Imagine this✨: You step off the plane, bypass baggage claim, and head straight to your adventure. No waiting, no lost bags, and no extra fees. That’s the beauty of carry-on only travel — and we’re going to help you master it with insider tips to fly carry-on only and our favorite travel essentials to help you out.
You’ll discover why there’s nothing quite like the freedom of traveling with just a carry-on bag and personal item.
Implementing these packing tips for flying with only carry-on luggage can help you get to your vacation faster and with less stress!
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- Why Should You Travel Light?
- Carry-On Only: 10 Expert Packing Tips
- 1. Choose the Right Carry-On Bag 🛄
- 2. Utilize the Personal Item Allowance When Flying With Only Carry-on Luggage
- 3. Wear Bulky Clothes to the Airport
- 4. Pack Mix-and-Match Clothes
- 5. Roll and Compress Your Clothes
- 6. Limit Shoes to 2 or 3 Pairs (or less)
- 7. Use Travel Size Bottles
- 8) Pack Ahead of Time
- 9) Wash Your Clothes During Travel
- 10) Bring a Refillable Water Bottle
- Other Travel Essentials Worth Packing on Every Trip
- Bottom Line: Less Is More
- Other Great Travel Articles to Check out:
🌅✈️You can find great 2 piece travel outfits on Amazon that are budget-friendly and pack well for your trip!🌴
Why Should You Travel Light?
The perks of traveling light go far beyond convenience. Here’s why you should ditch the checked bags:
- Skip the baggage fees. Most airlines charge $30-$50+ per checked bag — and even more for overweight ones.
- No more lost luggage. You’re in control of your stuff the entire trip.
- Get in and out of the airport faster. You’ll breeze through both arrival and departure.
✈️Still not convinced? Most baggage claim waits range from 15 to 50 minutes. That’s time you could spend sightseeing or sipping cocktails at your destination. Let’s fix that.
Carry-On Only: 10 Expert Packing Tips
If you’re looking to travel with only a carry-on bag, there are a few general things you can do to make it work.
1. Choose the Right Carry-On Bag 🛄
When shopping for a carry-on bag, weight, durability, airline compliance, and size are key factors to consider.
Many airlines have weight limits for carry-on bags, and don’t forget that you must lug the bag around the airport and lift it in and out of overhead storage bins on the plane. Practice to make sure you are able to handle it with no assistance.
When packing for your flight, be sure to check the luggage restrictions for your airline.
Pro Tip: Check your airline’s carry-on dimensions. We stick with 21” spinners to cover both domestic and international flights.
For example, Spirit Airlines allows carry-on dimensions of 22 x 18 x10 inches (56 x 46 x 25 cm) when flying domestically.
I usually stick with 21″ spinner carry-on bags to be versatile no matter what my destination is and to make sure it complies with most carriers. Travel and Leisure has a helpful guide to help with luggage dimensions.
Here are some of our favorites that are durable:
✅ Top Picks: Travelpro Crew Compact Versapack — our #1 choice for smart compartments, smooth wheels, and reliable durability. It fits most airline requirements and keeps everything organized.
✅ American Tourister 4 Kix Spinner: [Amazon] Budget-friendly, super light, and full of smart pockets.
✅ It Maxxspace 22” Spinner: Boxy but efficient and fits more! I use this one for domestic flights a lot too!
2. Utilize the Personal Item Allowance When Flying With Only Carry-on Luggage
Airlines permit you to travel with one small personal item (sizes vary) in addition to your carry-on bag. Use it wisely!
Go for a small backpack with loads of compartments like our faves:
- Baggalini Soho Backpack: Chic, functional, and doubles as a tote with top handles.[Amazon]
- Taygeer Laptop Backpack: USB charging port and great organization. [Amazon]
- Wandf Travel Backpack: Lightweight, budget-friendly, and perfectly sized. [Amazon]
- Easily packable 30L Backpack: Perfect size for a personal item and can fit all of the essentials [Amazon].
📖 Insider tip: Pack a small crossbody purse inside your personal item for easy use once you arrive.
You’ll want to access certain things quickly, like your ID, wallet, phone, passport, headphones, and water bottle. These should all go in your personal item bag.
- You can also pack additional items that you couldn’t fit into your carry-on, like toiletries and snacks.
- Having multiple pockets in your personal item will help with easy access to the things you will need during the flight.
- The dimension limits for personal items on most airlines (including Spirit) must not exceed 18 x 14 x 8 inches (45 x 35 x 20 cm) including handles and wheels.
3. Wear Bulky Clothes to the Airport
One way to ensure you stay within the weight limit for your carry-on luggage is to wear your heaviest and bulkiest items. [….not all of your items at once like we’ve seen people try]😆
🥾Big jackets, boots, and heavy layers? Wear them. Save space and weight in your bag.
