Living overseas meant I got really good at packing a carry-on. One time I was able to pack for a whole month in my bright green carry-on, and I’ve been chasing that high ever since.
Packing a carry-on for your international trip is a fascinating skill. It combines aspirational style with ruthless efficiency. You have to know thyself, thy needs, and balance it out with your secret idea of your Best Vacation Self.
Because that’s half the fun of travel right? For one to two weeks, you get a chance to reinvent yourself. What are you like on the streets of Paris? Lounging on the Amalfi Coast? Drinking tea on the Bosphorus?
I’m all for the grand journey of self-discovery. But you don’t need to change your whole wardrobe for your trip, especially if you’re trying to keep everything in a carry-on.
There are fantastic tricks you can use to pack your dream travel clothes in just a carry-on while indulging in your dreams of adventure.
Before You Pack
Before you start packing your carry-on, you need to do some exploring. I know, I know, more stuff you have to know before you get on the plane?
See, the way things work at Hero Looks is that we start from the big picture, and move our way inward. I like to think of it as a giant funnel: you start with a ton of information at the top and end with only what you need at the bottom.
Trust me, it’s all going to be worth it in the end, so let’s get started!
Start Exploring Before You Get on the Plane
Part of the mystique that comes with dressing for a trip is learning what people wear in other parts of the world. Are they more colorful? Laid back? Dressed up? What is the weather like? How do the locals deal with it?
You can begin to answer these questions with a little internet sleuthing. I usually start with “(City) Street Style” and go clicking around from there.
There are also fantastic visual guides on Pinterest that give you a rough idea of what to pack, depending on location and weather. I’ve used these as jumping-off points in the past.
Keep Your Expectations Realistic
I want you to know that no matter where you go, and how much research you do, you’re never going to get it 100% right. That’s because there is no 100% correct when it comes to fashion.
Articles like “The French Girl’s Guide to Dressing” lead us to believe, even subconsciously, that there are homogenous ways of dressing for your destination.
But unless there’s a law, a religious holiday, or a cultural event, style and fashion are just as individual and diverse overseas as it is in your hometown.
So give yourself a little grace. If you get over there and realize you’ve made an error, well, now you know for next time!
Be Respectful
Living in another country taught me the importance of respecting another culture’s way of dressing. This is especially important in the areas of worship that double as tourist attractions. I came away from the experience with some lessons that help me no matter what the circumstance:
- Approach everything with an attitude of learning.
- If you feel like you’ve done something wrong or worn something inappropriate, ask. Most of the time locals will be happy to explain things to you because they appreciate that you’re trying to learn. You’ll both walk away from the experience happy and smarter than you were before.
- Understand that you will make mistakes, so have patience for yourself and the other person.
Planning Your Travel Wardrobe
Now that you’ve done some research and you have a vision for your Vacation Self, let’s build your travel wardrobe!
Pick a Color Palette
The easiest way to fit your travel wardrobe into a small carry-on is to start with a color palette of three to four colors. This will make it easier to mix and match your pieces and means you won’t have to pack as much.
Seasonal colors are fairly universal no matter where you go, although if you found something in your explorations that says otherwise, try it out! We’re exploring new aspects of ourselves, and trying new color combos is a low-risk way of trying new things.
Pick Your Travel Clothes
If you’re packing a carry-on, you want to make sure every piece you have is doing the most. I usually pack:
- 3-4 tops
- 2-3 bottoms
- 1 jumpsuit or dress
- 2-3 pairs of shoes
- 5-7 pieces of jewelry/scarves
- If I’m going to the beach, I’ll pack 3 swimsuits and remove 1 top and 1 bottom from my rotation.
Pro-Tip #1: I pack two, at most three pairs of shoes for every trip. I always wear the bulkiest ones to the airport, that way I’m saving on space and weight in my luggage.
With every single piece, I ask myself:
- “Can I wear these multiple ways?”
- “Can I wear them many times?”
- “Will I be able to wash this in a normal washer and dryer?”
- “Do I need extras for this piece like special underwear and bras? If so, do I really want this?”
If the answer to all the above is “yes,” then I pack it!
Pro-Tip #2: I use apps like Cladwell to help me maintain my capsule wardrobe all year round, and it’s the easiest way for me to visually organize my travel wardrobe while packing. They have cool features like outfit schedulers, cost-per-wear stats, and other features like showing what you own v what you actually wear. Use the code ELIZABETH10 for $10 off your first three months!
