How to travel with only a personal item backpack and still have everything you need
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How to Travel with Only a Personal Item Backpack

Hate paying for checked luggage? Me too. Hate lugging your huge suitcase around? Absolutely! Many airlines these days charge an extra luggage fee whether you carry-on a bag for the overhead bin or check a whole suitcase. The only thing that’s always free is a small “personal item” bag that fits under the seat in front of you. But how can you pack everything you’ll need for a week vacation in just the free personal item sized baggage?

I’ve made countless trips all over the country with only a backpack along. If a shameless over-packer like me can do it then anyone can ditch their suitcase. It simply takes a little planning and the right equipment to set you up for success. Here’s everything you need to make personal-item-only packing a breeze.


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You can have everything you need for travel with only a personal item. Traveling with a mountain of luggage like this makes for a miserable adventure.
Ditch the suitcase!

Last year, my husband and I were in Europe stopping in France, Switzerland, and Germany over one week. With the varying temperatures and occasions, I decided to pack a suitcase. Never have I regretted a decision more.

I dragged that stupid suitcase up cobblestone roads and through crowded train cars, threw it into Ubers and climbed over it in tiny Parisian elevators, carried it up and down the same freaking hill 4 times when we got lost in Munich, and then up and down 3 flights of stairs at our Airbnb. In the end, I wore a third of the clothes I’d packed, two pairs of shoes, and swore I’d never pack a suitcase for a trip like that again.

Whether you’re here hoping to avoid the same situation or just looking to save a buck on baggage fees, I’ve gathered all the tried and true tips for packing with only a free personal item sized backpack.

Check this out next: How to Travel on a Budget

Choose a Backpack that Fits Airline Personal Item Regulations

First things first, you’ll need the right bag to make personal-item-only travel possible. Most people are surprised by how large of a bag will fit airline personal item regulations.

The backpack I travel with most often is the Eagle Creek Global Companion. I’ve found that I can easily pack for a week or more with this bag. As long as it’s packed appropriately, you can fit it under the seat in front of you, counting as the free allotted personal item. If I’m really stuffing this backpack to the seams it’s still a great carry-on for the overhead bin.

The Global Companion has a cushioned laptop sleeve, and even unzips flat so you can pack both sides like a suitcase. This is great both for packing and for finding your clothes while you’re out and about.

Eagle Creek Global Companion Unzipped - great for carry-on or personal item
Eagle Creek Global Companion Unzipped

It’s built for comfort and quality, but my absolute favorite thing about this bag is the pockets! I can tuck things like cell phone, tablet, credit cards, or passport within reach and even find a home for small items like lotion, contacts, or earrings.

The Eagle Creek Global Companion backpack is loaded with pockets to store all your travel essentials - a must for personal item only travel

It also comes with a built-in rain bag, so you can wrap the entire pack and keep your stuff dry if you get caught in a storm on the way from the airport. I’ve found this rain bag wrap to double as a pickpocket deterrent as well, because it makes it incredibly difficult for anyone to access zippers or pockets without being noticed. Great for traveling in areas where pick-pocketing is a concern – like subways or tourist sites.

What’s in your carry on? Check this out: The Ultimate Carry On Packing List

Compression Packing Cubes Will Change Your Life

I always saw packing cubes as a TV ad gimmick that didn’t really work. On the advice of a good friend and frequent backpack-only traveler I finally picked up a set of Gonex Compression Packing Cubes from Amazon. The difference they make not only in bag space but also keeping organized while traveling has been incredible.

With packing cubes you simply stuff all your clothes in, zip shut, then zip the compression section around the outside to shrink everything way down. Easy to use and creates lots of extra space in your bag. I really like these over vacuum storage bags because they don’t require a vacuum or pump, and wouldn’t wear out or become compromised by a small hole.

Add clothes…
Compression Packing Cubes help make packing a personal item or carry-on possible
Zip the top zipper…
Compression Packing Cubes maximize space in your personal item or carry-on bag
Zip the compression zipper…
Gonex Compression Packing Cube zipped to save space in personal item or carry-on bag
Clothes compressed to save space in your bag!

Besides the space savings, I love how these cubes make it easy to stay organized while traveling. A great deterrent to the suitcase explosion, you can just unzip the bags and leave your stuff inside to find clothes easily throughout the trip.

Dealing with Liquids in Personal Item Carry-Ons

Since you’ll be bringing everything on the plane with you, you’ll need to think about airline regulations for liquids. TSA allows liquids and gels in only a maximum of 3.4 oz containers. They need to be packed together into only one quart-sized sandwich bag. For some, this isn’t a big deal as they can just use hotel soap and shampoo.

I hate to be the diva, but my hair just doesn’t put up with hotel shampoo. I have to bring my own shampoo, conditioner, and product plus any other liquids/gels like toothpaste, lotion, etc. If you’re like me, this might be the deal breaker on carry-on only luggage. However there are lots of tricks you can use to make it work within the regulations.

It’s relatively easy to pick up travel-sized products in most grocery or drug stores in the US. However, in my experience it’s a pretty big ripoff and leads to a lot of waste. Ever see those clear, refillable travel-size bottles in the travel section of the drug store? Those will be your best friend. You can fill and refill as needed between trips from your large product bottles at home. I recommend ones with different colors so you can tell what’s what. I like these travel bottles from Amazon because they’re a great price, the material allows you to squeeze out every last bit of conditioner, and they have built-in ID labels. Fill in your shampoo, conditioner and body wash and you’re ready to go.

