How to successfully pack a carry-on for an overseas trip

Packing for a trip is daunting – the questions of how’s the weather going to be, if you” have dinner at a fancy restaurant, if you’ll have time to workout start creeping and you are left with no answers. At least, this is what happens to me when I travel with my family because we do not plan much; anything is possible. We can eat pizza every night or we can go to a fancy steakhouse the next day. Given the fact that packing is difficult, imagine packing for an overseas trip when you are only allowed a carry-on. That’s right! when we booked the flight with a special deal, the deal included a seat on the airplane and a carry-on. So, I took on the challenge to pack for an overseas trip with a carry-on; here’s how I managed:

  1. Set out all the pieces that you want to take on the trip (if you recently went shopping, this is a great start)
  2. Pull out the calendar on your phone. For the days that you are traveling, make note of any day in which you have something “planned”; For me, it’s a wedding.
  3. Count the days, excluding travel days, in which you will be abroad. For me it’s 8.
  4. Count the days, in which you foresee not needing a day & night outfit. For me it’s wedding day and the day I arrive to my destination. The day I arrive, I can switch into something comfy and stay like that all day long. The wedding day, I can wear the same outfit from the 1st day – comfy as we get ready for the wedding!
  5. Count the days, in which you think you’ll need day/night outfit. For me, it’s 6 days.                        How to successfully pack a carry-on for an overseas tripWith all these calculations, my conclusion is that I will need in total: 14 outfits (6 days x day/night, 2 days with same outfit, wedding day outfit).  Here’s an example of how you can create & re-create your outfits when traveling. 

1 pair of jeans, 2 shorts, 3 dresses, 1 romper, 4 shirts, 1 dressy pant. Travel with a workout outfit & sneakers so if you feel like working out, there’s your outfit! Then, I added a swimsuit, 3 pairs of shoes (wedding day, day shoes and night shoes), intimates, 1 pajamas and then my beauty bag.

Not going to lie, it was a bit daunting but it’s manageable. One quick advice is to NOT over pack; if you are going overseas chances are you might want to purchase cute souvenirs and you’ll need as much space as possible. Have you had travel overseas with just 1 carry-on? How was your experience? Tell us below!



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