Best travel packing hacks: Travel with carry on luggage only

When we planned our trip to Ireland, we were mentally prepared to take a suitcase or two. Traveling with just carry on luggage? Not a chance! Afterall, we were travelling with two little kids across the Atlantic! The weeks leading up to our trip, we heard horror stories of people loosing their checked bags or waiting at the baggage claim areas to locate their bags for hours at end.

This is when we decided to travel with carry on only. Our plans comprised of driving all around Southern Ireland and in case a bag was lost, we would not be able to provide them with a specific address for delivering it. Let me tell you, I was skeptical. We have two little kids. Although they do not need tons of things, it would be a challenge to pack it all in carry on luggage. BUT the prospect of loosing a bag was scarier. And so, I gave it a try!

The first time, there were things we learnt and thought we could have still cut back on. But now we know that this is going to be the way we travel. To say the least, it was a big success. So here are our used and trusted travel packing hacks on traveling with only carry on luggage with our two kids.

The best carry on luggage

Let me start off by talking about the two best carry on suitcase we use for ALL our trips.

1. Pakt Bag

This is not your typical small suitcase with wheels although having at least one carry on luggage with wheels while traveling with your family is a blessing. We own a Pakt backpack and this was one of the lightest carry on luggage we took on our trip. The bag has multiple pockets which is extremely helpful when traveling with kids. We were able to fit both the girls clothes in this one bag – from hoodies to nap time diapers, it all fit!

Although this bag does not have wheels nor was it our largest carry on luggage, it was definitely a small carry on luggage that fit a ton. If you have a rolling carry on luggage with wheels, the backpack has sleeves that easily fit into any bag that can wheel.

We also use this backpack as a day bag during our trip. We pack in extra pair of clothes for all 4 of us, lots of snacks and activities for the girls during those long car drives. Our hoodies, raincoats, etc are also all in this backpack. I have used this bag for over 2 years and it is one of those bags I reach for every time I need to pack to go anywhere – even for an overnight to my parents house. It is honestly the best carry on luggage that holds the most and it is the best small carry on luggage we own.

2. IKEA carry on luggage

Not a lot of people know this, but IKEA once had (or still does) some of the best carry on luggage. I haven’t seen them in stores and don’t own one but my parents have two and we have taken them for our trips for years now. It is one of the most durable carry on luggage we take with us and it is a lightweight suitcase on wheels.

The beauty of this bag is there are literally two bags in one. This means you can pack a lot of stuff and if the bag gets heavy, you can unzip the front portion which also becomes a backpack. You can then take the smaller bag as your personal item and as an airplane carry on. It is a very small carry on and easily fits under the front seat.

I love the two-in-one concept of this bag. It helps you remain hand’s free while walking across the airport which is so important when traveling with kids. Don’t tell my parents this but my kids also sit on these bags from time to time when they need a break from walking.

If you are looking for the perfect travel carry on bags and also the most spacious carry on luggage then this is the bag for you! If you find one at IKEA, BUY IT and buy 4 for me as well (I have been looking for them for years). These are great lightweight carry on bags with wheels and one of my MOST recommended packing hacks for traveling.

Travel hacks for packing

When traveling with kids, there are so many things you can get away with without packing. Most of the bigger cities or towns will have all the essentials you need unless you use a specific brand that might not be available in the country you visit. One of the best packing travel hacks for kids we believe in is ditch things you can find at your destination.

When we pack our carry on luggage, we pack Amarra’s nap diapers enough for the first couple of nights. We take enough snacks just for the airplane and pack travel size toiletries in our carry on luggage. I am very picky with my shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. I buy a travel sized reusable bottle from Walmart (can be found in the travel sized items). I refill these equate bottles before every trip. This also prevents me from carrying more than what I need. My bottles typically last us for a week between the 4 of us.

Once we reach our destination, first thing we do is, visit a grocery store (way more than once). Our purchases include snacks, fresh fruits, water, and other essentials for our trip. The girls love trying new snacks in different countries, and it also keeps them busy during our long car rides.

If we are planning to stay in an Airbnb, I buy local bread, butter, eggs, a carton of milk and some travel sized cereal boxes. Honestly, Ireland had the best bread, butter, and cheese. We literally packed and ate sandwiches for lunch during our day trips from the Airbnb.

Tip: I have been told to use packing cubes but the way I am, I do not see this working out for me or for our family! If this is something that works for you, consider using them!

Travel tips and hacks

While you read our best packing hacks for travel, this section will cover more packing travel tips. The way we pack our carry on luggage suitcase defines how often we need to open our bags during our flight.
Between the 4 of us, we take 4 carry on bags and 2 personal items.

Bag 1

This bag has all the girls clothes, hoodies, a small soft toy each and a muslin night blanket they can’t sleep without. I typically pack a pair of clothes for each day and then have tons of extras. Their clothes are so tiny, and you will be able to fit way more than you can image. If we have an Airbnb stay planned around the half way mark, I keep this in mind and make sure to do a load of laundry.

