How to Pack for a Month in 5 Countries in a Carry-On

I’m boarding a plane right now and I won’t be home for a month.

I’m starting at a conference in Las Vegas, where I’ll be attending a red carpet event, multiple parties, and of course business sessions, followed by a weekend in San Francisco visiting friends, then on to Stockholm, Sweden for a couple of days before heading to Portugal for a week to explore in a rental car. Then on to Barcelona for a few days for another conference, and finally a week in Turkey, and I still don’t know what the itinerary there will include.

Whew! That’s a lot of travel in different places. Luckily, the climate will be similar enough everywhere that I don’t need to vary my attire that much. However, the activities range from hiking to the red carpet, literally, AND, I’ll be on three Ryanair flights throughout the trip, which has stricter baggage size allowance.

So how did I do it? Like a pro.

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Step 1: Choose the backpack and purse.

Backpack logic: I knew my 30L was out for this trip; I simply needed too much. Not just clothing, but my mobile office as well, which means a computer, cameras and accessories, notebooks, etc., but I still wanted something small enough to fit as a carry-on, so I turned to my trusty Gregory Jade 50.

Purse logic: I chose a zipper-top purse that is big enough to fit my laptop, with a long shoulder strap so I can carry it across my body comfortably with my backpack.

Step 2: Clothes

Left to right, top to bottom:

• 3 dressy tank tops
• 3 cotton long-sleeved shirts
• 3 t-shirts, including one to sleep in (and a pair of cotton shorts to sleep in)
• 1 warm button-up hoodie
• 3 tank tops
• 2 long sleeve cover-ups for layering (1 Smartwool pullover, 1 lightweight athletic hoodie)
• 1 dress
• 1 scarf that goes with everything
• 3 leggings (2 long, 1 capri)
• 1 black mini skirt (to layer over leggings)
• 1 pair skinny jeans
• 1 pair shorts
• 1 running skirt (see The Best Travel Skirt Ever)
• socks, underwear (lots – in case I can’t do laundry for a while), bras, and 1 bathing suit are in the green zipped pouch pictured below

Clothes logic: Notice the themes of “three” and “versatile.” All of these tops can layer with each other and with all of the bottoms, which equals multiple different outfits.

There is enough to keep me warm, enough to work out in, enough to dress up in, and enough to wear everyday clothes. Note that the business conference is casual.

Step 3: Shoes

I adapted that list to this trip based on my list of best shoes to travel with (see it in this post: Best Travel Shoes According to the Experts).

Shoe logic:

• Flip flops (always, for showers if nothing else)
• Dressy flats (hopefully they won’t kick me off the red carpet, I just can’t justify bringing heels for one night, and the flats I can wear with any outfit)
• Boots (these boots are made for walkin’, which I’ll be doing a lot of, and they’ll go nicely with jeans and leggings)
• Runners (gotta hike, run, do my thing, a month is a long time without runners)

Step 4: Gadgets

I don’t always mention that I bring my laptop because I assume most of you don’t, but this time I’m including everything because I know that sometimes we all have to bring things that aren’t considered “normal” for traveling. Just disregard the mobile office if it has nothing to do with you.

• GoPro, extra battery, cords to connect and charge
• Canon EOS M, batteries, mic, accessories, etc. (see Canon EOS M Review: A Digital SLR That Fits in Your Pocket!)
• Laptop with tiny sleeve instead of bulky case
• Passport and International Certificate of Vaccination (see How to Get US Passports, Travel Visas, and Immunizations)
• Notebooks, calendar, and business cards
• Packable purse (for those nights that you don’t need everything with you_
• Eye mask and earplugs (see 3 Things to Help You Sleep on the Road)
• Wallet with travel credit card and Charles Schwab debit card
• Adapter (see Travel Adapter and Voltage Converter Basics)
• Melatonin, Tylenol
• iPod and headphones
• Mobile charging station with all the cords I could possibly want
• Toiletries (travel size, nothing sharp)
• Hair dryer (see The Best Travel Hair Dryer)
• Glasses x2
• Emergen-C packs (gotta have ’em when I fly)

If you’re not bringing any work or electronics, you could probably cut this list in half.

Step 5: Pack it all up

Making sure my pack won’t be too fat, I pack vertically, still leaving enough room to bring home goodies, AND I know this will fit in the Ryanair overhead compartments. Everything fit just like that, I’m only carrying my laptop and a few other essentials in my purse. Voilá!