After nearly a decade of full-time travel across 95-plus countries, living out of a carry-on the whole way, I’ve made every packing mistake you can think of.
Overpacking. Packing for fake scenarios. Trying to be cute instead of comfortable. I’ve done it all, and now I know exactly what not to pack.
I’ve written up the whole carry-on system we use – the bag, the cubes, the color palette, all of it. This page is the women’s half: the specific things I carry, the things I leave home, and the reasoning, so you can travel smarter, better, cheaper. And without dragging a suitcase full of regret.
The exact three pairs of shoes I travel with
Shoes are the number one space-waster in most suitcases. They’re bulky, they’re heavy, and most of them never get worn.
I used to pack five or six pairs because I wanted options for every possible scenario. What actually happened? I wore the same two pairs the entire trip and lugged the others around for no reason.
Now I bring exactly three, and these are the actual three:
- White leather Cole Haan sneakers – the comfortable walking pair that handles long travel days, cobblestone streets and airport sprints.
- REEF flip flops – for beach days, pool time and quick errands.
- Rothy’s flats – the dressier pair that works with a cute outfit for dinner or going out.
That’s it. Those three cover everything I actually do while traveling. They’re neutral, they’re versatile, and they all fit in a carry-on without playing shoe Tetris.
If I genuinely need something specific, like hiking boots, I wear them on the plane instead of packing them.
You only need one handbag
You do not need a different bag for every outfit. You don’t need a big purse, a small purse, a clutch, a belt bag and a tote.
One well-chosen crossbody or anti-theft bag is all you need. It should be lightweight, neutral enough to go with everything, and secure enough for busy city streets and public transport.
Mine has a zip closure, an adjustable strap, and just enough space for the essentials: phone, wallet, lip balm, sunglasses, a small pack of tissues. It’s comfortable on long travel days, it’s easy to carry at night, and I never worry about leaving it behind because it’s always on me.
Switching bags wastes time, and it’s exactly how things get forgotten in the shuffle. One great travel bag simplifies everything.
Jewelry and anything else you’d hate to lose
Travel is not the time for anything you’d be devastated to lose. Expensive jewelry, sentimental pieces, family heirlooms – anything you’d hesitate to toss in a bin at security stays home.
Things get lost, stolen, and forgotten in hotel safes all the time. We were burglarized in Cyprus, and the jewelry I had with me went.
Here’s my whole system: one or two necklaces, one pair of earrings, and a simple bracelet that look nice and carry zero emotional or financial value. They go with everything, and if they vanish, I won’t care.
I’ve seen people lose engagement rings and vintage necklaces on the road, and it ruins the trip in a way a stolen t-shirt never could. Keep it simple, keep it replaceable, and leave anything truly valuable at home where it’s safe.
You don’t need a different outfit for every day
This is the biggest mindset shift in packing light.
You’re not going on a fashion show. You’re traveling. You don’t need seven perfectly styled outfits for a seven-day trip.
What you need is a small collection of mix-and-match pieces that are comfortable, easy to wear, and can be dressed up or down. I pack a few tops, a couple of bottoms, one or two dresses, and a light layer. I stick to a neutral palette with a few accent pieces so everything works together – and if you want help choosing yours, my free packing app walks you through building a travel color palette.
If something gets dirty, I wash it. If I wear the same outfit twice, no one notices. And even if they do, who cares? You’re not trying to impress strangers you’ll never see again.
Fewer decisions, less stress, more room in your bag. Your back and your baggage fees will both thank you.
The quick nos
These four come up constantly, so here they are without the lecture. The full reasoning for each lives in the carry-on system.
- The beach towel. It takes up half your suitcase and dries slower than a travel day hangover. Most hotels and Airbnbs have towels, and worst case you buy a cheap one locally and leave it behind.
- The hair dryer. Most places have one, and you can check the amenities before you book. Bringing yours abroad is a great way to blow a fuse or fry your hair. I’ve seen it happen. Fried hair. Burned plugs. Total mess.
- Full-size toiletries. Security takes them, and even in a checked bag they leak. Travel sizes, or buy when you land – in Europe and Asia the local products are often better anyway.
- Anything “just in case.” If you’re packing for a scenario you’ve imagined but probably won’t happen, don’t. You can almost always buy what you need locally. Pack for real life, not imaginary scenarios.
Cash, briefly
Don’t travel with a stack of cash. It’s not safer, and it’s not smarter.
We carry a little local currency for emergencies and put nearly everything on a no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card, with a Schwab ATM card for the rare cash pull, because it reimburses ATM fees and skips the bad exchange rates.
Most of the world is card-first now, even for small purchases.
The gadgets that didn’t make it
We’ve bought, packed and ditched more travel tech than I can count. Some of it sounded brilliant until it broke, took up too much space, or sat untouched while we reached for the same few things over and over.
Here are the seven that earned a permanent place in our carry-ons – everything else stayed behind.
The Travel Safety Guide I wrote
Half of packing light is packing safe, and that’s a whole subject.
The handbag that stays zipped on a crowded tram. The jewelry decision. What to do in the twenty minutes after something goes wrong anyway. Nobody sat me down and taught me this stuff either. Matt and I got unlucky enough times across close to 100 countries to figure it out, and I put everything I trust into The Smart Woman’s Guide to Safer Travel.
How to read a neighborhood before you book. How to handle taxis and arrivals in a city you don’t know. How to protect your phone, your money and your documents every day you’re away. What to do when things go wrong, and in what order. Plus eight grab-and-go checklists and a fill-in emergency card for your wallet.
Frequently asked questions
How many pairs of shoes should I pack for a trip? Three: comfortable walking shoes, sandals or flip-flops, and a dressier flat that works for dinner. That combination covers everything I actually do while traveling, and I’ve been doing this full time for nearly a decade. If a trip genuinely needs hiking boots, wear them on the plane.
What’s the best travel purse? The one that’s lightweight, neutral, and secure – a crossbody or anti-theft style with a zip closure and an adjustable strap, big enough for phone, wallet, lip balm, sunglasses and tissues, and nothing more. One bag, worn on you, every day.
Should I bring nice jewelry on vacation? No. Bring one nice-looking pair of earrings and a simple bracelet with no real or sentimental value. Jewelry gets lost, stolen and forgotten in hotel safes constantly – ours was taken in a burglary in Cyprus – and the trip-ruining losses are always the irreplaceable ones.
Is it okay to wear the same outfit twice while traveling? Yes, and nobody notices. Pack mix-and-match pieces in a neutral palette, wash things when they’re dirty, and spend the saved space and stress on the trip itself.
How much cash should I carry? A little local currency for emergencies, and cards for everything else. A no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card plus an ATM card that reimburses fees beats a stack of bills on both safety and exchange rate.
Final thought
Packing light makes every part of travel easier. Navigating airports, getting up the stairs at your Airbnb, fitting everything back in your bag at the end of the trip.
These are the tips that have saved me the most stress as a woman on the road. The shoes, the one bag, the cheap earrings, the outfits nobody’s judging. Start there, and when you’re ready for the whole system, the carry-on article is the other half of this page.
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