12 Best Tips for Traveling Carry On Only!

The first word in the title of this site is really the most telling – I am cheap! Part of traveling cheaply, whether it be in the US or Europe, means traveling Carry on Only. Though this seems scary, I promise you it is a lot easier and less stressful than it seems! 

Even when you have the option to check an item, these tips are still incredibly helpful! Throughout this entry, we will go through what carry on only means and I will offer up some things I wish I had known when I first started traveling almost two years.

What is Carry-on Only?

Carry on only traveling is comprised of two pieces of luggage. You are allowed a personal item which must fit under the seat in front of you, and a carry on which will be stowed in the overhead compartment. The measurements of these pieces vary from airline to airline, but a personal item is usually a purse, a small backpack or a briefcase. The carry on that is stowed overhead on the other hand can be larger. Again, the sizes do differ greatly by airline, but on average you can expect an allowance of 22” x 14” x 9”. 

12 Best Tips for Traveling Carry-on Only!

Traveling Carry-on only can be a bit stressful, especially if you are new to traveling or you like to bring everything with you on a trip! My top 12 tips for traveling Carry on only are:

1. You need less than you think!
2. Pockets! Pockets! Pockets!
3. Think about a backpack
4. Gate Checking – make your life easier!!
5. Think ahead to when you’ll need what.
6. Dont underestimate a personal item!
7. Leave room for souvenirs.
8. Not everything has to be in your bag.
9. Find ways to save space.
10. Measure your bag before you leave and never check it at the gate!
11. Doing Laundry isn’t that hard!
12. If you really need to – spring for a checked bag.

Continue reading if you want an in-depth explanation of these tips, insight on life saver travel items, and more ways to make traveling less of a hassle!

1) You need less than you think!

I overpack all the time even traveling carry on only, and this is truly the most important thing to remember. You need less than you think – I promise! You’re going through the things you want to pack, and even with a list drawn up of the things you need, you will start to overthink. You convince yourself you need to pack more because you’re going to be bored on the plane or train, you think you should bring your laptop and tablet to work on schoolwork or work work, or you think just one more spare pair of undies couldn’t hurt. 

STOP! You usually won’t need all of that, especially for a quick trip! All you will usually need is clothes, maybe a snack, electronics chargers and maybe a few other person-specific things (like a student bringing a laptop to study on the plane or a photographer taking their camera).

Most phones today have such good cameras you wont need to pack an extra camera! Our phones also hold much of the information about our trips, like our airbnb reservations or maps. And finally they are hours of endless entertainment for the plane ride (and an app doesn’t take up any room in your carry on)!

In reality, clothes, a snack, any medications or toiletries and your phone & subsequent chargers is all you will need to pack for most trips, especially shorter ones so I promise you, you truly will need less than you think!

2) Pockets! Pockets! Pockets!

All of the women reading this understand the pocket struggles! Pockets are vital for travel, especially carry on only travel. When you are walking around the airport, there are a lot of times when rummaging through your bag is quite inconvenient, so easy to reach pockets are a must in your travel clothing. I frequently use my Sonoma jean jacket which has two breast pockets, two normal pockets and two huge internal pockets! It has been plenty to carry my phone, passport, tickets, wallet, and I always have extra room! I’ve even managed to fit a copy of the Things They Carried in the internal pocket! (Sadly this jacket is no longer available, but you can find your next favorite travel jacket here!)

“pockets are vital for travel, especially carry on only travel.”

Not only do pockets make getting to things easier (making your airport experience a million times better), but a well planned out jacket with pockets can do the job of a personal item! I have on many occasions put anything I wanted to reach during my fight in my jacket pockets, so when I get to my seat I can just throw my jacket down onto my seat, and put everything else in my overhead. This saves me time, gets me out of the way of other boarding passengers, leaves me organized and saves me legroom! Plus a jacket makes a great blanket (and a scarf makes an excellent pillow!)

3) Think about a backpack.

This is going to depend more on your final destination, but it is still an important question: wheeled suitcase or backpack? Though it will largely depend on personal preference, if you are traveling carryon only, moving around by public transport or carrying all of your luggage with you around town for any period of time, I highly recommend using a backpack. Not only will it help you look less like a tourist to the few malicious thieves around (for the most part), but it is a lot easier to walk around cobblestone streets, get on subways or busses, or just get from a to b when you have a backpack! 

The first time I travelled abroad I did travel carry on only, but I used a small tote and a wheely bag as my luggage. Though it was handy in the airport, it was a pain for much of the rest of the trip. Plus, we spotted a few shady types sizing us up as we struggled down the streets of London (just as an aside, this is the only time I have really seen this behaviour – it isn’t that common to run into a problem so long as you know what to keep an eye out for). 