There are some gels or liquids that we only need a few drops of each day. Face lotion, liquid foundation, or primer are a few examples that come to mind. These products typically come in bottles that are already within the 3.4 limit, which is great. However, when it comes time to try and fit all your liquid bottles into your one allotted quart-size bag, it can be a problem. For those items you’ll only need a little of, I suggest adding a few drops to a smaller container or jar so it won’t take up a lot of space.

Protip: I’ve found that contact lens cases do the job perfectly, as they allow two different products and are a great space saver.

Travel hack - try using a spare contact lens case to pack face lotion so you can save space in your bag
Travel hack: Use a spare contact lens case to pack face lotion and save space in your bag.

If you don’t have any small containers like this lying around, you can pick up these nice travel jars on Amazon for pretty cheap.

A note on packing your liquids

While security processes will vary, you may be required to take your bag of liquids out of the backpack when you go through security. Because of this, best practice is to avoid burying your liquids at the bottom of your bag. I usually tuck my liquids bag in the front strap of my Eagle Creek backpack. This way, I’m not scrambling through my belongings in the middle of the security line.

Plan Your Outfits

I know, I hate planning outfits ahead of time too. However, it’s the best strategy for ensuring only the essentials make it into the personal item backpack. Take some time to think about what you’ll be doing and check the weather forecast. Plan outfits for each day accordingly. Make decisions about what you can wear more than once (like jeans with different tops). Try to select outfits that can be mixed and matched. Choose 1-2 pairs of shoes that will go with everything.

Jackets, sweatshirts, and coats are huge space hogs so try to pick only one or two that pair well with all your outfits. Plan to wear your jacket and one of the selected pairs of shoes to the airport.

Be Strategic About Shoes

Shoes tend to be the biggest space hog when you’re trying to pack everything as a personal item. This calls for some strategy when picking out your clothes. For ladies, ballet flats, and slim sandals will save you. Gentlemen, choose comfortable shoes that work for both casual and nicer outfits. Choose 1-2 pairs of shoes that will go with anything. Wear the bulkiest pair of shoes on the airplane. Ideally, you’ll also want these to be something you can easily slip off and on when you go through security (if you don’t have TSA precheck).

Leave Small Items Loose in your Personal Item Backpack

When you’re packing for personal item only travel, real estate in that bag is at a premium. You’d be surprised how much space you kill by putting all the smaller items together in a larger bag. It creates a lot of dead space in your backpack. For this reason, it helps to leave small odds and ends out and tuck them around your larger items, like packing cubes.

For example, items like charging chords, pill bottles, socks, and curling irons can all be tucked into the dead space created around other items in your bag. One of my favorite tricks is to stuff all my socks inside shoes.

Travel hack - stuff all your socks inside shoes to save room in your travel bag
Travel hack – stuff all your socks inside shoes to save room in your travel bag.

Opt for a Clutch Instead of a Purse

Pick one small clutch, wristlet, or crossbody to bring for the trip. Ideally, it’ll be something that can fit your essential cards, a little cash, and passport (if applicable). If you choose a neutrally colored one, it’ll go with everything.

While I love my Kate Spade and Michael Kors as much as the next girl, I often travel with this cheap $20 clutch I purchased from Amazon. It fits my phone, passport, cards, and cash, and has a wrist-strap to keep it hands-free. It’s simple, functional, goes with everything, and I don’t have to worry about it getting scratched or dirty.

This inexpensive travel clutch is just the right size to carry phone, passport, and important cards on the go.
This inexpensive travel clutch is just the right size to carry phone, passport, and important cards on the go.

Think Outside the Box (or Backpack)

Not everything has to go in the backpack. Chances are, you’ll have a several items that don’t need to go in the bag at all. Jackets, neck pillows, a clutch or small wallet purse, and hats can stay out of the bag altogether. You can strap the neck pillow to the outside of your bag. The jacket and hat can be worn or strapped to your bag while going through security. I’ve never once had an issue boarding a plan carrying multiple small items like this, even when my ticket indicates personal-item-only.

Even if you don’t need a jacket temperature-wise, always keep it out of your bag. Why? The most obvious answer is that it saves space in the bag. Less obvious, is that the jacket pockets present additional real estate. If your personal item sized backpack is bursting at the seams, you can put some items in your jacket pockets. I’ve gone so far as to roll up a shirt and put it in the inside pocket a of jacket. Bonus space! It’s scrappy and may get a little bulky, but it does the job.

Check this out next: New Orleans on a Budget

Team Work Makes the Personal-Item-Only Dream Work

When traveling with friends or loved ones, use a team approach to packing! If you’re comfortable sharing, communicate about who can bring what. For example, one person brings a straightener, another brings the hairdryer, someone else brings contact solution, and so on.

If you can share and use the team approach when packing, you’ll be able to maximize the available space in your personal item backpack.

How to pack for a vacation with only a free airline personal item.

What are your pro-tips for getting all your essentials into the free personal item bag? I’d love to hear your strategies in the comments below!

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