The carry-on only packing list

• Passport, and a photo of the ID page stored somewhere you can reach without your phone
• Visa or entry authorization if required for your destination
• Boarding passes, saved offline rather than relying on a signal at the gate
• One credit card plus one debit card, carried separately from each other
• A small amount of local currency for the first day
• Travel insurance details, saved offline
• Vaccination records if your destination requires them
• Driver's license or International Driving Permit if you are renting a car

Everything below goes in one quart-sized bag, each container 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less. If it does not close, something comes out - see TSA liquid rules for the detail and the exemptions.

• Shampoo and conditioner - or solid bars, which leave the quart bag entirely
• Body wash, or a bar of soap which is also not a liquid
• Toothpaste, 3.4 oz or under - or toothpaste tablets, which are solid
• Deodorant - a solid stick is not a liquid, so use one and save the space
• Sunscreen, the most commonly forgotten liquid
• Moisturizer and any skincare
• Contact lens solution
• Hand sanitizer
• Medication - exempt from the 3.4 oz limit, declare it at screening

• 6 tops - mostly casual, one or two smarter
• 3 bottoms - you re-wear these
• 7 sets of underwear
• 7 pairs of socks - merino if you might sink-wash them
• 1 warm layer - fleece or sweater, worn on the plane if possible
• 1 waterproof shell - packs small, and the trip is ruined without it
• 1 set of sleepwear
• Swimwear if relevant - weighs and packs to almost nothing
• 2 pairs of shoes including the pair you fly in

Full reasoning for these numbers, and what changes in winter, is in how to pack for a week in a carry-on.

• Phone and one charging cable per device
• One multi-port charger rather than a brick per device - the biggest single saving in this section
• Travel adapter if you are going abroad. One good one, not a drawer of country plugs
• Power bank - carry-on only, never in a checked bag
• Headphones or earbuds
• Laptop or tablet if the trip genuinely needs it
• A tech pouch to keep all of it in one liftable object

• Prescription medication in its original labeled packaging, in your carry-on rather than checked
• Painkillers and any personal basics - antihistamine, motion sickness tablets
• A few adhesive bandages and blister plasters, which matter more than a full first aid kit
• Glasses, contacts and a spare pair if you depend on them
• Reusable water bottle - empty through security, filled after
• Earplugs and an eye mask if you are flying long - see long-haul flight essentials
• A laundry cube for worn clothes

The core list is unchanged. The additions that matter, and the reasons they are here rather than assumed:

• Period products. Availability and product type vary considerably by country. Bring what you use rather than planning to buy it.
• A crossbody bag with a zip for day use - hands free, and harder to open unnoticed on a crowded metro than a backpack worn on your back.
• One dress or a versatile outfit that covers a nicer evening without being a separate packing category.
• Hair tools. A travel-size dryer or straightener is heavy and most hotels supply a dryer. If you bring one, check it is dual voltage - see best travel adapters for the converter distinction.
• A scarf or shawl. Genuinely multi-purpose: warmth on a cold plane, shoulder cover for religious sites, and a blanket.

Travel essentials for women covers the full kit, including what to skip.

• Chinos that work day and evening, which removes a whole bottom from the count.
• A soft unstructured blazer if the trip needs one - it packs flat in a garment folder where a structured jacket does not.
• Shaving kit. A safety razor is not a liquid; blades are restricted in carry-on, so check before packing. An electric shaver avoids the question entirely.
• One belt, worn rather than packed.

The item most commonly over-packed is t-shirts. Six tops for seven days is right. Travel essentials for men has the rest.

• Two sets of swimwear, so one is always dry. They weigh nothing.
• A quick-dry towel, which packs to a fraction of a cotton one and actually dries overnight.
• Sunscreen - the most forgotten liquid, and expensive at a resort. Count it in the quart bag.
• Sandals as your second pair rather than a third pair of shoes.
• A [waterproof shoe bag](/packing/best-shoe-bags-for-travel) for wet swimwear on the way home.
• A light long-sleeved layer - evenings are cooler than people expect and it doubles as sun cover.

Subtract from the core list rather than adding: a beach trip needs fewer tops and fewer bottoms, so five and two rather than six and three.

Cruises are the one trip type where carry-on-only genuinely fights the itinerary, because most lines have at least one formal or smart-casual evening and dress codes are enforced more than people expect.

• Check the dress code before packing. It varies by line and by sailing, and it decides whether this list works at all.
• One smart outfit, in fabric that recovers from folding - a garment folder makes this workable.
• A day bag for shore excursions that is not your main luggage.
• Motion sickness tablets, taken before you need them rather than after.
• A power strip without surge protection - many lines prohibit surge-protected strips, and cabins have very few outlets.
• Swimwear and a cover-up, since pool areas have their own dress expectations.

An Alaska cruise is a different list again: the same formal evening, plus genuine cold-weather layers. That is the case where checking a bag stops being a failure of discipline and starts being the right decision - see carry-on vs checked luggage.

• A third pair of shoes. You will wear two.
• Full-size toiletries. They will be confiscated, and buying travel sizes airside costs several times what decanting does.
• A hairdryer. Almost every hotel has one, and it is heavy.
• Books in hardback. One paperback or an e-reader.
• 'Just in case' clothing. The outfit for the occasion that might not happen is the single most common piece of dead weight in a bag.
• A travel iron. Hang the garment in the bathroom while you shower; twenty minutes of steam does the job.