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| All packed and ready to go |
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| Everything that is inside the bag |
I also knew that I would have downtime and I did not want to be doing everything on my phone, so I am carrying my laptop with me, along with various camera gear. This meant that my personal item would have to fit my laptop, and luckily I have a huge purse that actually fits my laptop in it (I have a 16 inch screen)! Inside this purse, when I am traveling, I also put the following: pashmina (doubles as scarf, headscarf, blanket, pillow), electronics (charger, Kindle, cables, battery bank, camera, phone), empty water bottle and puffy jacket (no matter what season it is; sometimes the plane/train/bus is cold). Also in winter, I put my umbrella, gloves and beanie in here too.
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| Laptop fits! |
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| Personal Item |
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| Wintertime contents of my purse (plus laptop, minus fanny pack) |
I also carry my trusty fanny pack with me everywhere, and in it I put (did you ever play that game? I packed my bag and in it I put...?) the following items: passport, headphones, wallet with ID, credit card, ATM card and small amount of cash, ChapStick, and floss pick (never leave home without it).
I am all about the layering system. What does this mean? This means that I basically have one of every layer, plus extras of some of them. But you don't want to hear about it; I will show you!
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| Ready for every season |
As you can see from above, I have a top for everything. Actually I have more than one, so let's break it down.
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| Tank tops (plus the one worn in the photo) |
Tank tops: Five. I believe that more lower level layers is better and it gives you a chance to have a variety when it is hot out, plus have more clean shirts when it is hot, and you are probably sweating more. Two of them are merino wool, including the one shown in the main layering photo above.
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| Short sleeved shirts |
Short-sleeved shirts: Two. In this case, one is a strictly running shirt and the other is a merino wool shirt that could be used as a out and about shirt except that I used it for backpacking and it is now permanently grey (not a good look) so it is now actually only an active shirt as well. Bottom line: I need a new "out and about" short-sleeved shirt.
Long-sleeved shirts: Two. Pictured above. One sweater (merino wool), and one zip-up hoodie (Uniqlo), which can be used as an out and about shirt or an active shirt, as it technically is a sunscreen hoodie, but is black so is a little more versatile. However, this one too is also on it's last legs (I also wore it the entire year last year while cycling, so I am surprised it has lasted this long to be honest. Uniqlo for the win! Well worth the $30 price tag!)
Jackets: Three. Pictured above. The windbreaker is a great light layer that packs up into itself and is easy to carry around when its in the 40-60s just in case. The puffy, as I mentioned, goes everywhere with me, stays in my purse or daypack, and is a great pillow, extra layer on the plane, or emergency layer and I also take it with me backpacking. The rain jacket is mostly for backpacking, but when I was in France and it was below freezing outside I wore it when I went for runs. Its not the most attractive thing, but it does the job. If I had my way, it would be black, but that was not an option for this model.
Pants: Four. Jeans (shown above), capri pants for either active days or travel days, jogging pants for lounging around, or going outside when you are lazy (if you are in Poland, but not when you are in France) and rain pants for hiking mostly, but hey if it was really cold I guess I could wear them outside! Also when I was in Germany in December/January, I did wear my capris under my jeans as an extra layer. Aside from the jeans, the rest are all black.
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| Pants/shorts (jeans not shown) |
Shorts: Three. I have one pair of "going out" shorts, one pair of running shorts, and one pair of lounging/pajama shorts. To be honest, I have rarely used the latter, but they take up basically no space.
Undergarments: Four undies, four socks, one sports bra and one regular bra. I normally am fine with having two pairs of undies and handwashing, but this time I decided to splurge and bring more so that I don't have to handwash as often. Same goes for the socks, especially when I am in one place for a few weeks or so, it is really easy to just wash and hang each evening (especially for my favorite pair of Darn Tough socks, which are also merino). However, sometimes there is not enough time to dry in one day if you are moving faster, so this way I have a little leeway. As far as bras go, the tank in the photo above has a built in bra, so I can wear that when I need to wash my sports bra. To be honest, I have not worn the regular bra yet.