Every other trip I have taken, I have used my 60L Osprey Ozone Duplex for multi day treks, or a smaller canvas backpack for day trips. Osprey is a more expensive brand, but they have a really great lineup of travel gear. They even offer an “All Mighty Guarantee” to fix or replace any osprey product, whether it was purchased yesterday or in the 70s! I definitely recommend the 60L duplex because it is 2 bags in one – it has a 15L daypack which makes up the main frame of the pack, and a detachable 40L rectangle that is perfectly carry on sized. Though it is meant to be the ultimate personal and carry on item duo, I have found that the whole contraption usually will fit in the overhead bin, leaving me with either an extra personal item, or extra legroom!

Osprey also sells a slightly larger model in black. If you want an extra 5L of storage, then you can spring for the Osprey Ozone Duplex 65. And for a daypack, consider an anti-theft backpack to keep your personal belongings extra secure! I personally use the Oscaurt Laptop Travel backpack for many of my day trips. 

But no matter what brand you choose, I would highly recommend using a backpack to carry the brunt of your load, as it is quick, agile, easy and I have found it just makes the whole process easier.

4) Gate checking (aka Make your life way easier!)

This is a fantastic new trick I learned from moving from the UK back home to New York in a carry on (ish)! Normally, if you want to check a bag you do it when you first arrive at the airport, and more and more airlines are charging you a ton of money to do that! But there is a wonderful caveat that could allow you to check your bag for FREE!

“Gate checking…will save you from having to carry it through the arrival airport, which is especially helpful after a long flight or an exhausting day of travel”

You will have to check in normally (in person, or most airlines allow you to do it on their app) and go through security with your carry on and personal item. Then, once you get to the gate, you can ask the airline employees at the desk if you can gate check your bag. Sometimes there will be a call for people to gate check when a flight is really full, but you can also ask at any time unprompted. They will take it at the gate or as you board the plane, and it will be put with the rest of the checked luggage in the hull normally free of charge! It might seem strange to check an item at the gate, but it will save you from having to carry it through the arrival airport, which is especially helpful after a long flight or an exhausting day of travel. You will then pick up your luggage with all of the other checked baggage at the baggage claim, and you can go on your merry way. 

Before you check any luggage, whether it be at the gate or when you check in, you want to be sure that all your electronics, anything sensitive like a passport, any medications, at least one change of clothes (just incase your luggage is lost) and anything you will need between check in and baggage claim are with you and NOT in the checked bag! It’s a silly mistake, but also an easy one to make – trust me, I know a little too well!

5)Think ahead (for when you’ll need what.)

This goes along with the last paragraph about not checking items you will need in the airport, but also is about organizing and being mindful of where those things are in your carry on or personal item. For example, you don’t want your passport at the bottom of your carry-on under all of your clothes, and you don’t want to have to destroy a beautifully packed-to-the-max suitcase to get your kindle out that keeps setting off the TSA alarms. 

I like to keep all the things that I don’t need, and that I know won’t have to be set aside at security in my larger carry on. Then I put any electronics that will need to be separated at the security checkpoint in a grocery bag that I store within my personal item, and then I remove that bag from my personal item once I get to the airport. Finally, once I am through the security checkpoint, I rearrange my items into the proper places and I walk off to find my gate. This makes security checkpoints just a little less stressful, and keeps me from digging through my things to find that silly little kindle in my bag I always seem to forget about! Plus, having a spare grocery or reusable bag is always handy!

6) Don’t underestimate a personal item!

So the first thing you usually think of when you talk about Carry on only travel is just that – the carry on only. In reality we have a whole other bag to pack here! The size allowance for a personal item will vary from airline to airline, but it directly correlates to the amount of space under the seat in front of you. Even though this is normally only a briefcase or a small backpack, a lot can be packed into that small space! I personally try to keep all of my items packed tightly in my carry-on, and leave my personal item packed more loosely with anything that is valuable or that I might need during the flight. 

Something that can come in handy as a personal item is a collapsable backpack! I usually keep one of these in my bag, and transfer anything that I need over once I am through security. This also comes in handy if you pick up any snacks at the airport, need to remove a jacket or scarf, or if you gate check a bag and you need a little more space to store any fragile or electronic items. 

7) Leave room for souvenirs!

This is a lesson that so many of us have had to learn the hard way! Leaving room for souvenirs is so important, because I know at least when I’m walking around, I want to buy something for friends, family or even grab myself a memento! So as you pack, maybe leave that one extra shirt you’re trying to stuff in behind so you can grab something special from your adventure!

Sometimes leaving room is REALLY hard though. There are some European flights that are starting to charge for carry ons, so you can only bring a personal item (terrifying, I know!). I know this happened to me when I went to Dublin, and I had to get creative in this situation. Almost all the souvenirs I purchased in Dublin were souvenirs I could wear (with the acception of a matching hat I bought for my little cousin – so worth it!). I wore two scarves and a hat to the airport, and was able to sneak a foldable backpackonto the plane as well to get home all of my treasures!

Something to note about souvenirs – though it’s nice to get souvenirs from the place that you are visiting when you are visiting, but its important to remember there are other ways to remember your trip! I use my photography to remember my adventures (see my full portfolio at shannonrp.com), and my grandmother would take a trip to Pier 1 or another home goods store to find something that reminded her of her time on her trips. There are plenty of ways to remember your experiences traveling, so don’t get too upset over not being able to bring home enough souvenirs!

