In the past two years, I’ve flown to Spain (twice), Hawaii, Iceland, Peru, and Costa Rica (twice). I haven’t checked a single bag at the airport.
At the beginning, my decision to travel light was solely due to budget. Paying an extra $60 or $70 to check a bag wasn’t worth it.
Now, even if I have the budget for it, I hate the idea of bringing extra luggage. I remember one time in Florence, Italy, when I walked from the train station to my hostel—about a half hour walk. It turned out that a couple from the same train was also going to that hostel, and I watched them tug their suitcases across cobblestone streets and sidewalks the whole way. It was as painful to watch in real life as it is in the Instagram reels.
So, while I sometimes fantasize about bringing endless outfits for every occasion, dragging luggage around gets really inconvenient when you’re walking or taking public transportation. I stick to one backpack and pack as light as I can because it provides much more mobility.
If you’re looking to cut down on the luggage, here’s how I do it.
What backpack do I use?
My current bag is a 30L Light Flight backpack. It easily fits within carry-on dimensions, and has been an absolutely fantastic backpack for the price.
As a solo female traveler, 30L is just about the right size for me. It fits all of the necessities, yet is small enough to where I can do quite a bit of walking and it doesn’t feel too heavy.
However, most of you reading this will probably want a bag that is a little bit larger. Many 40L or even 45L backpacks will still fit within carry-on dimensions, so I would recommend going for one of those unless you are okay with packing the absolute minimum.
What’s most important when choosing a bag?
I honestly haven’t tried many backpacks. So I can’t really give you a brand comparison, but I can tell you what I prioritize most.
When it comes to features, these are my top three must-haves:
Comfortable straps
A padded laptop pouch
Suitcase-style opening
Comfort is first, especially for walking long distances. The laptop pouch is non-negotiable for me because I work online and take my laptop with me everywhere. And the suitcase-style opening is what keeps me sane. I can actually grab an outfit without ripping everything out of the bag to find that one top that ended up on the bottom 😅.
How much can I actually fit in the bag?
I can fit all of the necessities, by which I mean:
Clothes
Bath & hair supplies
Laptop & charger
Planner & pen
Snack bars
A few small miscellaneous items (earbuds, ibuprofen, feminine supplies, etc.)
Sometimes I’ll also bring a thin towel, but most hostels either provide towels or have them available to rent.
What I don’t have space for are shoes, makeup, or any bulky items. Going without makeup is easy for me, since I don’t wear it anyway. Shoes…well shoes are the hard one.
On most of my trips, I’ve worn my tennis shoes out of pure practicality. Just try walking the streets of Rome in thin sandals…your feet will feel bruised after an hour.
But, it’s definitely a tradeoff, and has led to some pretty funky outfits. I’ve worn my purple tennis shoes to the club, to a gothic rock concert where I wore an all-black fit, and to a flamenco dinner theater.
You can judge—just not too hard, okay?
Summer dress, check. Shoes? Not so much.
Don’t cry—you don’t have to look this dorky. Most airlines allow a personal item along with a carry-on, and that gives you plenty of space to bring an extra pair of shoes. I usually bring a small hiking backpack for my personal item, and that’s where I pack my non-essentials: books, notebooks, maybe a crochet project, flip-flops when the location calls for it, or an extra jacket.
My packing strategy, based on climate
For warm climates like Hawaii or Costa Rica, my packing strategy is very simple: a variety of ultra thin tops + neutral color shorts that multiple tops can pair with. Then swimwear, underwear, and a rain jacket. Lastly, I usually bring one pair of pants and one jacket or sweater just in case the weather takes an unusual turn.
Here’s an example of what I packed for a trip to Costa Rica: seven tops, three pairs of shorts, sweatpants, one dress, a swim skirt and two swim tops, a stack of underwear, an extra bra, and a light rain jacket. Not to mention the outfit I was wearing, which included a thin sweater (even if Costa Rica is warm, the plane gets cold).
Packing for cold climates is a little more difficult, because the clothes take up more space. The key here is layers. There’s no way to fit a bunch of bulky sweaters in a 30L bag, but I can fit a few t-shirts and one bulky sweater to wear over them.
This was me in Iceland. You can see I’ve got a sweater and jacket tied around my waist. I wore that sweater and jacket pretty much everywhere, and just swapped out which shirt I wore underneath. At the airport, I had the sweater tied around my waist and the jacket tied to my backpack, so they didn’t even take up space inside the bag.
(And yes, it’s those same purple tennis shoes.)
As a general rule, I try to pack a week’s worth of clothes. That means I usually pack about twice as many shirts as I do shorts or pants, so I can rotate out tops more frequently. And at least a couple outfits need to be comfortable enough to double as pajamas.
Doing laundry once a week is very doable, and most hostels have a washer or know of a nearby laundry service.
It’s not glamorous, but it works. And if I have to sacrifice a few outfits for total freedom while traveling, I’ll choose the single bag every time.