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| Packed! Still have a bit of room! |
Accessories: Beanie, pashmina (can be worn in churches, or used as a scarf, skirt or blanket), gloves (all black), running hat, buff, umbrella, sunglasses, and a swimsuit that I have barely used (one time so far in six months! What can I say, I like to swim in the buff. Just kidding!! Haha. I usually just swim in my running clothes/sports bra).
Toiletries: My rule about toiletries is that you can always buy it where you are going if you need it, so I don't bring a lot. Also I don't really wear makeup, or care what brand of this-or-that that I use, and I don't really need to condition my hair. Here is what I do bring:
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| Liquids |
Liquid: contacts, contact solution, hand sanitizer, mascara, Vaseline (mostly for running/hiking chafe issues), sunscreen, extra ChapStick.
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| Non-liquids |
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| Non-liquids - packed |
Non-liquid: Shampoo/conditioner bar, soap bar, toothpaste tabs (now all gone, so I am back to regular toothpaste), toothbrush, floss picks, fingernail clippers, glasses, dry wet wipes, feminine supplies, TP (must have in some countries!), brush, earplugs, pills, laundry sheets, razor + extra blades, q-tips, hair ties, sewing kit, facemask.
For toiletries, I usually just keep them separate and keep the liquids handy when I am flying, but they both do fit in the one Lermende bag if needed. Also, I have a little reusable zip-up baggie (the blue one under the sanitizing wipe) that I will put my "essential" items in if I am traveling by train or staying in a place with a shared bathroom (toothpaste, toothbrush, contacts, shampoo/soap, earplugs) so that way I just have one essential bag to keep handy. Also, as a side note, in the last year, I have stayed at literally well over a hundred different places, and there have probably been about three of them that have not had soap and/or shampoo.
Electronics: Kindle, battery bank, adapter/converter, cords, running watch, GoPro, phone, headlamp/Inreach for hiking.
I also have these essentials: Osprey 18L foldable daypack (seriously, I have gotten so much use out of this bag!), Chico bag, my Solomon running hydration vest 2L. What can I say; I like bags!
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| Foldable backpack |
Shoes: Two. One pair of flip flops and one pair of running shoes. No fancy shoes. If I need to go somewhere fancy, I will buy something to wear. Until then, I will wear my running shoes.
Camping Specific Gear: I also carry these camping items which will be of no use to anyone else most likely: sleeping mat, sleep sac (actually, even if you stay in huts or hostels, this comes in handy), water filter, stove, emergency items (first aid kit, lighter, headlamp, Garmin Inreach satellite tracker, athletic tape, duct tape and various other items). I also acquired a pot/bowl/cutlery set and a sleeping bag when I was in Türkiye and I can fit it all into the carry on but I have not had to fly with these last two things yet.
Guilty pleasure and/or random stuff. I do carry a few extra ziplock bags with me just in case. I like to keep my passport in one and have one extra that I have in case I need to toss my phone in there. I will also snag a lotion or a shampoo if I stay in a hotel, but if I am flying and I need to cut weight, those are the first to go.
I basically wear my heaviest item on the plane, which means: jeans, tank top, sweater, running shoes, socks, and zip-up hoodie.
Are you a carry-on only person? Backpack or rolling suitcase? What is your guilty pleasure?
so interesting to learn how you pack for one year! amazing! how do you wash non-undies? depending where I go, I like to bring just carry on or if traveling with the family i like to check bags, mostly to pack our usual snacks.
ReplyDeleteNon-undies get washed the same as undies, but usually just need more time to dry. I travel with laundry sheets (laundry soap in a sheet) and you can put that in the sink with water and clothes and do wash by hand. Or you can carry a dry bag and put everything inside the dry bag and then roll it up and you can then squash and agitate that. However, when I am in a rush I just wash everything in the shower with me, killing two birds with one stone!
