For a blog about Two Day travels, why would I need to know (or want to share) how to pack for 2 weeks? Because sometimes my Two Day Travels happen in a sequence – a group of them together – especially when traveling long distances, like the time I visited 5 Beautiful Christmas Markets in Europe. Sometimes they happen as a result of being somewhere already for work or for family and I add on another couple days for my personal travels, like the time I went to a wedding in Melbourne so spent some time exploring the sights there and then took a Two Day Trip Along the Great Ocean Road!
I find traveling with carry-on sized luggage much easier; not just because it means my luggage is always with me on a flight & rarely checked, but because it’s easier to carry around in between flights – onto trains, into a cab, on a subway, up stairs, down streets, etc. It also means I’m spending less time picking out my clothes every day and more time exploring the city I’m in!
Planning Your Outfits
This is my planning grid, based on actual clothes I own, for a 12-day trip that included 2 evenings out. With what I have planned, I can make more than enough outfits with these clothes + doing laundry once during the trip.
The most important things to remember when packing is to COORDINATE, LAYER, and ACCESSORIZE! Everything here can mix and match with everything else. All of the tops work with each other in layers, and they work with all of the bottoms. I picked three neutrals (black, white, tan) and two colors (fuchsia, blue).
I found the combination of six tops + three bottoms worked perfectly to give me enough different looks for the 12 days I was traveling. Plus, I brought a black dress to dress up for a night out at the ballet. In addition, I had three pairs of shoes: walking shoes, ankle boots, and flats.
Here is a picture of everything I packed on the trip:
One note: the Gray Flannel scarf was swapped out for a much thinner, tan wool scarf and I dropped the fuchsia flats – they would have been fun to have, but I decided to save space for souvenirs.
The bottom left photo is my “Going There” picture – carryon luggage, the red tote (my computer bag and what I put under the airplane seat in front of me) and my travel outfit. On the way back, I had accumulated a few souvenirs, so used the bigger white tote as my 2nd bag – still small enough to fit under the seat, but big enough to hold red computer bag + new purchases.
My carry-on is a 19″ roll aboard that fits most international carry-on requirements, which are often smaller than US domestic flights. My specific Delsey suitcase is over 6 years old and doesn’t seem to exist in stores anymore, but you can find similar ones like this newer DELSEY Paris Luggage Helium Aero International Carry On Expandable Spinner Trolley-19″ or this AmazonBasics Premium Upright Expandable Softside Suitcase with TSA Lock – 19-Inch International Carry-On.
Outfits by Day
Here are all of the outfit combinations I wore during the trip:
As you can see, I bought a new Blue Polka Dot scarf on my trip – useful, fits into the coordinating scheme, easy to pack, and it’s a fun souvenir of my trip!
While I obviously repeated items of clothing throughout the trip, I never repeated an entire outfit!
Additional Tips
I used my red bag as my day bag around town and had the black crossbody/clutch for evenings out. The red bag was extremely lightweight, allowed me to reduce layers (scarf, sweater) throughout the day as it warmed up, and carried the souvenirs I bought while out exploring! In addition, I had a small foldable tote (similar to this one) that fits into my jacket pocket that was handy on days I didn’t want to carry the full tote bag.
One of the smartest decisions I made was to bring my heavier New Balance shoes. I had briefly contemplated bringing a smaller, lighter type of tennis shoe but with the amount of walking I did, I’m really glad I brought the New Balance ones!
A helpful packing tip is to use packing cubes for smaller items. I used my Eagle Creek packing cube for underwear, scarves, and socks, but they’re also useful for anything you want to keep together!
There are only a couple things I’d do differently:
1) I wish I’d brought a few more inner layers – some black & white tank tops, for example, just for some added flexibility of layers on warmer days.
2) I didn’t realize until I started traveling that both my sweater and jacket were on 3/4 sleeves, oops! Next time, I would want at least 1 outer layer to have full sleeves. After this particular trip, I invested in a packable puffer jacket, similar to this one, that has been very handy to have and easy to pack!
3) I should have brought some of my Clay Masks as it is light and compact and great for oily skin when traveling to humid countries.
Are you a carry-on only traveler? Let me know in the comments your favorite packing tips!
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WOW. That’s really cool. I feel like I only travel with a steamer trunk. And I always end up wishing I’d packed lighter once I start traveling. This gives me #goals!
Thank you! There’s always a little something I learn each trip – and I”m still trying to figure out the best shoe options! But it really is soooo nice not to have to carry so much around, especially when climbing stairs or walking to a train!
In a couple of days, I’ll be traveling myself for 2-3 months with a carry on only. Luckily, the summer is in Europe ;). 95% of my luggage is summer clothes. Hmmm. You seem to be better prepared. Happy travels (and good luck to me). Eva
Summer definitely makes it easier! Hope you found some good tips to help make your trip just as prepared!!
Yes carry on travel is the best! Excellent article. Whilst I find it is fine to just pack a carry on when travelling to warmer climates I struggle in places like Western Europe where you never know! Now I will have to start doing it now you have shown me how easier it is 🙂
Warmer climates/times of year are definitely easier and allow you to pack more options!
That is some impressive efficiency!
Thank you!
Great tips. We love travelling with carry on only. Nothing better than skipping the baggage claim and rolling right out the doors to adventure. We once pulled off 3 weeks in Europe with a smart packing plan. It made us very proud. You’re right organisation and effective planning is key to travelling like this.
Thanks for sharing. Keep travel blogging. Adventure is better shared with friends!
You are so right – being able to get off the plane and head right out of the airport is great! Kudos to you for a 3-week trip in a carry-on! Well done!!
