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Minimalist Packing and Travel Tips

It’s that time of year when many of us will be traveling to see family, or maybe taking a nice trip for fun! My husband and I just got back from a ten day trip to Oslo, Norway and we only brought carry-on luggage. As you may know, I apply my minimalism and organization principles to every area of life. This is our second week+ trip to Europe with only carry-ons, so I wanted to share a few of my minimalist travel tips because I think it makes the whole experience feel a lot lighter and more relaxed!

Minimalist packing and travel tips

A few of my packing accessories laid out before a trip

Organize your travel accessories

Having a central, consolidated zone in your home for luggage and travel accessories will make packing so much easier. We keep ours in a hallway closet on the top shelves since we only travel about once per month. If you travel more often, you may want to store things in a more accessible way. We store all of our travel accessories inside these MUJI bins with optional lids. We use these bins throughout our home because they are so visually quiet and soft to the touch—plus they come in so many modular size options.

My husband and I each have the Away Carry-on and the Away Backpack (mine in black, his in gray). We also have the Away Packing Cubes, which fit perfectly into the carry-on suitcases. Almost all of our other travel accessories are from MUJI. I have linked many of them below in my packing list.

Create a digital packing list

After getting some travel under my belt, I decided I needed a list I could reference repeatedly to streamline the packing process. This has saved me so much time and energy! I created my list in Google Drive (my preferred cloud storage). Before packing for each trip, I print it out and cross through each item once it’s been packed.

I’ve copied/pasted my list below if you’d like to use it as a starting point! I have also linked to some of my favorite travel accessories within the list where they’re mentioned. Note: my husband and I only travel with carry-on luggage (no checked bags), so these lists were developed with that in mind.

LIST 1 | Flights

In backpack—

  • TSA toiletry case: face wash, shampoo, body wash, moisturizer, lotion, saline, extra contacts, eye drops, toothpaste, small hand soap, hand sanitizer

  • Front pockets: eye mask, glasses, lint roller & refill, travel wipes, tissues

  • Main section: chargers (laptop charger, phone charger, watch charger, travel charger plug, travel battery), noise canceling headphones, scarf (use as blanket), travel pillow, snacks

  • Laptop

  • Phone, watch

  • Water bottle

  • Purse (stock ibuprofen), sunglasses, house key (pull out driver’s license for quick access)

In suitcase—

Optional depending on trip—

  • COVID vaccine cards, masks, COVID test

  • Passport & copy of passport

  • Blow dryer, folding backpack, fabric steamer

  • Hat, scarf, gloves, umbrella, rain jacket, bathing suit

  • Metro pass holder, storage for receipts, cash, business cards

  • Kindle & charger

List 2 | Ground Travel

  • Toiletry case: face wash, shampoo, body wash, moisturizer, lotion, saline, extra contacts, eye drops, toothpaste, large hand soap, Aesop resurrection, contacts case, toothbrush, floss picks, deodorant, comb, tweezers, razor, earrings

  • Glasses, headband, lint roller & refill, loofa, tampons & travel wipes, tissues

  • Clothing: bras, underwear, socks, outfits, pajamas, jacket

  • Shoes, travel slippers

  • BAGGU for dirty laundry

  • Electronics: laptop, watch, chargers (laptop charger, phone charger, watch charge, travel charger plug, travel battery), headphones

  • Water bottle

  • Purse (stock ibuprofen), sunglasses, house key

Add for train—

  • Eye mask, travel pillow, noise cancelling headphones

Add for beach—

  • Bathing suits, beach cover-ups

  • Food, paper towels, dish soap

  • Sunscreen, bug spray

  • Speaker & charger

  • Shed: pop-up tent, chairs/umbrellas, floaties, towels, slides, beach backpack

  • Pillow

Optional depending on trip—

  • COVID vaccine cards, masks, COVID test

  • Blow dryer, fabric steamer, folding backpack

  • Hat, scarf, gloves, umbrella, rain jacket, bathing suit

  • Metro pass holder, storage for receipts, cash, business cards

  • Kindle & charger

  • Dish soap, laundry detergent

Lay everything out before packing & pack light

Once I’ve printed out my digital packing list, I lay everything out on the bed before I begin to pack. I am limited to my carry-on size luggage, so I have to be mindful of what I bring. The amount of clothing varies depending on the trip. If we ever travel somewhere for more than a week, we always look for accommodations with laundry. This way, we don’t have to pack as much clothing. I created two videos before our 15 day trip to Sweden and Denmark in 2019 showing what I packed and how I packed it:

My husband’s and my Away luggage before our trip to Oslo last month

Create a “to do before leaving” list

After merging homes with my husband, we realized we needed to create a pre-trip to do list—all of those last minute things that need to be done the day before or the day of travel. We also store this in Google Drive and print it out for each trip. We mark our initials next to each task so we can divide and conquer. Here are a few things from our list to get you started!

Day before—

  • Wash clothing

  • Wash any other linens

  • Clean rabbit cages

  • Make sure rabbits have supplies

  • Vacuum & dust

  • Begin to pack

  • Charge water bottles, AirPods, etc.

  • Empty fridge

Day of—

  • Wash & put away dishes

  • Take out trash

  • Fold clothing

  • Finish packing

  • Pack food/fridge if needed

  • Shut off iMac

Keep things organized at your destination

If I am traveling somewhere for more than one night, I always unpack my toiletries and packing cubes into the storage provided. It makes it easier to access things and I can feel organized and settled even while I’m away from home. I make sure to limit the number of cabinets/drawers I store things in so I don’t leave anything behind.

I also create a special Google Map for each place we visit. I organize saved locations into categories such as “Art & Architecture”, “Food & Drink”, “Nature”, “Shopping”, etc. This way, we can create loose plans for the day and then see what’s around us once we’re out. Here’s an example via our Oslo, Norway map.

Enjoy your trip and safe travels!

Kristen Ziegler