It’s a new year, meaning so many possibilities for fun travel adventures. With the world opened back up, international travel is on the rise, and those 2020 trips that got canceled are looking more like a possibility again. On your next international adventure, pack in a maximum of 2 backpacks. One larger pack, and one smaller daypack. And yes this is regardless of whether you’re taking a week-long trip or a 3-month trip. Note that if you are taking two backpacks, at least one of them needs to be able to fit comfortably under the seat on an airplane. The other backpack you pack needs to be able to fit in the overhead luggage compartment.
There are so many benefits to carrying just a backpack on international travel adventures, and thankfully Gregory has an awesome line of packs. The Tribute for women and the Tetrad for men are two great options for international adventure travel. Both lines of backpacks come with a removable daypack, giving you an all-in-one solution.
The two major perks for packing in only a carry-on backpack or two are as follows:
- No additional baggage fees – When you only pack carry-ons the chances of having to pay additional baggage fees are much slimmer meaning you can save that money for fun excursions while traveling instead.
- No overpacking – By limiting yourself to only carry-ons you stifle the urge to overpack and force yourself to pack only the essentials. Just remember that anything you forget, you can probably buy it while traveling, so don’t stress yourself out too much about making sure you have absolutely everything.
Here are my 3 best practices when trying to squeeze your life into a backpack for an abroad travel tip:
- Use packing cubes
Packing cubes are a great way to keep track of all your items and organize your backpack. Some best practices are to separate out your packing clutches by category. For example, you can have a packing cube for all your shirts, a packing cube for your shorts, etc. Packing cubes also helps keep your bag organized. Nothing is more stressful than having an explosion in your backpack every time you open it trying to find an article of clothing. By using packing cubes you limit the “explosion” just to the single cube rather than the entire backpack.
- Save space on shoes
When traveling with a backpack you usually do not have the luxury of packing all the different types of shoes you want. I recommend wearing your bulkiest pairs of shoes on your travel days, and making sure just to pack one pair of flip-flops or water shoes, one pair of athletic shoes (hiking boots or sneakers), and one versatile everyday shoe.
- Roll Roll Roll
Rolling saves a TON of space because it squeezes air out and maximizes the available space. It’s also a great way to prevent wrinkles in clothes, which can get really frustrating when you’re on a trip with no access to an iron or a steamer.
One quick insider tip for you – fanny packs are not considered part of your carry-on luggage count. I have used a fanny pack multiple times to bypass the “2 carry-ons only” rule. The new Nano collection has 3 different small pack options that would be perfect for stashing a few extra items (coming spring 2023).
2023 is your year to explore! Happy travels!