Packing: Simplify With One Bag For Any Adventure

One Month, One Bag, I Promise It’s Possible, Even With Kids 

Is anyone out there like me, you come to the end of your holiday and wonder why you packed and carried around so much stuff you never used (ok, never the shoes, but everything else)? Or you think as you are about to close your suitcase, I better add an extra … (fill in the blank on the things that get shoved in at the last second that you NEVER use). I’ve got you, you’re not alone, overpacking is real, just ask my husband. He is the one in the crowd who is prepared for anything. Random crying child, he will be there with a band-aid and it probably has something funny on it to make them smile. Need to cut something on an impromptu picnic, he will pull out a knife and probably a tiny cutting board from his backpack. I couldn’t make this stuff up and thank goodness he also came with a magic Tetris packing gene that allows him to fit everything into the car, suitcase, backpack- you name it- he can pack it. So please trust me I can help, here are my 5 favourite ways to pack like a pro for your next adventure (and yes, even travel with a single bag with kids for over a month). 

1. Make a List and Check It More Than Santa 

I use a standard packing list, which I have shared below, and then adjust it for the type of trip I’m taking (road trip, ski weekend, beach getaway, business trip, visiting family). Trust me planning ahead will make your trip easy and so much less stressful. When I’m updating my list, I look into the amenities that are included with my accommodation. Hotels, Airbnb’s, and vacation rentals always list what they have on site, which allows me to leave a whole bunch of stuff at home. Then I look at what the weather will be like and any extras I might need. I had a friend bring his leather jacket to Florida in the summer and I can promise you that jacket never got worn. 

2. Think Small: Travel Sizes are Your Friend 

Trust me when I say you don’t need to bring your regular bottles of toothpaste, shampoo and lotion on your holiday. This is even more important if you are flying with carry-on only. If this is the case, all your liquids and gels must be 100ml/3.4 oz or less and must all fit into a 1L/1 quart bag. Three of my favourites to help me with this are: 

• refillable travel-sized containers, I put shampoo, conditioner, aloe, you name it, in these and as you use them, they get smaller in your bag.   
• a clear liquids bag, this makes going through airport security quick and easy as you just pull it out of your bag and off you go. A Ziplock bag works too, but I prefer something with structure that is easy to use once I am on holidays. 
• a travel pill organizer to save me from taking multiple bottles along, I use this for everything from Advil to cough drops.

The only challenge I have with the carry-on liquids’ limit is with sunscreen, it can be expensive to purchase when away and 100ml is never enough if we are going somewhere hot. I usually try to break up the type of sunscreen with each of us taking a face stick and a small bottle. 

3. Versatility is Key 

Before I travel, I lay out a few outfits, the number varies depending on how long I’m away. I brought 7 days worth of clothes on our month-long summer vacation. Versatility is key, the long-sleeved shirt I packed also worked as a bathing suit coverup, kept me out of the sun with a pair of shorts and went with a long skirt for dinners out. Also remember, no one knows you and cares if you are wearing your Birkenstocks out to dinner with your dress instead of taking an EXTRA pair of shoes, at least that’s what I tell myself. The same goes for non-clothing items, I might pack a wrap that I can wear on a cold night, works as a towel in a pinch or a blanket on the airplane. 

For long trips, I often try on the outfits and make sure I really like them, that they are in good condition and best of all that they are comfortable. I repeat this for every member of my family, especially the trying it on part “cue the kids groaning”, as my kids seem to outgrow their clothes every season right now. We also wear the big stuff on the plane, typically our runners and sweaters or hoodies to save valuable space in our luggage for all the smaller stuff. 

4. How You Pack is Just as Important as What You Pack 

There are so many travel products and hacks out there to help you up your packing game- compression bags, travel cubes, hanging bags, and vacuum sealers. Here’s what’s worked the best for us: 

• first my husband has won me over and we roll most everything we pack, it isn’t pretty but it helps. 
• then we fill up the empty spaces, putting things in our shoes and the shoes into a shoe bag to keep everything else clean. 
• next we group like things into travel cubes that you can see through, all the socks and undies into a small one, t-shirts and tops into another, you get the idea. This way you can still find what you’re looking for once you’re on your holiday and you aren’t ripping apart everything to get to your favourite pair of pants. 
• we leave the bigger items loose in the bag, like jackets and hoodies, and then the Tetris begins, we put it all in and find where things fit best. 
• I prefer soft-sided carry-on luggage as I like the extra pockets and compartments and the ability to expand it, if I happen to do a little too much shopping. I know many people love the durability of hard-sided luggage too. Go with what works for you just make sure it fits the size requirements for the airline before you travel. 

Once your kids are old enough, I find it super helpful to go through their suitcases with them as we pack. Even if you are still doing the bulk of the packing for them, it’s great if they know where they can find their favourite things and aren’t ripping their suitcases apart once we arrive-been there done that. It’s also great to get the kids to help with their packing, they usually do the first round and we go through and make sure they haven’t forgotten anything important. When we haven’t done this important step we have had some pretty hilarious travel moments, usually with my son who somehow seems to pack clothes that don’t belong to him. 

For our month-long holiday, we each brought our own carry-on suitcase, a backpack for all the important documents, tech, snacks and water bottles and a couple of roll up, reusable bags that worked for everything from groceries to going to the beach. I also brought a hip sack/belted bag, which I often carried instead of my backpack. Everything fit and best of all we didn’t forget anything important. Even if you have confidence that your luggage will arrive with you, it was very freeing to travel light. It’s faster to head out right after arriving at the airport, and easier to navigate public transit and vehicles with smaller bags. Of course, this meant we had to do laundry, but we made sure our accommodations all had laundry and brought along some travel laundry soap. Honestly the hardest thing was figuring out how to start the washing machine in Greece -Google Translate saved us. 

5. You Don’t Have to Fill Every Inch Before You Go, That’s What Souvenirs are For 

Our goal is to always leave a little room in the bag, just because you have the space doesn’t mean you have to fill it. You want to have space to bring home some souvenirs and mementos from your trip without having to leave all your clothes behind. Although if you have been travelling long enough you might be ready to toss that old pair of runners before you come home. Then finally, don’t forget to weigh your bag, I have been there on the floor of the airport trying to move my stuff around and it isn’t pretty. We have an older version of this handheld scale and it comes with us everywhere we fly. 

You may be thinking this might work for older kids but not the little ones and I agree when our kids were babies it felt like we needed so much stuff, we fully took advantage of all the extras we could bring, strollers, car seats you name it.  

I’m hoping that you have a few new ideas on how to pack for your next adventure and are maybe even brave enough to try a single carry-on bag for your next family holiday. Please share how it goes and some of your favourite packing wins below. Click here to get a free packing list to get you started and be sure to share this post with all your overpacking friends out there (mine already know who they are?, Mr. Leather Jacket).