[ad_1]
In 2023, my friend and I jumped at the chance to fly from JFK to London for just $300. That’s half the price of the regular $600 ticket. When we saw the $300 discount, we instinctively booked a week-long trip, then immediately bought a ticket for a $40 RyanAir flight to Portugal. But with every low-cost flight comes a ticket with high restrictions: Mine only included one “personal item.” Even carry-on luggage costs $55 extra each way. Would you like to take a suitcase? That would add up to an extra $80 each way.
Here is my bag, fully packed and ready for a week long trip abroad.
I realized that if I wanted to save myself additional fees like this, I needed to put all my stuff in a carry-on, a bag that could fit under the seat in front of me and that didn’t exceed the dimensions of 18 inches by 14 inches by 8 inches. For reference, consider a high school backpack or large purse.
Yep, that’s all the place I had to pack for a week long trip.
While packing for the trip, I tried out several types of backpacks, all of which could be considered a personal item. After several rounds of trial and error, I finally perfected the formula to fit all of my items for a week’s trip into a personal item. Since I first started my carry-on only trip in February, I’ve used this backpack on several other budget airline trips, saving myself hundreds of dollars in baggage fees.
The only airline that gave me a hard time was Frontier. But every other airline, including Spirit and European discount airlines like RyanAir, allowed my bag to pass as a personal item. My advice: Buy this bag, don’t fly Frontier.
The bag
First, let’s start with the basics: the bag. There are a variety of bags that you can choose from — mini bags on roller bags, purses, pocket bags or backpacks. I prefer to use backpacks because they are usually the easiest type of bag to carry in multiple cities and hostels. Here are the two best bags I recommend for your upcoming trip.
I want to point out that the Lululemon bag is obviously expensive, but I’ve already used it on six separate flights, which makes it good value for money. The idea that I would have to pay extra even for a carry-on bag is outrageous and I was ready to find long-term ways around it all.
This was the bag I used. Inside the bag I was able to fit three packing cubes and a pair of heels. The bag has two exterior zippered pockets that can serve as extra storage for smaller toiletries or tchotchkes you might need; I used them to hold my shampoo and conditioner for travel along with my makeup.
My favorite aspect, though, is the exterior padded pocket that can hold a 16-inch laptop. One of my biggest challenges in finding the perfect bag was finding a bag that could hold not only my clothes but also my laptop. Given that I will be working remotely during my trip, bringing my work laptop is out of the question. While this bag may not fit smoothly under the seat in front of me (I’ll probably have to push it a bit), it’s big enough to hold all my belongings and more while still being considered a personal item!
Need more space? I got it too Lululemon belt bag to hold my more important items like my passport, AirPods, ID and sunglasses. (Let’s be honest, it’s a fanny pack; calling it a belt bag is all marketing.) Since the belt bag is small enough to strap onto me, most airlines usually never give me a problem with it. If the airline strictly adheres to the “one personal item per person” policy, the bag can easily be slipped into my backpack and then removed once on the plane.
Okay, this bag was a super close runner-up. If you don’t have packing cubes but still need a way to organize your clothes, let me introduce you to the Beis Hanging Backpack. This, my friends, is no ordinary backpack; open it up and you’ll find a collapsible shelving system. It also has four internal pockets, as well as an external laptop pocket and zipped pockets.
The Hanging Backpack is a unique backpack and is definitely my favorite travel backpack made by Beis. In the end, the deciding factor between the Lululemon bag and this one came down to the size of the laptop pocket. I will definitely be using this backpack for future weekend trips.
Packing cubes
For the longest time, I was against cube packing. Why? I have no idea, mainly out of laziness. The thought of having to repackage everything into tiny little cubes seemed like such a waste of time. Having traveled more, I now see the error of my ways. Packing cubes really make your life easier when you have limited space. Below are the packing cubes I used to stay organized while packing for my trip.
The Topo packing bags were useful for my clothes and larger items, but this set of ziplock bags from Compakt easily holds toiletries and smaller items. If you happen to have a bag that doesn’t have a lot of zippered pockets or extra storage space, then this set of bags comes into play. The waterproof three-piece set will help you stay organized and eliminate any extra worry of rummaging through your bag to find smaller items. (There’s nothing more annoying than having to take everything out of your bag to find a phone charger.)
When I first got the Topo Pack bags, I thought, “There’s no way this will fit everything.” Once again I was proven wrong. In one of the 5 liter packing bags I fit seven tank tops along with a long sleeve shirt. I was able to fit three pairs of jeans and one pair of leather pants in the 10 liter bag. I used a second 5 liter bag to hold my intimates and smaller clothes.
Packaged clothing
The difficulty of packing really depends on where you are going. Going on a beach vacation? Packing in a personal item will be easy, all you really need are swimwear and tank tops. Packing for a trip where you’ll be lucky if the weather turns below freezing? That’s where the problem lies.
Strategic packing is the secret formula for fitting everything into one backpack. This means wearing clothes that can be easily layered and wearing about four different layers of clothing on the plane. I always make sure to pack jackets that are designed to be packable so they don’t take up too much room in my bag. Here are just a few essentials I packed for my trip.
Over the past few years, my collection of these tank tops has grown rapidly. I now own about eight of them, all in different colors. Seamless tank tops can be dressed up or down easily and are easy to layer, making them a travel essential. Tank tops can be easily rolled up and packed into any size bag. Whether you plan to relax or go out, these tank tops are great for any occasion.
[ad_2]
