Packing for 1 week in a Carry-On

With the rise in plane tickets prices and the new trend of nickle and dime-ing travelers with added costs to check a bag or pick your seat, it’s no wonder that most people are looking to pack lighter in order to fly for less. This chronic over-packer had to reform her anxious need to be prepared for any occasion in order to save money on travel fees.

I can now pack everything I need for a week long trip in a carry-on and a tote bag. If you’re interested in what I’m packing…read on!

First, all the basics. The things I don’t need to put pictures of on the internet!

• 1 bra

• 8 pairs of underwear

• 4 pairs of socks

• 2 sets of pajamas

• 2 workout tanks

• 2 pairs of leggings

• 2 sport bras

• 1 white cami

• 2 pairs of shorts

• 1 pair of cropped denim

• 2 tees

• 1 tank

• 1 nice top

• 1 light-weight long sleeve top

• 1 dress

• 1 maxi dress

• 1 cardigan

• 2 swim suits

• 1 cover up

• 1 pair of sandals

• 1 pair of flats

• Sunglasses

• a belt

Get my suitcase here!

My top tips for traveling light!

1. Make a list of all the things you plan to do on your trip and the type of outfit you will need for each occasion.

   For example, are you spending a day at the beach and then going for a night on the town? Hitting up a a theme park or going a way for a wedding? Think about each day of your trip and what you might wear.

2. Pack in a limited color scheme to increase your mix and match potential! I like to pick a neutral base, like black, and build around it. For this trip, I started with black and added white, grey, and pink.
   Colors like brown and olive also make great bases!

3. Use the Marie Kondo* method of folding. It’s better than the rolling method because everything else ends up the same size.

4. Group items travel bags, like these*!
   On trips where I’m staying in one place, I group items by type. My base layers in one bag, my tops and bottoms in another.
   If I’m going on a trip with multiple destinations, I place outfits together by day.

5. After pulling all the items you’d like to pack, do some editing. Drop duplicate items. You don’t need two maxi dresses or two pairs of sandals. What can you live without?

Check out my in-flight essentials and my travel makeup bag! Then tell me what kind of packer you are in the comments below. Minimalist or an over-packer like me?

FTC: Some of the links in this post, denoted with a *, are affiliate links. If you shop using my links, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting Laurel and Iron!