How to (Successfully) Pack Carry-on for Your Summer Vacation

From someone who lives out of a suitcase

My carry-on bag for 8 days in Glasgow

Never does simple living make more sense than when you’re on vacation.

For a start, your brain goes into vacation mode, that wonderful state of mind when you forget about daily life and you (hopefully) have the time to wander, think, absorb, and enjoy.

For me, that vacation mode has as much to do with what you choose to pack as it does anything else. After all, it’s hard to stay chill when you’re lugging 30kg suitcases around the airport or have brought so many items of clothing you spend half an hour wondering what to wear for dinner.

Many of you know that I’ve lived out of a suitcase for nearly 3 years now. Full disclosure, I often take checked baggage because, although you can live my life with hand luggage only, it’s not especially comfortable. I don’t want to, for instance, live without my chef’s knife. The Capsule Pantry wouldn’t be the same.

But when I go for shorter trips — say 1-3 weeks — I’m all over the carry-on. Especially in the Summer when clothes are lighter.

As the Summer approaches, I thought it might be fun to let you into all my tips for successfully taking carry-on luggage only for your vacation this year. Hopefully, this will save you money (£48 for check-in baggage, Ryanair? Really?) and allow you to focus on the finer things in vacation life.

Clothes

These are the clothes I take for a week-long vacation in a warm place that should easily fit in carry-on (and on your person):