PACKING A CARRY ON

When traveling in the past, I used to ALWAYS overpack. But after multiple trips paying and arm and a leg to check bags, dealing with lost luggage, hauling oversized suitcases over small uneven sidewalks or through crowded streets, and encountering hotels without elevators, I kicked that habit to the curb! 

While traveling, especially to warm destinations, you really only need carry on bags for all of your belongings. Tank tops, sun dresses, sandals, and swimsuits hardly take up any room in a bag; especially when you use the following tricks and tips to organize and condense your belongings!

Bags

Several factors determine the bag size and type for travel! For a week vacation, we always recommend a carry on. Most airlines allow a personal item (a purse or small backpack), and a carry on item (a hiking backpack, 21" suitcase, or a similar size bag. 

• Size: When considering a bag for travel, it is important to do your research on size and weight limits for your flights. Most airlines allow a carry on and a personal item, and a general rule for carry on size is 22x14x9 inches. For a detailed chart on airlines, carry on limits, and personal item allowance, visit travel-made-simple.com, and always double check size and weight restrictions with the airline when booking!
  

• Types: Depending on travel type, destination, and personal preference, there are tons of options for types of bags. We have traveled with everything from roller suitcases to hiking backpacks. To ensure compliance with the size and weight restrictions, we recommend to stick to suitcases under the 22x14xx9 inch limit, or backpacks around 40 liters. For ease of travel, and size compliance, we recommend the Osprey Fairview and Osprey Porter! However, for individuals with physical limitations, back or neck injuries/pain, travelers heading to easily accessable destinations, or someone who wants to bring along ALL of their adorable travel outfits, there are some great suitcase options that wont break the bank!
  

• Purse or day pack: The personal item for the flight generally includes items the size of a school backpack or smaller. I always take advantage of this, and pack my school backpack with the valuables like my laptop and camera, and also put my purse and wallet in it! See below for my day pack packing guide! If heading to a high theft area, I recommend an anti-theft bag for extra security when using it throughout the trip. If youre not too worried about it, I recommend a normal cross body purse for daily wear to help keep track of it and for better security of valuables! 

1. Osprey Fairview 40L: This backpack is the perfect travel bag! Fitted for women, it is supportive, lightweight, and opens like a duffle bag for easy access to items within. It fits carry on requirements for most airlines, and is big enough to store a weeks worth of outfits and travel necessities.
2. Osprey Farpoint 40L: Nearly identical to the Fairview, the Farpoint is the version designed for men. 
3. Amazon 22" luggage": For those traveling to easily accessible areas or who prefer a suitcase, this is a great option! It is hard sided to protect items inside, it spins, so can turn any direction and stand upright, and is carry on size.
4. Travelon Anti Theft Slim Backpack Purse: This backpack is anti theft, and is small enough to wear daily while traveling, but big enough to hold a wallet and camera. 
5. Dakine 20L Backpack: This had been my go to backpack for years (Both school and travel!). It had a laptop sleeve, water bottle holder on the side, and can fit all of the carry on items you wish to access during the flight. 
6. Crossbody Purse: I usually travel with a crossbody purse. This one is roomy enough to fit a wallet, sunscreen, and sunglasses, and the crossbody design helps prevent theft or loss while traveling.
7. Anti-Theft Day Pack: A larger day pack with added safety features to protect valuables. 
8. Osprey Day Pack : A great, lightweight and high quality option for a carry on/day trip bag! Can attach directly to the front of the Osprey Fairview and Farpoint bags. 

Day Pack Packing Guide for Flight

For your flight, the larger bag goes overhead, and the smaller underneath the seat in from of you. This means that all items you wish to access during the flight should be packed in the smaller bag.  My bag typically includes...

Clothing

Tops

• 4-6 tank tops/t-shirts. 
• 1 Northface Rain Jacket
• 1 long sleeve shirt (great for on travel days, the airplane can get chilly!)
• I find most of mine at American Eagle or Amazon! 

