the world. Since we usually don’t travel for extended periods of time, using checked luggages has never been our priority. Instead we have successfully adapted to simple rules of light travel, which came with a plethora of benefits.

First, small carry-on bags and backpacks give us room for spontaneity and flexibility. We can squeeze a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge into our itinerary right before heading to the airport and flying back home. Second, travel smart with a carry-on or backpack only and save tons of money. Hello budget airlines and goodbye all extra fees they charge for heavy checked luggages.

Needless to say, the advantages of packing smart and traveling light, with a backpack or carry-on bag, are pretty much unlimited. And all it takes is a little bit of time, practice, and individual creativity to master this uncomplicated art. After years of traveling with mostly a backpack and sometimes a carry-on per person, we came up with some easy tips and tricks that work every time. I hope you will find them practical and useful as well.

5 TIPS ON HOW TO TRAVEL WITH BACKPACK OR CARRY-ON ONLY

1. Master Minimalist Packing

Pack only what you need and leave the rest at home. Sounds easy. But is it really how most of us do? When you travel with a carry-on bag or backpack, you need to start separating the “want” from the “need”.

Think about it this way. Do you need more than ten outfits when your trip lasts ten days? Do you need to wear a completely new attire every single day? The answer is obvious, “No.” So take out that eleventh pair of shorts or twelfth, thirteenth, or even fourteenth t-shirt that you pack for those what-if and just-in-case situations. Does your carry-on feel lighter now?

Let’s make even more room in your travel bag. Instead of bringing along a whole new outfit for a day, pack a few versatile items that go well with some of your other pieces of clothing. For example, you can match that neutral color shirt with black pants and your favorite travel shorts. Bingo!

These three travel essentials don’t take a lot of space in your carry-on or backpack, but let you easily create new looks every day. So now go on and take out another extra shirt or skirt. Do this exercise a few times until you are comfortable with your clothes choices without feeling deprived or forced to wear the same clothes over and over again.

Use this tip for your toiletries, makeup, and other travel gears, such as cameras, chargers, tripods, etc.

TIP: Some people like to try on everything they plan to pack into their carry-on bags or backpacks before they travel. When they are satisfied with their outfits, they take selfies to remember what goes with what. Once on the road, they find those pictures on their phones and know exactly what to wear on any particular day.

2. Get over the Fear of Forgetting Something

The gnawing fear of forgetting something gets all of us from time to time. Like an internal alarm clock, it goes off every time our travel bags are out in sight and ready to be filled. As much as we are happy about upcoming trips, the fear of forgetting something can turn into anxiety and slowly drain us of all the excitement. Just the idea of traveling with only a carry-on bag or backpack can stress every single cell of our bodies.

Stop! There is a simple solution to it. When in panic, relax and watch, listen to, or do something funny, something that makes you laugh. The packing… Follow the tips outlined above and don’t worry about the rest.

If upon arrival at a new destination, you realize that you forgot a toothbrush or comb, go and buy a new one. There is a 90% chance that you don’t travel to Antarctica or Siberia, or any other deserted places where you can’t find any convenience stores.

READ MORE: 10 Essentials to Pack for Your Next Alaska Road Trip

3. Do Laundry when Traveling for Extended Periods of Time

If you are lucky and can travel for a long period of time, don’t rush to trade your carry-on bag for a checked suitcase. Rather, make it a habit to do laundry at your travel destination. You can wash small things in your hotel room and let them dry in the bathroom or on a balcony, out of sight, as many places have a strict policy against drying clothes in areas accessible or visible to other guests.

For heavier items, use public laundromats. Prices for using public washing machines and dryers vary from place to place. In Los Angeles, for example, you can get your clothes clean and dry for approximately ten dollars. Years ago, we paid about seven euros for using public laundromats in Rome.

4. Make Yourself Familiar with Airline Policies

We learned it the hard way. During one of our first trips to Europe on a budget, we booked our flight from Rome to Barcelona with Ryanair Airline. The company prides itself on offering some of the most affordable flights within the European Union.

The catch, as we learned it later, was strict rules regarding carry-on luggage dimensions. Airline employees literally measured every handbag, every carry-on bag right at the gate.

We are not going to list all the measurements here, but let us tell you one thing. Among dozens of people boarding the airplane that day, every third passenger traveling with a carry-on, including us, (we are talking about lightweight, small size handbags here) had to pay an extra fee of 50 euros and check in their bags.

The moral of the story is always check the sizes of the allowed carry-on luggages and smaller personal bags before booking a flight.

5. Leave Extra Room in Your Carry-On for Gifts and Souvenirs

Even when traveling light with a carry-on or backpack only, leave extra space for unexpected purchases. Do you remember the time when right before getting on a plane, you were in desperate need of that book from Hudson Bookseller? Or that paper handmade fan with Spanish motifs that had your niece’s name written all over it?

Nothing wrong with buying gifts or souvenirs from different places in the world that keep your travel memories fresh. But make sure to have enough room in your carry-on to shove them in without paying overweight luggage fees later on.

READ MORE: 7 Traditional Gifts from Poland