DeleteI travel carry-on when I fly. I use a roller case and a 9-l sling for my personal item. Economy flights out of Australia usually have a 7 kg limit for carry-on and the personal item needs to be small so usually weight is my limiting factor rather than size. I always throw in a foldable backpack for hiking or bigger daytrips or if I want to buy some souvenirs and I go over the weight limit I can use the backpack as a carry-on and check the roller. I will usually wear my Chelsea boots as my good pair of shoes but they are fantastic for sightseeing in cities too and a dress and nice top that rolls up and doesn't crease.
ReplyDeleteI am with you there! I also think weight is more of an issue for me. In Europe, as you likely know, it is sometimes 7 or 8 kg or you can upgrade to 12. I am flying Baltic Air next month and it is 8 kg with an option to upgrade to 12 for an extra 18 euro, or you can check a bag for 44 euro now or I think 60 at the gate! I am going to try to not pay extra and see what happens. Also I am going to wear a lot of layers that day.
DeleteHow did you do that graphic??
ReplyDeleteKyria, you are my packing inspiration! When we went to Italy - yes, it was just three weeks, not a year, but STILL - I had a carryon-style backpack and it was so handy to have on those cobblestones, rather than a wheelie. I was a terrible overpacker until 2022, when we were going to start travelling again and everyone and their dog was talking about losing luggage. It is so stressful to me to think of lost luggage, so I tried carryon and I'm never going back. I AM a person who wears a lot of makeup/ product and I do care about brands, so that's always the trickiest part. I have a set of little silicone bottles that I use. And let's face it, I'm not going anywhere longer than three weeks at the max, so it's pretty easy to have three weeks' worth of stuff. I did buy toothpaste in Italy though.
A pashmina is the most versatile thing to have! Did you need to cover your hair much when you were in Türkiye? We will be in Morocco in the fall and I do want to make sure I have something for my hair, for visiting mosques and such.
In Türkiye (and in Georgia/Armenia, which are mostly Orthodox) you do have to cover your head and usually shoulders too (and no shorts!) , so the pashmina is great for both of those things. However many places will have a box of scarves at the entrance that you can use if you do not have one.
DeleteI think your point about the three weeks is spot on; you can bring pretty tiny things for the most part. My tricky one is sunscreen, not that they don't have it everywhere, but it is expensive (200 ml of basic sunscreen in Türkiye was often around $20-$35) and I hate the brands that get sweaty when you sweat, so I prefer dry ones, or even spray (I know it's bad for the environment but they stay on so much better!) However, in some cases, you just have to pony up the dough, or use something a little different (not in all though!) I also think that in some cases, we do get used to our brands but there are others that are just as good (for example, I use OB tampons, and those are like 3x the price of the Russian/Georgian brand, which are just as good!)
The liquids are what get me because I, like Nicole, am a makeup lady and I care about brands. Also, if I were traveling long-term like you I don't know what I'd do about shampoo and conditioner because I'm also super picky about those and I can't imagine having just a few ounces of each. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried merino wool undies? They are brilliant. I'd honestly like to move to mostly merino as my fabric, but they can be pricey, as you know. I'd also like to think that maybe a good merino base layer pant would be a good addition to cold weather gear, but it seems like you have this down to a science, so maybe you don't need it. (I definitely would!)
That would definitely make it harder, if you have to have specific brands, but depending on what brand you like, you can get a lot of them abroad. I have not tried the undies; they are so expensive. A few of my shirts are second hand which is how I could afford them, but I don't feel so great about buying second hand undies, and have not yet ponied up the dough for a new pair. I did ask for the socks for Christmas and so maybe next year, the undies will be on my wish list. What brand have you tried?
DeleteWhat is in the bag labeled "Poop"??? Toilet paper? I am envious of the fact that you do not need conditioner. I absolutely need it or my hair is impossible to style or even comb really. I think anyone with a bit of texture/curl to their hair needs conditioner so it's not a rat's nest.