Bottoms

• 1 denim short
• 1 black short
• 1 white short
• 1 linen/cotton shorts 
• 1 athletic legging (I recommend the 90 degree by Reflex Capri Leggings with a cellphone pocket! They are super comfortable, affordable, and great for travel days!)
• Again, I find most of my shorts at American Eagle or Hollister. 

Dresses/Rompers

• 2-3 dresses or rompers. They are lightweight, great for the weather, and double as swimsuit coverups! 
• Links: Yellow Dress, Green Romper, Green dress, Two Piece

Swimwear

• 2-4 swimsuits
• 1 Rash Guard (on our first trip to Mexico I didn't have a rash guard, and ended up with a horrible sunburn on my back from hours of snorkelling) 
• 1 Swimsuit coverup
• Links: Rash guard, Coverup, Becca One Piece Swimsuit, Black/White Striped Bikini, Green Bikini
• My go-to for affordable swimwear includes American Eagle, Hollister, H&M, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack, and Amazon. 

Shoes

• Sandals (I love my Birkenstocks, but for something more affordable, I use and recommend these Blowfish Sandals from Amazon)
• Waterproof shoes (Chacos or any other open or closed toe water shoe)
• Sneakers (For hiking, travel days, or working out).  I love the Nike Flyknits because they are ultra lightweight and breathable! 
• Flip Flops (I just use cheap ones from Old Navy!)

Bras/underwear

• 1 regular bra
• 2 bralettes
• 1 sports bra
• 1 strapless bra
• Enough underwear for trip duration 

Accessories

• Sunglasses: A quality (yet affordable) pair of sunglasses is a travel must! 
• Personal favorite sunglasses: If you have a small face like mine, it can be super hard to shop for womens sunglasses! Although definitely a splurge, I found that the Juniors Ray-Bans are the absolute best and are so comfortable! Plus, they are cheaper than adults sizes! 
• Straw Hat (If you have ever had a severe scalp or forehead sunburn, you'll understand the necessity!). These come in a variety of colors and offer SPF 50! 

Packing Tips

• Utilize packing cubes to condense and organize clothing. Roll clothes and place into bags.Pack an empty packing cube or a small laundry bag for dirty items.
  
• Place electronics and clear TSA toiletry bag near top for easy access during security at airport.
• Place clothing or small packing cube used for undergarments in the straw hat in bag to help maintain shape.
  
• Pack electronics and breakable items in smaller backpack (day pack) to prevent damage and ensure safety on flight. 
  

Electronics 

1. Kindle 7
2. Macbook Air
3. Portable Charger
4. Ipad 
5. Gopro selfie stick
6. Sony a6000
7. Portable luggage scale
8. GoPro
9. Micro SD cards
10. Travel Tripod
11. Iphone
12. Bluetooth headphones
13. Waterproof bluetooth speaker 
14. Not pictured: Chargers for all electronics. 

We love our bluetooth speaker (which is waterproof!), and often play music with the speaker in our daypacks while we ride around on our mopeds or motorcycles, or while lounging on the beach or hotel room. 

Before we leave for our trip, we take advantage of the Netflix download feature, and download movies for free for entertainment during out flights and layovers. If we both want to watch, we bring headphones with cords and a headphone splitter so we can both listen. 

One of our best investments has been our Sony a6000 DSLR mirrorless camera. It rakes high quality photos, but is mirrorless so is small and lightweight!

We have also been saved on several occasions by having a portable charger, like when all of our booking information and flights was on our dying cellphone (tip: we know print and have a folder with copies of all documents, bookings, some maps and addresses, and extra photocopies of our passports!). 

Our luggage scale is extremely handy, and saves you from holding up the line at check in while trying to shuffle items around to different bags to meet weight limits. Its tiny, portable, and cheap, and totally worth the investment if trying to fly on a budget and keep baggage within the limits! 

