This post has been sitting in my drafts for quite a while now. I believe it's been here since I came back from my trip to Lisbon. I just hadn't gotten around to editing the photos until now. Summer is just around the corner and with that come day- and weekend trips or proper holidays. What better time to share my cabin bag only tips than right before the start of summer?
Whenever I am set off to travel somewhere for a little city break, I usually end up bringing just a case that I’m allowed to bring with me on the flight. I personally prefer to do only bring a cabin bag for multiple reasons, such as saving money on flight add-ons, not being able to over pack as well as not having to wait around for your luggage at the luggage belt at the airport. It can be quite tricky though to pack your suitcase efficiently if you’re going away, which is why I thought it would be fun to share some of my cabin bag only packing tips.

Plan your outfits, create a little capsule wardrobe

One of the easiest things I have found while travelling is to plan your outfits in advance. This means you’ll basically create a little capsule wardrobe while you’re away on holiday. That’s perfect as this way you will never be able to bring too much stuff with you. By planning and bringing only one to two outfits a day with you with a limit number of items, you can pretty much be sure that you will wear all the items you brought with you. I actually wrote a capsule wardrobe packing post recently, which you will be able to find here.

Leave some space in your suitcase for you’re a little bag

If you have ever travelled with Easyjet or any other budget travel airline, you will probably know how strict they are with their luggage rules. You’re only really allowed to bring one piece of cabin luggage with you, not even a small little bag along with you. That’s why I always like to leave a bit of space in my suitcase so I can put my bag in my suitcase while boarding the plane yet still have my shoulder bag with me at the airport or once I am on the flight. It’s cheating, I know. But they usually only really check it when they are scanning your boarding ticket. My tip is to get your bag out of your suitcase again as soon as you're waiting in line to actually get in the plane, as I have never heard any flight attendants on the plane say anything about it.

Buy a lightweight suitcase

A couple of years ago I had to buy myself a new suitcase as my old one had broken. When my mum and I went into town to look for a new suitcase, we actually for the first time noticed how heavy some suitcases are. Since you’re usually only allowed to bring between 10-15 kg with you in the cabin, you should really try to find a lightweight suitcase if your old one needs a replacement soon. Buying a lightweight suitcase means you can bring an extra pair of shoes onto the flight with you, as it’s always nice to have a pair of ‘nice evening shoes’ with you while you’re away on a city trip.

Bring a lock with you in case you will end up having to check in your suitcase while boarding

The only risk you have while bringing a cabin bag with you is that there’s a chance you have to check in your suitcase while you’re boarding the flight. I honestly hate when this happens, as I just want to have my suitcase with me so I can quickly get into the city to discover it or because I want to go home soon. Sometimes there’s nothing else you can really do about it, and then you have to check it in. Most new suitcases have a lock built into the suitcase, but I always also like to bring a lock with me as it’s a lot quicker for me to just get that little lock out of my purse instead of looking up the code of that suitcase in my phone.

Only bring minis or decant your beauty bits

Whenever I’m off on a city break, I can only really bring minis with me. I also already wrote a blog post about my cabin bag beauty picks, which you can find here. Like I said in that post, it’s always good to only bring minis of your favourite products with you or decant your favourite products into little travel bottles.

Fold your clothes KonMarie proof (or roll them)

Back in the day I always used to fold my clothes into my suitcase. I found that folding was the best way to efficiently pack while not leaving any kind of weird creases into my clothes. Since I was so excited about Marie Kondo and her series on Netflix in January, I started to fold my pyjamas and underwear the Marie Kondo way and started doing that too on my latest trip. I actually found that by folding it the KonMarie-way I actually had even more space left over in my suitcase.

Always wear your heavy items

If there’s one thing I do know, it’s that it’s bloody annoying if your cabin suitcase is too heavy when they are going to weigh it. I have had this in the past and it’s an actual nightmare to even have to think about that some more while you’re basically almost on your plan. To make sure you stay within the weight limit of the airline you’re flying with, I would say that it’s super important to always wear your heavy items such as a pair of boots or a chunky knit jumper. Sometimes I even tend to layer some items such as a jumper and a coat or leather jacket.

Put your sucks inside of your shoes

My final tip is to always put the socks you’re bringing with you on your trip inside of your shoes. Socks always take up quite some space in my suitcase, as I like to bring a few extra pairs just so I’m sure I can put on a pair of fresh socks after a day of walking. Putting your socks inside of your shoes actually saves some space as there’s a little extra spot in your suitcase you can use for something else, such as a polaroid camera!