How I Travel with ONLY a Free Personal Item

Video Transcript: Here’s what I pack for 3 weeks in Europe in only a personal item. In the first packing cube I have a light sweater, pajamas, swimsuit, dress, 6 pairs of socks and underwear. We book accommodations that have washers and dryers every few days and take a few tide pods along.

In the next packing cube are a pair of pants, 6 shirts, and 3 shorts.  When I go to the airport, I dress comfortably and tie a thick warm sweatshirt around my waist that I either wear or use as a pillow. I wear running shoes and I keep my phone and wallet in a hip pack which I wear under my sweater when I board the plane.

In the bottom of the backpack is a waterproof section where I put my flip flops for beach days and anytime I need a break from running shoes and socks. 

In the main section I have a good waterproof jacket so we can still explore on rainy days. In go the packing cubes along with charging cords and ear plugs.

At the front, I keep our passports and boarding passes so they’re easy to access when we’re at the airport. At the bottom, we have any medicine and toiletries that are not liquid.

In this larger waterproof section, I keep our liquids which often have to be taken out during the security check at the airport. Everything is under 100 mL. We have a multiplug which we use to charge all of our devices. It has pop out plugs for any outlets in the world. 

I put a pair of noise cancelling headphones in the very top of my bag because that’s what I’ll use on the airplane. Last but not least I make a booklet of all of our tickets, itinerary, and maps that we’ll need. I put that in a folder and keep it in a separate section so that I’ll always know where it is.

See my list of 18 must-haves for packing light here.

If you’re looking to buy a backpack that is the right size to be counted as a personal item, the one in the video above is this one, and I can’t recommend it enough! Amazon.ca affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3YvYtVr