On my last trip to US in 2014, my luggage was lost for all of 4 days. This time around I decided that there was no way I was letting that happen to me again! And I could think of only one way to achieve this for sure… yepp, you guessed it.. carry-on only.
So before I left for my trip, I pulled out my little green carry-on (4 wheel version), and did my best to fit it all in. And guess what? Packing for two weeks, including extra stuff for a friend.. I did it! It all fit in my green friend + a handbag (for the stuff I needed on the plane, like pc, ipad, toothbrush, book ++). Talk about getting down to “basics” 🙂
So what did I bring? Well, too much if you ask me.. but for some reason it was as good as I managed at that time!
Here we have it… my list of items:
More than enough stuff, wouldn’t you say?
I writing this 6 days into my trip, and I’m curious to see, how much of this I’ll actually use throughout my trip. I’ll keep track and write a follow up, when I get home. I’m hoping I can tweak the list going forward..
You see, I have this dream/wish/hope that I one day will manage to withle my list of things I pack for a trip, down to something that will fit in a small backpack (yes, something way smaller than my regular carry-on) 🙂
Will I succeed? Well… I guess, only time will show…
Minimalist packers out there? Any ideas about reducing the list? Yes, yes please… I need all the help I can get 😉
Minimalist Sometimes 
I used to travel for a week with a small carry-on. In the winter, due to bulky sweaters, I also packed a backpack. I packed 2 of most things ~ shorts, pants, skirts, long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, sleep shirt, sweaters, sweatshirts, etc.
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I’m hoping to get down to 2 things of everything 🙂 Depends a little on what I’ll be doing and who I’m visiting though… But I know I will get there eventually 🙂
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That’s great Anne! I’m interested to see what you don’t use – keep us updated and have a good trip. M
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Yeah, I’m a bit curious as well, on what I’ll actually use.. I’ll keep you updated, for sure 🙂
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Glad to know I’m not thee only one with a packing list I have modified it over time but probably to add rather than subtract. Can you take just the PC and phone and not the iPad? I tend to take thin woollen jumpers / cardigans rather than fleeces as I find fleeces bulky for travelling. Then I wear the woolen jumper underneath a jacket. Just a few thoughts!
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Thanks for the tips!
Most of the time I travel with my Ipad and phone, but this time around I wanted to do some serious PC work, which is why it’s with me on this trip (it’s super light thought). I suppose I could have left the Ipad.. but I use it most every day.. for facetime, internet, e-books, picture stuff… and it’s the one I’ll bring with me when there is stuff I want to show other people. I suppose I’ve gotten to addictive to the darn thing 🙂
Clothing.. oh how I wish I wasn’t allergic to wool.. how much easier the world would be… which makes me a fleece girlI’. But it’s not to thick, and I try packing so I can dress in layers… I’m hoping I will get better at packing lighter though.. soon 😉
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I’m allergic to wool, too! So always bring a light fleece or down jacket, cotton scarf and a light cardigan or hoodie. And I keep my small backpack light by minimizing shoes and toiletries. 🙂
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That’s kinda like what I try to do… I’m hoping to get down to one pair of shoes and a pair of xeroshoes:) and my toiletries are almost non existing…. I’m slowly getting there!
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Understand … As I type on my iPad … Bummer being allergic to wool 😦
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Yeah, it sucks (the wool part) makes it harder to do super thin travel gear.
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Anne, you did a great job!
But I was gonna ask the same thing as The Personal Economist, do you really need PC, ipad, and phone??
Otherwise, it looks like u did a great job of paring down!
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PC was an abnormality this time around.. Fortunately it’s super light.. it just takes a little space. Most of the time it’s only Ipad (mini) and phone…
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Oh, okay! lol
Glad you’re relaxing!
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Not so sure about relaxing… it’s been busy as heck! But GOOD busy 😉 I’ve been hanging out with a lot of friends, and you just can not complain about that 😉
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Oh, Anne, I’m so glad you’re having fun , and re-connecting with good friends!
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Me too 🙂 I love it when I can catch up with friends I haven’t seen in a while… I’m a lucky girl having such great people wanting to hang out with me 😀
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You are very blessed!! Don’t get sunburned!
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Absolute, very blessed indeed ❤️
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🙂
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I’m excited to hear the update 🙂 I swear, I always bring the wrong thing.
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I kinda have a few hit and misses myself at times 😉 So I’m as curious as you on what I end up using 😉
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Hope your trip is going well and you’re having a blast! 😀
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I AM having a blast 😎 great friends, good weather, margaritas… What’s not to like 😀 will be sad to leave
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Glad to hear it! It’s always sad when trips like that end. But then hopefully you’ll have another one to plan and look forward to next year.
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Absolutely! I’m hoping I can do the next one maybe this fall sometime, we’ll see 😉
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I am very curious about how your usage of things came out. We went for just carry on bags for our three week honeymoon trip as well. I am planning to do a post about my packing, hopefully next week, so I am especially interested in your follow-up post. 🙂
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Honeymoon, carry on only! You did good 🙂 my follow up is coming this weekend (if I can get my act together 😉 ) I got some pretty exciting stuff (well to me anyways) in the US that filled my bags coming home… More to come on that later… 😀
Looking forward to your packing post… It’s always fun to compare notes 😀
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Hi girl, the follow up is now out there 🙂 Turns out I still have a long way to go to reach my goal of only traveling with a small backpack.. but, oh well.. I’m sure I’ll get there in the end 😉 My next trips are long weekend trips, so I SHOULD be able to stay in a backpack only for those trips (I hope…) 🙂
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