How to travel with only hand luggage - Simple 5-step packing list

Written by: Sini Hietaharju, Master of Tourism Research & Slow Traveller

Did you always want to travel light or just with a packback, but end up dragging half a closet with you?

I’ve made it easy for you and next time you can just follow this step by step packing list and start a life with only hand luggage!

Travel with only carry-on with these tips

Simple 5-step list how to pack light for your next travels

1. Clothes

This is the hardest one to reduce from.

It obviously depends a bit if you are going to a tropically hot country or perhaps to freezing Lapland, but I have some basic tips that can be applied to any trip.

First of all, it helps to love black, or any other simple color that is easy to combine with anything.

Make sure you have these items:

Jacket (well you know, depends on the destination what kind of jacket you need)
4x T-shirts/tops → this is enough for a week or so
1-2 x Hoodie/Gardigan/Pullover
2 x pants: jeans etc. basic pants and one pair of super comfy pants/yoga pants that you can also use in plane
Sportswear: sports bra + shorts + yoga pants →note that the yoga pants can be the same pants you wear on plane

→ note that you can wear a slightly dirty top still for sports when you wouldn’t wear it anymore for regular use

→note that sports clothes are easy to wash in the sink and they dry fast so no need to take dozens

Underwear + socks (I leave it to you to decide how many you need lol)
Sleeping shorts + top if you’re in hostel, otherwise I sleep naked and I definitely recommend that 😀

Shoes

Again it’s time to start reducing from those ”these are so cute but not the comfiest” -shoes.

I normally take two pairs, making sure both are very comfortable to walk with.

Again, basic black sneakers work with pretty much anything, no matter if you’re wearing a dress or workout clothes.

Other pair is to make sure you always have a dry pair of shoes.

Those clothes you reaaally would want to take but they don’t fit

Choose one of those colorful dresses/other clothing pieces that you’d love to take but you’re minimal optimization says no to.

If all your other clothes are very neutral color, this one colorful item will very well fit with the rest of the clothes!

2. Toiletries and other hygiene stuff

If you love to make up with dozens of steps like foundation, highlighter, shadows, etc. it may not be the easiest for you to pack toiletries minimally.

My toiletry back includes only these essential items:

Tootbrush and -paste
Facial lotion
Hairbrush (small tangle teezer)
Deodorant (make sure it’s roll-on as sprays aren’t allowed inside the plane)
If you need some medication that is not easily available in every country, obviously pack that
Shampoo and such I usually buy at the destination or take a small bottle

3. Travel documents and other travel essentials

TAKE THESE:

Passport
Credit card +cash
Phone + Phone charger
Adapter if needed in the destination

→Note that you can also buy it in the destination

CONSIDER TAKING THESE:

Power bank (very handy in destinations like Sahara or wilderness of Lapland)
Notebook and pen (I always have this in case I suddenly come up with some awesome idea or I need to suddenly remember something)
Sleeping mask and earplugs
Watch (this helps a lot when changing time zones and you’re not sure if your phone changed the zone automatically or not.
Sunglasses (no matter where I go, I always take these as I occasionally suffer from migraine. I recommend polarized classes with 100% UV protection.)

IF YOU'RE INTO PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera
Camera charger
SD cards

4. Other packing tips

Wear as many clothes as you can! Remember that one of the outfits you take with you, you can already wear.

Make sure your lotions and liquids are max 100 ml as you can’t take bigger ones into the plane
Make sure you don’t have aerosols like hairspray or deodorant spray coming in to the plane.

5. Choose equipment that keeps you going

Make sure you have good enough equipment. You definitely don’t need to have the fanciest equipment, but you do want to have better shoes than some canvas shoes that slip and make blisters in no time. The old saying goes ”Poor people can’t afford to buy cheap”.

This means that it’s better to buy good quality equipment that lasts for long and take good care of it, instead of replacing it way too often.
One material that isn’t a great choice as a hiker is cotton, because it won’t insulate you anymore when it gets wet from sweating. Due to this, there’s this hiker phrase: ”cotton kills”.

Do you want a simplified, printable packing list?

Get it here: ⬇️

WRITTEN BY

Hey there, I'm the Author

I'm Sini, an enthusiast in slow traveling, yoga retreats, travel as self growth journey and rubbing dogs.

This is your go-to slow travel corner of the internet.

I'm here to share my best travel tips, digital nomad thoughts and photographs from the journeys.

I happen to be kind of a professional in this as well, as I have my Master's degree within Tourism Research and both my master's and bachelor's thesis are about yoga travel.

I want to share the best knowledge of hidden gem retreat and mindful destinations, as well as some deeper, honest thoughts what digital nomad lifestyle actually is.

You can read more about me here.