Toiletries

Clear Travel Bag

• This bag is TSA approved for flying with liquids. Liquids are generally limited to 3 ounce containers. We use the clear TSA bag for liquids only.
• For other items, we use a hanging toiletry bag! These are super convenient and make it easy to keep small hotel bathroom counters clutter free. 
• Included in the clear bag is sunscreen, shampoo and conditioner, aloe vera, toothpaste, lotion, bug spray, chapstick with spf, and hand sanitizer. 
• For sunscreen, I swear by Neutrogena Dry Touch and the dermatologist recommended Elta MD. I am acne prone, and both of these work extremely well and don't cause me to break out. They also contain helioplex, and protect against UVA and UVB rays.
• If you plan on just staying on the beaches, you probably won't need bug spray. However, if you are heading on tours to the jungle, visiting Xplor or another ecopark, or going on any tours inland, we recommend bug spray! 
• In the silicone toiletry containers, we recommend bringing along your favourite shampoo, conditioner, aloe vera, and lotion. On our first trip to Mexico we were both burnt to a crisp, and spent an entire afternoon looking for aloe vera, and spent triple the price on a bottle as we would have at home. Lesson learned! When filling these bottles just be sure to leave a little room to accommodate for changes in air pressure while flying! 
• I also throw in any liquid based makeup or first aid products like BB Cream, benzoyl peroxide, Neosporin, and tiger balm (great for muscle aches and bug bites!).

Canvas Makeup Bag

• The canvas makeup bag is used to store all of our non liquid items. This includes a mini hair straightener, my favourite Clinique waterproof mascara, a toothbrush and holder, nail kit, pill organizer, electrolyte replenisher packets (great for hangovers or after getting a stomach bug), deodorant, a razor, bobby pins (I tie my hair ties around my bobby pin container for storage), and a foldable hairbrush.
• In the pill organizer, I include ibuprofen, Tums, Imodium, melatonin, and dramamine (for motion sickness on busses or on the ferry).
• Included in either this bag or my day pack is wet wipes (for wiping hands or germy airplane armrests and trays), and neutrogena face wipes. 

Miscellaneous

1. Packing Cubes: These are one of the greatest inventions for travel EVER! Just roll your clothes and separate them into these nifty bags to keep organised throughout your trip.
2. First Aid Kit: This kit is great! Just be sure to take out this scissors before you travel, and store the liquids and gels in your clear TSA bag. We also add Neosporin to our TSA bag. 
3. Dry Bag: the 5L size is perfect to store our camera and phones while we are anywhere they might get wet.
4. Water Bottle: Save money (and the environment!) while traveling by bringing your own reusable water bottle. We always fill ours up once we get through security at the airport.
5. Eye Mask: For long flights or travel days.
6. Folder: Before our trip, we print out all of our documents for hotels, flights, and transportation. We also make photocopies of our passports, print maps or itineraries, and Groupon or travel vouchers. (All of this is also on our phone, but we have had experiences of said phone being stolen and/or the battery died which resulted in a stressful situation). 
7. Inflatable Travel Pillow: It blows up quickly, but you don't have to lug around a large bulky pillow for the remainder of the trip. Just deflate and you're on your way!
8. Passport Holder: cute and keeps your passport safe!
9. Pens: These always come in so handy! From filling our tourist cards at the border or airplane, to scribbling down notes or directions, we are always glad we brought them along.
10. Snorkel Set: For any avid snorkelers, it is so worth it to have your own set! We love having our own and having the freedom to pack up and take the scooter around to different snorkel spots. Plus, masks form to your face over time, allowing for a better fit an more comfortable experience.
11. Ear Plugs: For getting sleep on flights or airports during layovers, or for the time you unknowingly book a hotel near the clubs. 
12. Microfiber Quick Dry Towel:  These towels dry almost instantly, and fold up super small!
13. Sand Cloud Beach Towel: I am in love with this company and what they do! Featured on Shark Tank, this company uses recycled materials to create beach themed attire and products. These towels are super lightweight, non stick (so sand falls right off!), and fold up small so are great for travel. Many budget hotels do not offer beach towels, so this comes in super handy! Also, 10% of each purchase goes back to help save marine life!