8-Day Travel in a Carry-On – No Checked Baggage

Organizing and planning anything is one of my greatest expertise – it gives me all the therapeutic and satisfying feels. So, when it comes to travelling, whether it’s a short weekend trip or a week long vacation, it’s safe to say I get super excited that my organization and planning skills gets to come out and play and impress everyone that I simply travel with a carry-on.

How I Pack
Most airlines provide a no-fee baggage allowance that will allow one carry-on baggage to be put in the overhead bin and one personal item to be placed underneath the seat, with both not exceeding the requested maximum size. If you don’t want any checked baggage, this is the way to go. Plus, it saves you a ton of time and there’s no need to worry about damaged or lost baggage.

Again, double check with the airline baggage allowance and their maximum carry-on and personal item sizing as they’re not all the same. Lucky for me, both my personal item (purse) and carry-on luggage are under the maximum size for all the airlines I’ve flown with.

Depending on the trip, I sometimes find myself fitting everything in either a carry-on luggage or in a weekender-like bag. For this particular cruise trip, I brought both.

Personal Item – Longchamp Le Pliage Tote Bag in Black
Carry-On Baggage: London Fog Sandridge 19″ Hardside Expandable Spinner Suitcase Luggage in Rose Gold

What I Packed: Personal Item (purse)

For my personal item to be placed underneath the seat, I brought my Longchamp Le Pliage Tote Bag. I used to travel with my Kate Spade Sophie Kennedy Park Tote Bag but the Longchamp is a tad bit bigger and I can easily fold and store away when it’s not in use.

Inside the bag houses the essentials that can easily be taken out during security check and for safe keeping such as electronics (phone, camera), clear bag with liquids, wallet (passport, money, airline tickets, etc). I also brought with me two pens, travel-sized notebook, sanitizing wipes, sunglasses, separate pouches for chargers, non-liquid makeup and makeup brushes.

The Luggage

As mentioned in the beginning of the post, I love organizing and planning. I love to organize stuff in a tetris way and one can never have enough bags in a bag, compartments are my saviour and all hail the purse organizer – I mean, have you seen my last What’s In My Bag post?!

When it comes to packing, packing cubes are my best friends. The ones I have are from IKEA (FÖRFINA Travel bags, set of 6). You can find packing cubes anywhere – a quick Google search for Packing Cubes will give you a list to shop. If you don’t want to spend money on packing cubes, use big resealable bags – they work just as good (don’t forget, they can be used for future travels).

What I Packed: Carry-On Luggage Right Side

Undergarments/swimwear (small packing cube stuffed inside medium packing cube):
Medium Packing Cube:

• 1 Bra
• 2 Bikini Tops and Bottoms
• 2 Camisole Tops

Small Packing Cube:

• 2 Underwear
• 1 pair of Socks
• 1 pair of Shorts

Hair straightener – for straightening hair and clothes

Clothing/sleepwear (small packing cube stuffed inside large packing cube):
Small Packing Cube:

• 2 Sleepwear Shorts and T-shirts

Large Packing Cube:

• 1 Blouse
• 1 Skirt
• 1 T-shirt
• 2 Dresses
• 2 Rompers
• 1 Jumpsuit

What I Packed: Carry-On Luggage Left Side

Medium Packing Cube:

• 1 pair of Block Heels

Foldable Hat

Dust bag for shoes – 2 compartments:

• 1 pair of Sandals
• 1 pair of Indoor Slippers

Curling Iron

Evening Purse:

• Travel Towels (IKEA – SOMMAR Travel towel, set of 2, beige)
• Camera Lens Cleaner

It may seem like I underpacked but remember, planning smart is the way to go:
– Undergarments and clothes can be washed and dried overnight,
– cruises usually have a formal nights so bringing a casual dress that can be worn during the day with a pair of sandals and sprucing it up for night with heels and dolled-up hair and makeup is a win-win situation,
– and any clothing that can act as a two-in-one or a mix and match is probably the best clothing hack.

What I wore to the airport counts as items as well. And a travel rule of thumb is to wear the heavier/bigger items instead of packing them. In this case, I wore 1 bra, underwear, shorts, t-shirt, jacket blazer and flip flops.

In the end, there was still room in my luggage but those were reserved in case there was shopping involved because you know there was.

That being said, I hope the way my packing helps you get an idea of how to pack for your next cruise vacation or general travel. Let me know in the comments: How do you pack for a trip? Are you a light or heavy packer? Do you unload your luggage the moment you step in the room or when you get back home (because I do)?