10 Tips to Help you Pack Like a Pro with ONLY a Carry On!!

Sharing all my packing tips. I used these on our recent trip to Ecuador and Peru. It was a 2 week trip with climate and activity changes and I packed with just a carry on suitcase. Thank you so much for watching. Your support means the world to me! ~Erin xo

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[zlatinkaquinones]

I save all theSee-through bags that my pillowcases come in sheets all of them the ones with the zipper and use them when I go on trips

[jam]

Regarding the sample sizes for toiletries, you can also use your regular sized items decanted in travel size containers. That way you don't buy a travel size version everytime! 😊

[monyflo]

Great video Erin. The best I've seen for traveling tips and essentials. I wish you would do a capsule wardrobe video for a week long business, with 2-weekend leisure trip. 🥰. In early spring. Thank you.

[pattorelli]

I pack my cosmetics in my Louis Vuitton Pochette Accessoire (any pouch style bag with a long strap will work). When I arrive at the destination, I empty the bag where I plan on doing my makeup and then have a compact handbag to use for sightseeing or evening.

[yogagirlification]

Another great thing about using packing cubes is that if you are frequently on the move for your trip, the cubes can stay in your case and become a drawer-like system to keep everything organised and in place. Alternatively, if staying somewhere for a bit longer and you want to unpack into a wardrobe, simply lift out each fully packed cube and place in wardrobe, no need to handle piles of clothes, takes only seconds to do and you can get on with the fun things in life! Repacking is also a cinch!

[lorasantiago]

Lived in Europe (France and Italy) for almost 5 years. While some of this is good advice, a lot of it is hype and opinion. Modest and elegant is good advice; however, it is important to dress comfortable for a lot of walking. For the girly girl that spends a lot of time and money on clothes and makeup about to travel to Europe, feel free to follow this advice. For every other female, you absolutely do not need to take all of this fashion advice to heart. More important than fashion is how you carry yourself. I agree with the comments about loud voices: tone it down so you don’t stick out. Be polite and open-minded. Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t walk around on the streets of cities like you are in a theme park. I think it’s more important to blend in with your body language. European women definitely go hiking, too. Spin your backpack around so you don’t get pick-pocketed.

[katalingerstenberger]

I pack exactly like you and love it! Carry on only, plus the 2. bag, in my case, I adore the Longchamp expandable bag. Also; I, too always pick a good base color to make it easy and versatile. Love my packing cubes, too. Finally; so glad to see you using shoe bags. I can’t stand when I see people just shoving their shoes next to undies or other clothing items! Think of all the public toilets you have to enter w those shoes, when traveling, people!!! 🤢
Great great video!👍🏻☺️Erin covered EVERY detail!

[DeedeeEntertainment]

Love these ideas! I invested in a black-themed ensemble of rayon/synthetic dresses, a soft flared blazer, similar to your lightweight black layers ensemble that roll up to nothing, never wrinkle! And are soo comfortable. The black jacket has a pop of colors on the bottom flare, , so it matches black-based multi color dresses, plus bright scarves dress everything up and double as blankets, or sarong-style cover up, and hide the mini-cross-body bag. And it's thin enough to wear under the trench without bulkiness. I had to travel suddenly for 2 month trip when a family member was hospitalized, and one leather duffel had like 10 mix and match outfits. Also, your advice is especially useful for suburbanites who aren't used to city living. After many years living in NYC, basics like comfy closed toed, light-weight leather walking boots and trenches are must-haves, and never sandals nor flip flops outside in the urban streets. (I'm from Florida near the beach where we live in flip flops, but never use them in the city areas), I consider 9 West leather mules a staple so you can "forget your feet" on schlepping trips. 🤗 I also have Big Hair that takes hours to dry, and can't wash it to often, so will begin a trip fresh washed and braided, and reset and fluff as days unfold, bringing only conditioner to reset my curls, so I don't have to carry 5 lbs of hair products 😂 Thanks again! Love your vibrant spirit, and your terrific polished style!

