My best advice for adventures anywhere? Pack light to travel well.

How light? Either a duffel or roller board weighing 22 pounds or less (the limit for small airlines, and an ideal 1/4 to 1/6 of my body weight), plus a little 14-liter backpack with in-flight essentials.

Why carry-on only? The less I carry, the less there is to worry about. Packing light is easier on the environment and saves time and money — no lost bags, checked bag fees, waiting at check-in or a luggage carousel.

What’s in the bag? Here’s my complete packing list:

I’ve whittled the list down traveling across four continents — everything from a long weekend to a few weeks abroad.

Items in italics are optional, depending on weather and what I’m doing on the trip.

To me, traveling well means having just enough to be comfortable. It also means spending a little time on what to pack, then how.

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What to Pack

The Four C’s of Packing Well: Calendar, Climate, Culture, Comfort

1. Calendar: Write it down.

• Number down a piece of paper, one line for each travel day.
• Beside each Day, write where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing— flights, tours, day trips, special reservations, planned events. 
• Note what Outfit(s) you’ll need each day — sightseeing, traveling, outdoor exploring, going out.
• Total each Outfit type, noting back-to-back days wearing the same outfit type.

See, most trips only require these three or four outfit types, regardless of where you’re going or why:

• Sightseeing = Comfortable Top + Bottom + Shoes + Outerwear (or Dress)
• Traveling = Comfortable Top + Bottom + Shoes + Outerwear
• Outdoor Exploring = Athletic Top + Bottom + Shoes + Outerwear
• Going Out = Nice Top + Bottom + Shoes + Outerwear (or Dress)

If you’re traveling more than a week, or wearing the same Outfit type a couple days in a row, just bring an alternate version of that outfit type — switch up a top or bottom to give your clothes time to breathe between wears. If you’re sticking to a limited color palette, all of your outfits will match, no matter the combination of pieces.

At most, you’ll find that you really only need 5-10 outfit variations — a week of clothes, give or take — even if you’re traveling for weeks on end in different climates — and that’s just enough to keep things fresh while keeping luggage light. 

Simple travel laundry will whittle this number down even more. Just wash your clothes in the bathroom sink with a few drops of castile soap — Dr. Bronner’s is my go-to. After washing, gently wring and lay wet clothes flat on a towel on the bed, then roll up the towel to soak up extra water. Unroll, smooth wrinkles out with your hands, then line dry overnight on hangers or a towel rack. Lather, rinse, outfit repeat.

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2. Climate: Check the Forecast

• Check weekly forecasts, then travel forums for seasonal gear tips. 
• Note the overall forecast for each location you’re visiting — expected temperature range, chance of rain or snow, weather advisories. 
• From there, log special weather and adventure gear — rain jacket, winter coat, gloves, sneakers, sun hat, swimsuit, water sandals, snow boots.

3. Culture: Conscious and Considerate

• Conservative countries tend to have customs and norms around clothes — think scarves, hats, long sleeves, pants. Research and respect these traditions to avoid unwanted attention or offense.
• Look like a local by doing an Instagram location search for recent photos.
• Research what’s not locally available. It only takes a few minutes to check local travel tips, and can save you hours of time and make for a much more comfortable trip. For example: In Europe, most hotels are BYO-washcloth and you’ll need a prescription to buy basic antibiotic cream. Take the weekend train from Paris to Barcelona and you might have a layover at Latour-de-Carol station — sans café, sans salle de bains.

4. Comfort: Is Key!

• Choose comfortable pieces and go-tos that you love to wear all the time.
• Pack natural and performance fabrics — they’re lightweight, handwash easily, dry quickly and don’t hold odor.
• Leave behind anything that’s uncomfortable, doesn’t fit, or that you’re unlikely to wear more than once. On the fence? Best leave it out.
• Be realistic — those stilettos will not mix well with cobblestone streets.

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The Carry-On Only Wardrobe

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How to Pack

Stage, Sort, Streamline, Stuff — Then Layer and Go.

First, create a staging zone and eliminate the non-essentials.

• Make the bed and lay everything you’re packing on it. Sort it out by category (tops, bottoms, jewelry, toiletries, electronics, etc.)
• Take a hard look for duplicates, near-identical items, things you don’t really need to bring, and things you don’t really want to bring.

Then pack and roll neatly to save lots of space.

• Pack the heaviest, least-used items in the bottom of your bag, along with anything you won’t use on the first few days of your trip. 
• Stack a few of similarly-shaped clothes (tanks, pants, dresses) on top of one another, tuck in sleeves and fold in half length-wise, then roll the folded set into a bundled tube — this will keep your clothes compact and wrinkle free. 
• Stuff shoes and hats with smaller items like socks, scarves, and tees.
• Remember to place in-flight essentials near the top of your bag along with anything you’ll need to take out at airport security.

Use freezer bags (aka waterproof compression packing cubes).

• Freezer bags are a smart packer’s best friend. They weigh and cost virtually nothing and will store virtually anything. 
• Think like with like — pack similar items close to one another in clear, waterproof snap baggies. Stash your toiletries, electronics, a first aid kit, in-flight essentials, medicines, and any other ‘groups’ of items into separate liter and gallon freezer bags.
• In a pinch, you can free up extra space in your bag by packing clothes, socks and underwear in 2-gallon Ziplocs, then gently squeezing the air out and sealing shut to create light compression bags.
• Pack a few extra empty freezer bags, grocery bags or small trash bags to separate out dirty laundry, muddy shoes and wet clothes.

Create pre-packed kits for toiletries, first aid and in-flight essentials.

• Buy travel size toiletries and refill with everyday versions, or decant into clean contact cases, cosmetic bottles or mini jars.
• Instead of liquids, pack solids, bars and sticks where possible. Natural castile soap is one liquid I do always bring along. It can be used for face and body, shaving, laundry, dishes, fruits and vegetables, and as toothpaste.
• Leave travel-size skincare, haircare, shower, first aid, and in flight kits ready to go — pre-packed and stored in your carry-on.

Remember to dress in layers.

• Weather permitting, wear your bulkier clothes and heaviest shoes to the airport, and any time you know you’ll be walking a lot with your carry-on in tow. It’s so much easier to wear the weight across your body than to pull or put on a shoulder.
• By dressing in layers, you’ll also be ready for chilly flights and will save a few pounds of baggage — helpful if you’re boarding an airline with a strict weight limit.

Last, and I can’t say this enough — when in doubt, leave it out. Whittle away and you’ll be surprised how little you really need to have a great trip.

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Does this work anywhere? Here’s everywhere I’ve traveled with this list.

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