“though it’s nice to get souvenirs from the place that you are visiting when you are visiting, but its important to remember there are other ways to remember your trip!”

8) Not everything has to be in your bag!

Another trick I learned as I was packing up my life into two duffle bags and a carry on was that with carry on items, not everything has to be in your bag. In my travels, I have myself and seen many other weary travelers hang shoes, camera bags, grocery bags, water bottles (sometimes filled with souvenirs), quick dry towels, purses, headphones and more off of their carry ons! One of the handiest things to keep clipped to your bag is Carabiner clips or even better, locking carabiners. 

You might get some strange looks with all the jingling and jangling your backpack makes, but this is a great way to bring more with you. Similar to the jacket example, I will often pack and attach a headphone case to my bag filled with whatever I think I will need during my flight, then just wear my headphones throughout the airport! 

9) Find ways to save space.

“There are so many space saving contraptions and items designed for travel on shops like amazon“

The internet is a wonderful thing for many reasons, but especially for online shopping (if all my links to amazon didn’t already give that away)! There are so many space saving contraptions and items designed for travel on shops like amazon, it’s easy to find ways to save space.

For example something that I learned from another blogger was that, if you need to bring a towel with you, pack a set of quick dry towels instead of normal towels. These are towels that are built for travel: they are compact, but still long enough to cover yourself (which is very handy in a shared airbnb or hostel), and they dry incredibly quickly so you don’t have to pack a soaking wet and terribly heavy towel into your carry on! Items like this are all over the internet and they can make traveling so much easier! 

At some point I will write a post about my favorite gadgets like that and link it here, because some of them are truly travel life savers!

10) Measure your bag before you leave (and never at the airport!)

Something that I always forget about until I put my bag on my back is how HEAVY all my life jammed into a 60 Liter backpack is! Though physical size restrictions are the more easily checked, the weight can be a giveaway to an oversized cary on bag. Since the size limit varies from airline to airline, whatever luggage you choose may be just a little too big or a little too small. Don’t get too worried about this. 

Most of the time, you will not be asked to check the weight or the physical size of your bag (unless you fly Iceland air out of Newark), BUT there are a few tips to be even more safe! To start off, if you are trying to be sneaky with a bag that double the maximum of the airline…no, just no. That’s not gonna happen, so just find a new bag! These tricks are more for the people who are just a little over the limit. 

The first trick: never, and I mean NEVER use those little carry on checkers many airlines have at the gate. Unless an airline employee sees you struggle to put your slightly too large of a bag in that slot, there is really no way for them to know your bag is just a little too big. And a trick for weight: as heavy as your bag is, don’t show it. It’s hard sometimes when you’re tired and you’re carrying your life on your back, but you are probably not likely to be asked about the weight of your bag unless it looks like you are really struggling to carry it.

In the end, the only thing that would reasonably come of you having too heavy or too large a carry on would be that they charge you a fee to check your bag. It isn’t the end of the world, and if an employee does call you out on silly shenanigans like these, just apologize and do as they ask kindly – they are just doing their jobs! 

11) Doing laundry isn’t that big of a deal.

Traveling carry on is great for a lot of situations, but being able to wear and restyle the same few pieces of clothing is key. You are probably going to have to re-wear some clothes, and considering that you are probably going to be running around town and getting a lot of physical activity in while being a tourist, being prepared to wash some of your clothes is really handy. 

“no one wants to waste any of their travel time on doing laundry,… [but] keeping cleanly and smelling good when you walk around town is definitely worth the small chunk of time laundry will take.”

Even though no one wants to waste any of their travel time on doing laundry, I would argue keeping cleanly and smelling good when you walk around town is definitely worth the small chunk of time laundry will take. Before you leave for your trip, you can enquire at your accommodation to see if they have a washing machine or any detergents. If they don’t, thats not a problem! You can wash a few items of clothing in a sink or tub, and its pretty easy to pack little travel bottles with either detergent or dish soap (which both work wonderfully for laundry on the go)! 

Just be mindful of how long it might take your articles of clothing to dry, and make sure you have something to wear left over while the rest of your clothes dry! 

12) If you really need to- spring for a checked bag!

Finally, if you are going to be at a location for a very long time, or you are going to need a lot of gear for where you are headed, getting a bag checked is far from the end of the world! It’s definitely handy to walk around with less luggage, but thats only until you actually need something that wouldn’t fit in your carry on! 

The Roundup

In the end really this is a trial and error process. You will learn what you really need to pack overtime, and you will come up with your own efficient and ingenious strategies for traveling. I hope some of the things I have learned and shared In this post can help build your own repertoire of travel hacks! 

“In the end really this is a trial and error process”

Is there anything that I missed? What are the most ingenious travel on only tips you have learned for yourself while traveling? Comment your answers or send me an email at CheapandLazyTraveler@gmail.com!

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