✅ We love this packable down jacket [Amazon] that has a carry bag and hangs on the outside of your luggage to save space!
4. Pack Mix-and-Match Clothes
Choose pieces you can wear multiple ways. Think neutral colors, layers, and wrinkle-resistant fabrics.
- Key pieces to pack include solid-color tops, bottoms, and a neutral jacket or sweater.
- Jeans take up so much space, so only pack one or two pairs or wear one to the airport.
☀️Favorite Find: We love these wide leg travel pants [Amazon} that are budget-friendly!
5. Roll and Compress Your Clothes
Rolling saves space and keeps clothes from wrinkling.
- This simple packing hack will take up less space and allow you to bring more clothes on your trip.
To roll your clothes, start with heavier items such as jeans and sweaters. Then, fold each item in half lengthwise and roll from the bottom up. Once you’ve rolled all your clothes, compress them with delicate items like scarves or socks.
With this method, you’ll be able to bring more clothes and have fewer wrinkles in your outfits when you arrive at your destination.
🧳These inexpensive Compression Travel Packing Cubes on Amazon also work great!
6. Limit Shoes to 2 or 3 Pairs (or less)
- Wear your bulkiest pair on the plane.
- Pack versatile shoes that match multiple outfits.
This packing tip will help you save space and prevent you from overpacking. Shoes take up the most space, usually.
For example, wear a pair of comfortable sneakers then pack sandals, and a pair of heels/mules that can be dressed up or down.
- Frye Company also make really comfortable boots and sneakers that we love.
👠Our favorite go-to travel shoes: (most can be found on Amazon!)
- Birkenstock Gizeh Sandals
- On Cloud 5 Sneakers
- Sketchers Go Walk Flex
- Jambu Mary Jane Sandals – soooo comfortable!
7. Use Travel Size Bottles
According to the TSA, you can only travel with liquid, gel, and aerosol items stored in travel-size containers of 3.4 ounces or smaller.
I🧴transfer a small portion of larger toiletries into an empty travel-size bottle.
- Sephora offers many travel sized mini favorites that are easy to pack!
- Check out this budget-friendly silicone travel bottle set from Amazon that are easy to pack and bring in a carry-on!
- Also, I pack a travel-sized blow dryer because it works so much better than some hotel ones on my hair. If there is room in my carry-on the Travel Babyliss Pro Nano comes with me!
8) Pack Ahead of Time
Don’t wait until the last minute. Packing early helps you:
- Avoid overpacking (really think about what you need and don’t need)
- Find better ways to fit everything in
- Remember last-minute essentials
9) Wash Your Clothes During Travel
🧥If you’re staying somewhere without a washer and dryer, you can hand wash your lightly-worn clothes in a bathtub or sink.
**We always travel with this TSA approved Sink Suds Travel Laundry kit! (on Amazon) They are super budget-friendly and we can pack even lighter!
10) Bring a Refillable Water Bottle
Don’t overpay for airport water. Bring your own (empty) bottle and fill it post-security.
You may regret it if you don’t have easy access to water or have to spend $5 on a single water bottle at the airport when bringing one is easy!
- You can even hook it to the outside of your backpack to save space inside.
- 💦Check out this inexpensive collapsible water bottle 2 pack on Amazon!
Other Travel Essentials Worth Packing on Every Trip
- Portable Phone Charger – With all of the photo ops, your phone battery will drain quickly. Bring a portable phone fast charger (amazon has this great inexpensive one) to ensure you stay connected.
- A Great travel pillow – We love this Buyue travel pillow on Amazon because it can be clipped to the outside of your carry-on and it tightens to support our neck on a flight!
- Travel-Sized Cooling Towel – Vacation sun can be intense. A cooling towel can help keep you refreshed and this budget-friendly 4-pack travel cooling towel set on Amazon can be clipped onto a bag or belt loop!
Bottom Line: Less Is More
Stepping off a plane and heading straight to your adventure without the wait at baggage claim is not just convenient—it’s transformative.
Packing light gives you more freedom, more flexibility, and a lot less stress. And with the right gear, it doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort or style. Try a few of these tips on your next trip and see just how smooth travel can be.
Remember, the key to successful carry-on travel is not just in what you pack, but in the confidence of knowing you have everything you need.
So pack smart, travel light, and get ready to explore the world on your own terms. Embrace these tips on your next journey and discover how liberating it can be to travel with just a carry-on. Happy travels, and may your journeys be as light as your luggage!
📌See our Our Best Travel Gear Recommendations guide here too!
🖼️ Find us on Pinterest too for more travel tips!