This is IMPRESSIVE. I’m a notoriously bad overpacker, though I’ve gotten a bit better the more we travel. I’ll definitely be taking my cues from you next time 🙂
Practice definitely makes perfect! Or, at least improvements. 😉
Coordinate, layer, and accessorize are indeed important. Keeping within a color scheme also helps as it makes the coordination easier. We are currently backpacking through the world so we had to keep our bags light. Down to two pairs of shoes!
Absolutely agree on the color scheme – the more things that coordinate, the more outfits you can create! Impressed that you’re down to 2 pairs of shoes. I still struggle with that one, haha.
Great tips … there is an absolute art to traveling carry-on only. And organization as well as layering (multifunction) is key. Another key is doing with less or being willing to simply wear and wash the same shirt, undies, socks and pants (or skirt) over and over and over again. We have a friend who can easily travel for a week or more with nothing more than a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bar of soap, a change of underwear, change of socks, a jacket, perhaps an umbrella, and his passport — literally the smallest of carry-on duffels. Extreme yes, but he is smiling all the while.
I toy with just how small I could pack on a trip, just for the experience of it, but haven’t been brave enough to try your friend’s approach! The smallest I was able to pack was 1 under-the-airline-seat-sized bag for a 6-day visit to Europe. Minimalism is a goal in both travel and life, so maybe one day!
The great thing about living or travelling to a tropical country, is no need for layers ! So you only need the coordination part
Very true! The question is, would I pack more into the same bag or take a smaller bag and bring less…??
I can’t believe you were able to fit 4 pairs of shoes along with all the other stuff in a carryon! I suck at packing, but then again my trips are typically more than one climate and 3-4 weeks at a time so I try not to beat myself up too bad about it. 😉
Multiple climates are hard! So many variables there. Also, in the end, I dropped the burgundy flats, so only had to pack 2 pairs (wore 1), so that helped a bit.
Going to Italy including 10 day Mediterranean cruise with small carryon and small backpack in a couple of weeks. Will be there 6 weeks. Wearing hiking boots, jeans, raincoat (heavy stuff) on plane. Bought very light stretch clothing at thrift stores for travel. Black and white with a few pops of color. 2 skirts, 2 slacks, 2 shorts, one dress, a few tops, bathing suit, light sweater, nylon short sleeve bolero jacket to cover bare shoulders in churches, nylon long sleeve jacket, scarf, lightweight beach shoes, slip on sneakers, very light weight dress flats, socks, undies. Will buy a sweater or jacket in thrift store there as well as anything else I may need. Leave it there before flying home.
I love your idea of picking up things you need from a local thrift store! You might find a very interesting and unique souvenir sweater/jacket there! Your trip sounds amazing, I’m a little jealous. I hope you have a grand time!
Thank you for your packing tips! I’m continuing to practice packing carry-on luggage only for weekend car trips, too. Athletic shoes are the best shoes for lots of walking with cushioning and arch support. However, having to untie and tie the laces can be a hassle, especially when going through TSA security at airports. I recently bought Lock Laces via Amazon.com and they’re perfect for athletic shoes or any shoes. 😊
I’m so glad you liked the article, Heather! I’ve not heard of lock laces. I’ll definitely check them out, thanks for the tip!
I saw a tip on another site that suggested bringing clothes you are tired of or are near worn out and wear them then discard. Then you have room for souvenirs. I am setting up a Mediterranean cruise next year for family and friends ( our 50th anniversary). When i said i was going to just take a carryon and backpack, no one believed me! We r flying to N.C. in the fall and im going to try it!!
Congratulations on your 50th Anniversary, Deb! I totally agree that you can manage a great wardrobe with just a carryon and backpack – I did just the same for a cruise I took last year. Good luck with the N.C. trip, please let me know how the packing for it goes!!
Well done! Thoughtful post and I appreciate those photos. I see your bulky headphones — if those are the Bose Noise-canceling set, the new Bose in-ear are BETTER. Pricey, yes, but I would not travel w/o them. I packed for 3 weeks in Italy last Sept….all in a carry-on backpack. I’m a fan!
Hi Joan – I’m so glad you liked the post! And, I’m really interested to hear about the Bose In Ear Headphones, I’ve been looking at them and debating upgrading to them. The noise-cancelling makes such a difference in plane travel, especially longer flights!
Excellent packing tips! You mentioned a white tote that you were able to fit your computer bag in. May I ask, which brand is it? Thanks!
Hi Debbie – the white tote was actually the shopping bag I received at the Keukenhof Flower Gardens. Because I had more to pack at the end (due to shopping!), my red tote wasn’t enough but the shopping bag let me stow some additional items. 🙂
Do you have a link or more info on your red bag, please? It looks so packable as a day bag!
Hi Janie – the specific bag I used on this trip was a nylon tote by Coach, which unfortunately is now discontinued and hard to fine. 🙁 However, some other brands I like include Baggallini and Travelon. Happy shopping!
Great tips! I am a senior and travel several times a year to 3 warm US cities to visit our kids. Also Mexico yearly. Travel only with a carryon and my backpack. Always take a light jacket which I wear on flight. Usually have things I don’t wear. Hubby also takes only carryon. Have never needed anything extra!!!Saves so much time not waiting for luggage!!!!
Thanks, Gail – I’m so glad you liked the tips! I always seem to end up with something I don’t wear, so still refining my list each trip. Kudos to your hubby for making it with just the carryon!
I am taking a 7 day cruise in January, 2023. With all of the fiascos at the airports of lost luggage. cancelled flights, I plan to pack everything in my carry-on luggage and a backpack. Your post was so helpful in showing how it can be done. Thank you!
Thanks, Debbie! I hope your cruise was a big success!!