I Travelled Hand Luggage Only For A Year – Here Are My Packing Light Tips

I hate paying for checked baggage – can’t stand it! It feels like a complete waste of money and often doubles if not triples the original fare of the flight if you are using a budget airline. So for my gap year, I made a goal to never pay for checked luggage and do the whole trip hand luggage only. And you know what, it was actually quite easy. Keep reading to find out my top packing light tips.

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I never had to pay the extra fee or wait around after a flight for my bag to come out on the carousel. Plus I never had to worry about an airline loosing my luggage because it was with me the entire flight. After months of deliberation I went for a backpack that could also be dragged, so the perfect combination of the two. And honestly, I love this bag! There is tonnes of room in it, it’s comfy as a backpack, durable as a case and small enough to lift and manoeuvre around. Plus I’ve never had an issue using it as a carry-on and I’ve flown with around half a dozen airlines with it, including the notoriously strict Ryanair.

After months and months of living out of a backpack, I’ve learnt a thing or two about packing light so I thought I’d share a few tips and tricks with you…

Can you buy toiletries there?

Toiletries take up sooo much space! Plus if you are planning to travel hand luggage only, you are limited to liquids below 100ml. Those little travel toiletries soon add up to a mini fortune and are not great for the environment. So ask yourself, can you buy toiletries there? Will you be near a supermarket where you can pick up the things you need when you arrive. This way you only have to pack the essentials which will save you tonnes of room. And depending on where you are going might even save you money.

Will you have a washing machine?

Does your accommodation have washing machine access? Or is there an easily accessible laundrette. If the answer is yes, use this to your advantage. Instead of having to pack an outfit for every single day of your 3 week trip, washing your clothes whilst you are away will mean you only have to pack enough for say a week instead.

Mix & Match

Cultivating a capsule travel wardrobe is the key to packing light. Make sure that every top and bottom option you bring can be used with all the other options you’ve packing. Mixing and matching your options will expanding your outfit options exponentially. I like to stick to neutral colours so I know everything will match, plus that’s my preference anyway.

Wear as much as you can

How many items can you comfortable wear to travel in? This way you’ll have with you but you won’t have to pack them – win! This is especially helpful if you are travelling in winter, as you’ll want to wear layers because planes, trains and coaches all get super cold and you’ll probably need bulkier items when you get to your destination. I like to try and wear two pairs of bottoms (usually leggings under a pair of jeans or sweats) and then 2 base top layers (a vest and a t-shirt or thin jumper), a hoody on top and then my big coat and usually a scarf too. Tonnes of layers to keep me nice and warm whilst travelling, especially if I’m being extremely frugal and sleeping at the airport the night before an early flight.

Decant the toiletries

I love those little clear reusable bottles you can get to decant your bigger toiletries into. They are great for your holy grail products that you might not want to have to re-buy when you get to your destination. Decant any of your essential products into smaller containers to save space in your toiletry bag.

Give packing cubes a try

I’m a new convert to packing cubes, I dismissed them as overhyped for years, but now I love them. You really can squeeze a tonne into each cube, both saving space in your luggage and keeping your things more organised. You can get a range of different sizes to suit the size of your luggage. They are great if you are travelling hand luggage only and need to cram a bunch of different things into one backpack as you can have a cube for all your clothes so things don’t fall everywhere, every time you open the bag.

An essentials bum bag is a game changer

I will always travel with a little bum bag or crossbody bag that I use for my essentials. Like my passport, card holder, contact lenses, glasses, lip balm, kindle, headphones – you get the gist. I like to wear this under my top of layer of clothing. It comes in super handy when travelling hand luggage only as it ensures the important things don’t get lost in your bag and can be easily accessed when on the move.

After a year of travelling hand luggage only, these are my biggest tips for packing light. Do you have any others you would add to the list?