Bag 2 and Bag 3

Each of us take a bag for ourselves. We have our clothes, 1 toilet bag between the 4 of us, hoodies, rain jacket and anything weather appropriate we may need. We under pack for ourselves and rely heavily on the Airbnb stay to wash some clothes to wear again.

Bag 4

If there are any thick hoodies or jackets, we typically pack it in this bag. This is the bag we keep ready to open on the airplane if needed. There is an extra pair of clothes in here for each of us and any extras that may have not fitted into our own bags. These travelling hacks for packing has helped us make the most of the space in our carry on luggage and also bring back a ton of stuff (we had no plans to shop at our destination!).

Tip – Make the most of the personal item you can take on the aircraft with you! We usually pack our personal bag with snacks, IPads, some activities for the girls and our passport pouch in my personal bag. We don’t take personal items for the girls – knowing who will be carrying it at the end! Rohan usually has his camera bag as his personal item.

What we brought back!

When we planned our trip to Ireland for 8 days, we had NO intention of shopping or buying anything other than some souvenirs to bring back home. During one of my grocery store hauls, I realized that it was a full-fledged department store. There were so many clothes on sale ranging from 1-5 Euros for each one of us. I literally brought 2 bags worth of clothes back. The best part? They all still fit in our carry on luggage. We wore our heaviest clothes and THIS definitely helped. We ended up packing our bags in a different way on our way back.

Things we ALWAYS pack in our carry on bag

• Snacks for the flight and for the first few hours once we reach our destination
• Activities for the girls
• Lots of extra pair of clothes for the girls
• A few nap diapers
• Hoodies for all 4 of us
• A rain jacket depending on your destination
• Hats for all 4 of us
• Travel sized sunscreen
• My laptop
• Chargers for our phones, laptops, iPad
• Empty reusable water bottles – these are so helpful when you are out for the day and have no access to stores
• One toilet bag between the 4 of us (placed at the very top in the carry on bag) – this has travel sized bottles of our everyday essentials and its extremely helpful when you have to pull out just this one bag at screening.

Tip: All liquids less than 100mL need to be put in a separate bag for screening purposes and its quick when all these things are in the same place

Things we NEVER pack in our carry on bag

• Shoes! They take us so much space and we usually wear a pair that we intent to wear throughout our trip
• Make up – there have been so many times I have packed makeup but never used it on a trip that I eventually stopped carrying it with me
• Hair iron – Another thing I used to take but never used
• Medication for the girls. We usually keep a travel size Advil with us in our personal bag, but no other meds come with us. These meds are generic and available everywhere we go.
• Anything more than 100ml. You WILL be flagged and they WILL find it. I know this because I accidentally left a sunscreen bottle in one of my bags – all the way at the bottom too!
• Pocket knives
• Razor blades

Our Story

When we decided to travel with kids, one of our biggest fears was the amount of stuff we would need to haul with us on each of our trip. To be honest with you, the first trip we went on with our older daughter while she was 3 months old, we severely over packed. So much so that we paid for an extra full-sized suitcase.

We packed things like her bath seat insert, cloth diapers, 3 pairs of night clothes PER NIGHT – you name it and we had it. I am thankful we did this trip though because we learnt so much as new and first-time parents on what a child would need on a trip.

On our next trip, we got smarter and although we over packed again, it was nowhere close to our first experience. We did not pay for an extra suitcase, but we still have a lot more things than what she needed. Each trip has been cutting down on luggage and traveling lighter.

Although, some may not consider travelling with 4 carry on bags “light”, it is a big win for us! We realized how much easier it is to travel without checked bags. We now know how much time we waste at the airport waiting around for our bags.

Toronto Pearson Airport was rated as the top 5 worst airports in the world right before our trip to Ireland. We had seen photos of bags lying there from weeks – bags that were lost or owners that had no idea where their bags were while they sat in a different part of the airport. These photos were horrifying, and this is what convinced me to give it a try!

Trying something new is always so scary the first time and this was too. BUT, I am glad we gave it a shot. This is definitely going to be our way of traveling from now on. If you are interested in reading more about our travels, you can read it here!

Final Thoughts

I have shared our best packing hacks for travel with you. Each of these tips are tried and tested with our kids. If we can travel light, so can you. Our packing hacks for suitcase will help you travel light for your next trip. After all, you are on vacation and the last thing you want to do on the airplane is stress if your bags will make it there!

We are so glad we gave this a try. Our next trip is to Fiji and New Zealand, and we are traveling for 18 days! You bet I am motivated to travel with only carry on luggage. Not only is it stress free, but it was extremely quick too. Not having checked baggage usually means we are usually out of the airport in 30 minutes.

Final tip: Make sure you know the weight limits that airlines allow and do not cross this limit.

I hope you found this blog post helpful and I hope that I convinced you of trying to travel light with your kids. Are you convinced to travel with only carry on luggage for your next big trip? If you have any questions about packing or traveling with carry on bags, feel free to reach out to us!