My Family Only Packed Carry-Ons for International Trip; Best Decision

As a parent to two young kids, traveling can be exhausting, and lugging around excess baggage is the last thing I want.

So, this summer, my husband and I decided to try only packing carry-ons — three backpacks, two small suitcases, one weekender bag, and one laptop bag — for our family’s monthlong vacation to the UK.

We navigated rainstorms in London, cooler nights in Cambridge, heatwaves, and the occasional delayed train, but never once felt as though we underpacked.

Here’s how we did it, and why I’ll never go back to checked bags again.

Carry-ons offer ease and flexibility

Having taken many trips to the UK over the past four years, I’ve learned there are just too many stairs, cobblestone roads, narrow ticketing turnstiles, and other variables that can make massive luggage an absolute pain — especially with children.

I also hate waiting in lines more than I have to, and avoiding baggage claim with jetlagged kids is a real bonus of flying exclusively with carry-ons.

Plus, we never have to worry about lost baggage, and we’ve found that carry-ons are typically easier to transport from one location to the next.

Despite the length of our trip, we focused on packing for a week — not a month

Throughout our trip, we booked Airbnbs with washing machines specifically so we could pack light.

I stuck with a capsule wardrobe complete with staple pieces that were easy to wash and replace (if needed), and less likely to wrinkle, like white T-shirts and button-downs.

Then, for the kids, we packed mostly athletic shorts and plain T-shirts. On the flight, we had them wear sweatshirts and sweatpants that could double as pajamas. I also took advantage of packing shorts that could also be worn when swimming.

Since both of them are still young and their clothing doesn’t take up much space, I was able to fit all of my things in the same small suitcase as theirs.

Meanwhile, my husband packed his clothes in a weekender bag, and any remaining items were packed in the other suitcase.

We each had our own personal bags, too: backpacks for each of the kids with a few toys and gaming devices, a backpack for my husband’s camera equipment, and a laptop bag for me, filled with our toiletries, a mini first-aid kit, and a smaller purse.

I made sure the laptop bag was water resistant, so it could work great for everything from a day at the beach to a trip to the farmers market.

I never felt like we didn’t pack enough, and it made traveling a lot more fun for my whole family

In my experience, packing light also forced me to be more in the moment.

Instead of worrying about what to wear or how to get heavy suitcases from one location to the next, I got to focus on the meaningful moments of our vacation — like eating a crab sandwich at Polzeath Beach with my kids and traveling from Cambridge to Hartest to see a 16th-century reenactment at Kentwell Hall.

I enjoyed being more present, and to be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever travel with checked bags again.