Don’t Forget the Vibes
Listen, packing a carry-on is absolutely about practicality. But if everything you did was utilitarian, you probably would have already checked out of this article by now. So let’s lay the foundation by asking ourselves: what kind of vibes do I want in my travel wardrobe?
Let’s say you’re traveling to Berlin, a city historically known for its intellectual and artistic movements. You want to dress a little artsy, a little casual, but supremely cool.
Well, now that you’ve done the practical side of packing, let’s keep asking questions:
- “Does this travel wardrobe fit my idea of (artsy, casual, cool)?”
- “Will I be comfortable?” (traveling is not the time to wear something that doesn’t fit properly)
- “Can I move easily?” (you’re probably going to do a lot of walking)
- “Will this make me feel good?”
Again, if the answer to all the above is “yes,” then you’ve got a solid travel wardrobe!
Pro-Tip #3- I recently read an article where a woman packed one tweed suit and a few shirts/shoes for her trip to Paris. She said it helped her feel comfortable, chic, and obviously helped with packing. I am obsessed with this idea, and want to try it on my next trip, but if you get to it before I do, let me know!
Packing a Carry-On
You’ve made it to the last step, where the rubber meets the road as they say: packing your carry-on. I’m going to give you a few tools and tips that have helped me become the master packer that I am.
Tools
Packing Cubes
You see it on every list because they are stupid useful.
Built-In Garment Bags
The older I get the bougier I get, so this is another recent development in travel technology that I’m obsessed with.
Suitcases with 360º Wheels
Listen, you can have all the bells and whistles you want, but getting a carry-on suitcase with 360º wheels literally changed my life. It is the bare-minimum requirement for any carry-on I own.
Tips
Over Packing and Under Packing
Here are the things that are fine if you over-pack, and more ways to under-pack.
Over Pack:
- Underwear (I add 2-3 extra pairs because you just don’t know)
- Socks (I add 2 extra pairs for the same reason)
Under Pack:
- Everything else, lol
I usually end up wearing two or three outfits on repeat the entire trip, with slight variations like different tops or accessories. I also love shapewear that can double as a bodysuit that I’ll wear as a top. Kills two birds with one stone.
Rolling vs Folding
Another tip that is a huge space saver for me is rolling my clothes instead of folding them. Here is a visual explanation of how to roll your clothes and save tons of space in your carry-on.
Alternatively, you can also do the Kon Mari method of folding, another space saver that also makes it easier to see your clothes.
Beauty Related Items
Influencers have skewed our perception of what we should expect of ourselves on a trip. Most of us are not doing brand deals on our vacation, and we definitely don’t have a team to help us with our hair and makeup. Your trip is about exploring, and while you want to feel nice about how you look, you don’t need to make it your #1 priority.
Makeup
When I travel, I pick one makeup look that I can dress up or down and stick with that. This usually ends up being a combination of eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick that I use as blush and/or cream eyeshadow. Traveling with only a carry-on is not the time for full glam.
I also pack a tinted moisturizer that doubles as SPF, because we say no to skin cancer in this household.
Hair Care
Do some research ahead of time on things like humidity and other hair-mussing factors. Pack accordingly, but again, this is not the time for full glam. Keep it simple and as easy to maintain as possible. (Full disclosure: I’ve been blessed with straight, full hair that needs little to no styling, so I’m just listing some basic tools you’ll need)
Skin Care
Listen, if I’m going on a road trip I have a full-on mini suitcase just for my skincare, and I make no apologies for it. But when I’m packing a carry-on for an international trip, it’s time to trim the fat.
I pack my double cleanse as a travel-size cleansing balm and a soap stick or bar. Next, I pack my toner and my essence in either a travel bottle or a travel-sized spray bottle. Last I pack my moisturizer and eye cream.
I also pack a ton of sheet masks in place of all my serums and extras. I’ll do a half-and-half mix of moisturizing and “purifying” masks, then play around with them on the trip depending on how my skin is feeling. Sheet masks are thin and easy to pack, so they don’t take up that much space in my suitcase.
Bon Voyage, Y’all
Packing a carry-on is the marriage of practicality and style that I love. But more important than the packing itself is the way your clothes make you feel. When you know you look good, that’s one less thing you have to worry about on your trip. It frees up your mind to observe all the cool new things around you. Instead of keeping your attention inward on you and your aesthetics, you can look outward and learn.
I love to travel as much as I love styling, and a good travel wardrobe helps me get the most out of my adventures. I hope it’s the same for you.
Bon voyage, y’all, and gods speed ❤️