[gracemurray]

My luggage got lost going to and coming home from Portugal the first time we travelled there and the pictures of the suitcase were invaluable. When there, it was returned to me within 36 hours. When I returned to Canada it took 5 days. I also learned to make sure I have my toothbrush/paste in my carryon along with a change of underwear and a fresh light t-shirt!

[gayleritter]

It's amazing how much makeup, moisturizer, etc. you can put into eye contact containers. You can label them or color code them with a sharpie. I do what you do by keeping makeup separate from bath and other toiletries, makes it so much simpler. Throw in some S hooks to use if you have to wash out something and hang in shower. I make packing a fun career, ha. Pack your shoes in those plastic bags that we all throw away. Every time I order something, it comes in a bag so I save several for shoes.

[alisonarthurs]

Another packing tip I use is to pre-plan outfits so I don’t use items randomly and end up with clean clothes that don’t go together. 😂
I actually bring a sheet with photos of the outfits to keep track. 😊

[zerozero]

In my experience, just using double-zip lock bags of various size works best - light weight, clear, spill proof, takes less room, and is hugely less expensive. There are super size available, great for clothing, and they can all be rolled up tight, the air is expelled, and then zipped. Works like a space bag.

[vanimaduray]

Awesome video! The best tip ever was to put plastic wrap over the opening of any tube or container (shampoo, moisturiser etc) and screw the lid shut to prevent spillage. Works every time! Also rolling small clothes is an excellent space saver =)

[Mello]

I like to pack with the “clean/dirty cubes” from Eagle Creek no need for laundry bag. When your clothes gets dirty you flip the cube over and put your clothes on the dirty side. The cube remains the same size all the time.

[bratgirltedi]

Oh my, i am doing right with my packing! I almost do what you listed here! Awesome video. I really like the presentation. And just to share that if some are into black luggage, they can always put a luggage cover. It is a stretchable fabric with nice and colorful prints that will be cute to carry around. I got a Loqi brand. Very durable. And cubes, yes! 😍

[grumpyschnauzer]

These were so great! I used to pack this way when I traveled a lot but then with the pandemic I stopped traveling and all of sudden I didn’t know how to pack anymore! Recently traveling back home for a month via road trip, I filled a giant size suitcase with my whole closet because I was too overwhelmed to “pack smart”. The thing was so heavy and big… I had to drag into each hotel each night we stopped… people must have thought I was such a princess. It was embarrassing. This video reminded me of some of the strategies like the scarf thing and tennis shoe options.
Also, I’ve learned that packing cubes by type (pants in one, shirts in another, workout in another) was a little difficult when it came to being able to see what is in each. I wear a lot of black and unless I had a distinctive color poking through (pink workout bra) I would forget which cube was for what. I recommend buying a few different colors cubes to color code the different types (pants is the blue one, workout is the pink one, etc).

[WittyOneMN]

Great tips, Erin! Definitely goiing to get some packing cubes! One good thing to remember when choosing your carry-on is the weight of the bag itself. The heavier it is, the less you can pack. I'm due for a new carry-on and always need to remind myself of that little tidbit. Between your blog on what to pack and this video, I'm going to actually attempt to do just a carry-on for my trip next month....who doesn't love a challenge!?! Lol. Thanks so much for all this great advice!

[dstra]

I use gallon-size Ziplock bags for my toiletries and makeup. It's perfect for makeup because I can see exactly what I'm trying to get.

[deborahlindsay]

Please consider doing more layering videos with lists. A few months ago I just bought the tops on your list and they work like a charm. More please!

[angelawallace]

This is good for long haul flights. But for short cheap flights in uk there are stricter rules.... For easyJet (uk firm) unless you pay extra you actually only get one bag allowance, for other basic flights the 2nd bag is only a small bag. Basically make sure you know your allowance seen so many people caught out on this.