How to Pack for a 2 Week Vacation in a Carry On

When gearing up for our Italian vacation I was determined to ONLY pack in a carry! After research & trail and error we successfully did just that, AND I was able to wear something different every day. So today I’m sharing my tips for how to pack for a 2 week vacation in a carry on.

See everything I packed here!

First things first:: why would we want to only pack in carry ons? For so many reasons y’all. One, I’ve heard so many horror stories from gals losing their luggage when traveling abroad. This would have really bummed me out, so I wanted to eliminate that risk. And after our MAJOR travel issues resulting to us losing one whole day (which included rerouting through 3 airports) I was so thankful we only carried on. Our luggage would have 100% not made it to our final destination. Plus we were moving through cities so quickly, I just feel like it would have never caught up with us.

Second, we were moving through cities just about every other day. Lugging large suitcases onto trains, up stairs & through cobblestone streets seemed miserable. Had we been staying in one location the entire time this wouldn’t have been as big of an issue.

Y’all would be surprised how much I packed for this trip too! Here is a quick rundown for reference. I did not skimp on the quantity of items packed.

• 3 pairs of pants: jeans, beach pant & white wide leg pant
• 2 everyday crossbody bags
• 4 pairs of shoes: a beach sandal, a comfy everyday sandal, sneakers & a low leopard heel
• 3 bathing suits: could have gotten away with 1, but a girl needs options 😉
• 10 dresses
• 12 tops: 2 tees, 2 tanks, 2 kimonos, 3 matching tops (parts of a set), 3 blouses
• 2 pairs of shorts: 1 casual, 1 more dressy
• 1 skirt
• 1 Jacket
• Pjs
• 1 Jumpsuit
• Plenty of Accessories
• Undergarments
• Makeup
• Toiletries
• Tech Must Haves: iPad, AirPods, Camera, Portable Chargers, Outlet Converters
• Steamer
• Curling Iron

My Tips & Tricks for Packing in a Carry On:

• A summertime vacation REALLYYYY helps with the packing. Clothes are more lightweight, less fabric, etc. This is an external factor, but helped so much. I don’t know if I would be able to do it otherwise, but I would be up for the challenge.
• Plan, plan, plan! I planned out nearly every outfit ahead of time, so I didn’t end up packing a bunch of things I didn’t wear or use.
• Pack items you know you can wear multiple ways. If you are wanting to pair down what you pack (I could have done this more), this will really help. Leave behind those one off items you know you’ll only wear once. Matching sets came in handy when packing because I knew I could wear the pieces together & separate.
• This tote is (almost) the perfect “personal” item. It is about the size of Calvin (see here), & it carries so much! It was helpful to carry all the items aside from my clothes & such, including all of my makeup, toiletries & tech items. The bag itself is SO lightweight, which was so helpful since it was beyond full. The only thing I didn’t love about this tote is that is didn’t have the attachment where you can slide it on & off your suitcase handles. This made it a bit of a pain when were were moving from city to city.
• Packing cubes are a MUST!! But not all are created equal. I’ve bought the traditional sets before, and they really don’t help that much aside from separating things. But these compression packing cubes are 100% worth the money & helped SO much when packing. Tyler & I both used a set for our trip & they really maximized the space in our suitcase.
• My packing tips truly end & begin with this carryon suitcase. *This is not sponsored, we bought these suitcases with our own money and can’t sing it’s praises enough!* The AWAY Bigger Carryon was 1000% worth the money, and such a game changer for our trip. It is lightweight, super durable, has a 360 spin feature and has a TSA approved lock. I didn’t think much about the lock when we ordered but this gave us peace of mind when a hotel had to hold our luggage in between check ins & departures. We would put all of our valuables in the suitcase & lock it right up. I think the biggest help was the “interior compression system” of the suitcase. I kind of rolled my eyes at this at first upon ordering. I didn’t think it could be nearly as helpful as it was but I was so wrong. Between this feature & the compression packing cubes nearly all of my clothes fit in the one side of the suitcase. It really works wonders. I couldn’t get over just how much fit into this suitcase. I was just so pleased with the quality of this bag too. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the portable charger that came built into the suitcase! It was so handy for our times in the airport or on a train.

That pretty much sums up all of my carry on packing tips y’all. But I’ll leave y’all with this:: if I can pack in a carry on for two weeks so can you!