Settling This Debate Once and For All

And what else we've been up to. 👀

Welcome back, dear friends!

This week, we’re having our first-ever guest contributor, and she is incredible: Rachael Levine from Tripping Millennial. I first met Rachael through my full-time work at Money with Katie (she joined us with some invaluable insights on the power of taking a sabbatical!) and have been obsessed with her since, so I’m thrilled to share her work with all of you today.

Plus, she’s writing on a topic we feel pretty strongly about: We’re almost always team carry-on. (We know, we know, hot take.)

So, how can you pack for weeks—or even months at a time—with just a carry-on? I’ll let Rachael take it from here (with advice I also highly recommend and follow myself!). We’ll see you again down at the Inflight Menu.

—Henah xx

How to Pack Efficiently—Even For Months at a Time

I am a lifetime pupil of efficient packing. From weekend road trips to months-long travel across continents, I have packed for trips of all types and lengths, and I have evolved into a staunchly carry-on-only girl! Here are a few reasons why I feel it makes more sense than checking a bag:

• It saves TIME. As a rule, I aim to waste as little time in airports as possible. For domestic flights, that means often showing up just 45 minutes before departure, walking straight from security onto the plane (God bless TSA PreCheck). That approach would be impossible if I were checking a bag, and my worst nail-biter, near-misses of flights occurred precisely because of backed up bag-drop counter lines. On top of that, upon arrival, you have to wait around for the baggage carousel to redeliver your precious goods!

• It saves MONEY. Unless you have status (or fly Southwest), a checked bag can generally cost an additional $35-$40. Multiplied across many flights a year, that extra cost will start to add up quickly. Keep that money and buy yourself an overpriced airport cocktail instead. You regained some time to kill, anyway.

• It avoids DISASTER. Airlines losing luggage is hardly a rare occurrence, and even the bags that make it “safely” to your destination can arrive badly scuffed or damaged beyond repair (I will forever hold a grudge against a certain airline for this reason).

• It’s EASIER. Have you ever lugged a huge checked bag around on an international trip? You’re likely to drag it across uneven or cobblestoned roads, up and down narrow staircases, and on and off trains. Simply put, it can be an exhausting experience to tote a large bag around—a word I try not to associate with my travel.

• Finally, you DON’T NEED as much as you think. Take a deep breath, hold my hand, and recognize that you truly will not need three outfits per day. I promise.

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A few tips to help you pack like a pro:

1. Get the Right Luggage

My non-negotiables for luggage are simple: sturdy shell, firm handle, and smooth-as-butter wheels. I haven’t found a bag that gets all three perfectly right, but I do appreciate how my Away carry-on has held up to years of use, and my Roam Luggage wheels are so smooth I can practically move it with a pinky finger. While I personally don’t prefer outer pockets, I do appreciate an expandable option so that I don’t have to pack my bag quite as tightly while traveling around in between flights.

(Editor’s note from Henah: I can vouch for the Away! It’s held up as well as my precious Tumi. If you have a rec of your own, please share!)

2. Compress Your Clothes

I don’t have a firm stance in the fold vs. roll debate for clothing, though I am a big believer in compressing your clothes. Whether you use the compression panels that come with carry-ons, a vacuum sealer, or (my preference) high-quality compression packing cubes, you’ll need a method to smush your items down for maximum space.

3. Embrace the Right Multi-Toiletries

Toiletries are often one of the hardest categories to pare down. While obvious advice includes bringing smaller sizes of your favorite products, I also recommend bringing as many multi-use products as possible. Multi-use oil is one of my favorites (this one in particular), as it can be used for hair, face, and body. I also love using a combination day and night moisturizer, as well as blush/lip tint combos.

4. Leverage Hotel Freebies

And on that note, if you know your hotel will have things like shampoo and conditioner, body wash, lotion, a hair dryer, a clothes iron, etc…then no need to bring any of these things! A quick bit of research in this area can go a long way toward saving space.

5. Laundry Won’t Hurt You

If you are traveling for more than one or two weeks at a time, you’ll probably need laundry service. And that’s okay! I’ve used dozens of laundromats across the world, and have found each one to be simple to use and not at all a disturbance to my trip. If you’re looking for max convenience and don’t mind the typically exorbitant price tag, most hotels offer laundry services, too.

6. The Secret VIP: The Personal Item

People spend a lot of time trying to optimize their carry-on bag while completely ignoring an equally useful tool in their efficient packing arsenal: the personal item. This is the bag that must fit underneath the airplane seat in front of you, and I carefully pack mine to the brim with my toiletries, tech, and other accessories. I personally appreciate the maximum utilitarian value I get from a backpack, but regardless of what you use, make sure it has a trolley sleeve to easily sit atop your carry-on.

7. Choose Your Airport ‘Fit Wisely

To state the obvious: What you wear on the plane doesn't have to fit in your bag. I always opt to wear my bulkiest shoes and clothing on the plane whenever possible. Often planes get a bit chilly in the cabin—plus I would never wear things like sandals or shorts—so it works out well.

We’re skipping this week’s AMA as we have a lot of other things brewing that we’re about to share, but also—candidly—because Henah has Covid. Reminder to mask up and travel safely, y’all!

• The last two books I’ve read while on #BedRest have been excellent—has anyone else read them and want to discuss?

• I was thrilled to hear from reader Megan who shared that our issue last week helped her score UK261 compensation months after the fact!

• We had our first mention as a ~publication~ over on

  Some Happy Scribbles
  (thank you, Amelia!) on getting over the travel blues. What tips would you add?

• And because I know

  Kayti Christian
  won’t promote herself… She hit 6,000 followers on her Substack (!) and launched a new pod,
  FriedEggs Podcast
  on IVF and infertility. I am consistently in awe of my sweet friend.

Kayti here:

• Speaking of luggage, I’m also a huge fan of Patagonia duffles for flights because they are sooo durable. They are having some great Labor Day sales this weekend.

• Bookmarking this for travel manicure inspo (we can’t be the only ones to get our nails done before a big trip, right?!).

Thank you again to Rachael for guest-curating this post! We are so excited to continue bringing you travel content from different voices and perspectives alongside our own. Send any recs our way (or feel free to reach out if you’re interested in writing).

Happy long weekend, friends.

—Kayti & Henah xx

weekend mood 🍝 // image of Laura Harrier / credit pinterest