ReplyDeleteI am a carryon person, too. The type of trip determines the bag. For work trips, I always use a rollerbag. I just upgraded to a new Travel Pro suitcase as I was using a carryon I got as part of my graduation gift back in 1999 and it was really starting to show it's wear. But it fits on regional jets so is a great bag for trips to Chicago as we are almost always on a regional jet. I also have an Osprey brand larger backpack. I think that is what I will use for our trip to Chicago next week. I need to bring a stroller since we'll be covering quite a bit of distance so I think having a backpack will be best so my hands are free.
Outside of our honeymoon, I haven't been on a trip longer than a 5-7 days since my 3 week trip to France in 2008! So it's usually very easy for me to pack for trips since we are not gone for all that long. I don't know when we will go on a longer trip again... Phil prefers long weekend trips and he would not be able to take something like 2 weeks off from work. But when we are both retired, we'll be able to take long trips hopefully, although that is a ways off!
The poop kit is from backpacking, and is usually TP, hand sanitizer, tampons and ziplock baggies, because in some places you are supposed to carry out your dirty paper. I still use the same bag and it basically still has the same things in it! I prefer having conditioner, but when I am trying to shave weight it is not a necessity, only a luxury. I have also been known to use body wash on my hair. However, my bars are a shampoo/conditioner blend and that works just fine for me.
DeleteWith the stroller, you would definitely need a backpack! I can't imagine trying to push a stroller and pull a suitcase!
Wow. You travel light, but yet it seems like you've thought of everything. I don't wear much makeup - only if I'm going 'out' do I bother with mascara, otherwise I just don't bother. This takes a ton of organization. I have a tank with a built in bra and I love it so much. I feel like I would be happy to add a few more.
ReplyDeleteI prefer a carry-on only, but when I travel with the whole fam, I pack a soft sided cooler with frozen meals. Well, I've been known to do that anyway. I like my roller bag, but when I studied abroad, I loved my backpack. I still have it and Mini brought it on her study abroad semester.
I do love the tank with the built in bra, but for traveling they are bulkier than a normal tank, so I only bring the one and then the rest of the tanks are smaller/lighter. I also took the pads out of my sports bra; although I liked having them, they make it harder to fold the bra up neatly!
DeleteDo you carry the frozen meals on the plane? I have definitely packed frozen meals when going camping, and also meat and potato foil packets for the fire, but I have never flown with perishable foods! I see guys coming from Alaska etc. all the time with boxes of fish!
I don't travel much these days, but when I do, I try to do carry-on only (twice lately the airline had made me check my carry-on at the gate- yes, I'm still grumbling about that.) The last couple times I traveled I had a backpack AND rolling suitcase! My suitcase fits in the overhead and my backpack is my personal item (obviously it's not that big.)
ReplyDeleteI feel like I could travel, Kyria-style. I don't need any "dressy" clothes and I don't wear makeup. I would need one more pair of shoes though, because I don't like to wear my running shoes for everyday walking around.
I could check my carry on, as anything important is in my personal item (including sometimes my little essentials baggie with the toothbrush and contacts). I do this because I rarely check my bag at the gate, but actually I was going to see Lisa, I was in group 4 or something and they said we were not all going to be able to get our bags in the overhead, so I volunteered (!!!) to check my bag, and guess what. They lost it. Luckily Lisa is the same size as me, so I borrowed everything from shoes to clothes (I did go and buy some undies though). They did not get the bag to me in time for my long weekend! Grrr.
DeleteYour graphic is so awesome! I loved reading this post! I'm really impressed by how you get so much into such a small space. I had to chuckle that your guitly pleasure is ziplock bags. I always bring extra ziplocks when I travel. They're so handy and I always end up using them for various reasons. But I'm not a great traveler and I seem to require a lot of stuff, so I prefer to have a checked bag if possible.
ReplyDeleteYou never know when you may need a ziplock! I have made use of a grocery shopping bag in a pinch, but it is just not the same, which is why I call it a guilty pleasure. It is not really necessary but it does make me feel better, so why not!? Also, many Airbnbs do not have Tupperware or any storage system for leftover foods, so I like to have a few handy.
DeleteI'm with you on the ziplocks!
ReplyDeleteI'll do almost anything not to check a bag, and I'm not the world traveller that you are. If I do become one, this is a great guide.
Yup, Ziploc bags are a nice thing to have around! I could use a grocery bag but sometimes you need to split up a bag of oatmeal or coffee, or keep your sunscreen from getting everywhere!
DeleteHi, I read your blog frequently but have never commented, however I am pulled out of my lurking shadows by your amazing packing skills. I am regarded as a very good packer, but you have me beat! I travel frequently for work and can squeeze six days into an underseat sized backpack. My incidentals always include a set of silverware and a role of small trash bags. My guilty pleasure these days is buying a seat assignment - and fast track security. Happy Travels!
ReplyDeleteWelcome! Thanks for commenting. I feel like traveling for work with an under seat bag is way more impressive!! I used to travel for work with a backpack but the shoes were the name of my existence. Luckily I worked with men, who never noticed that I wore the same pair of black slacks every day.
DeleteI agree re fast track, and have TSA pre and global entry and think they are well worth it (even though I have a CC that pays, but before that I paid on my own gladly). I love that you travel with silverware. If I'm backpacking I have a spork and Swiss army knife but since I am not checking a bag I left them both at home this time. I miss my knife though.
This is fascinating and fantastic, Kyria! I am an overpacker in the extreme and I am so impressed by your packing skills and minimalism. Ziplock bags are SO handy. I love that you have not yet needed your regular bra. Sports bras 4 eva!!!!
ReplyDeleteSeriously! I started getting rid of tops that I couldn't wear a sports bra with about five years ago, even for work. No low cut sweaters for me!
DeleteI can't get over that graphic!!! You should be a travel model!
ReplyDeleteI am trying to become a carry-on person but I actually really hate having to lift my suitcase up into the overhead bin and then delaying people leaving the plane because I have to get it out. Can you tell I have social anxiety??? HA. I'm attempting to use a carry-on for London in October, so fingers crossed!
You can do it!! I know you can! Just remember, they have washing machines and clothing stores in England!! Less is more. And likely you won't even need to buy anything, but telling yourself that could help. You are saving the future of your back too by packing lighter. :)
DeleteYesssss!!!! Yay for getting this post out of draft jail and into the light where it belongs. We are twins with the little pink brush. I've had that thing for one million years and it's still going strong.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of carrying a "bag of bags" because you just never know when you're going to need that extra ziplock.
Brush twins! I got that brush at the container store and it had a mirror on one side which fell off years ago, but I also think I've had it for at least ten years by now.
DeleteBags of bags are critical. I need lots of them and I won't be embarrassed by that.
This is a fascinating post. And that graphic is so cool!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a carry-on only person. So are my kids. i always remind them that we always, always buy stuff at the destination so there is no need to lug al of their toys along. All four of us have rolling 18 inch carryons. I went to Russia for two weeks in a carry on and still there is a dress that I haven't worn yet (too cool of a weather). Granted, there is a washing machine in the apartment. When the kids were younger and I travelled with them I would bring an over the shoulder duffel bag so that both of my hands are free. But now that they are 5 and 7, I live like a queen with a carryon on wheels.
I do admire all the people with their sleek little carry ons! I wanted to do some hiking, so this set up is not really ideal for euro travel, but it works well enough. However, I do like a backpack so that I can still be free to move and also have hands free, but I get why people like the rolling bags too! I actually just jettisoned a couple of things recently and now I have room for something new! Yay.
Delete