How to STOP Overpacking & Fit Everything in Just ONE Bag | minimalist packing tips ✈️

Hello, hello everyone, welcome back to my channel. So travel season is upon us and whether you're planning to go away for a long holiday or a short weekend trip, I think we can all agree that overpacking sucks. I've done my fair share of videos on how to pack light using a carry-on bag only on this channel. See? It's my favourite way to travel and I always pack the exact same way whether I'm leaving for a week or a month. And I mean, carry-on packing is all well and good, but what if you A, don't necessarily need to lug a suitcase around on your travels and B, you're away for less than a week? Then what? So in today's video, I'm going to share with you exactly how you can pack for short-term travel using just a backpack. This type of packing I think is suitable for five days or less, but if you're a top-tier alpha minimalist or if you just happen to have access to laundry while you're away, this might actually be all you need for longer-term travel too. My motto is to pack smarter, not harder, so let's get into it. Alright, so good packing always starts with a good bag. I've been travelling with my Monos Metro Backpack for the last three years, so that's what I'm going to be using here. We're a bit of a Monos family now, and I want to thank Monos for sponsoring this part of the video. I know there's so many cute tote bags and duffels that you can go for, but my lower back always appreciates a good ergonomic moment and I also hate feeling lopsided when I'm carrying my things around, so backpack it is. This backpack I think is really great for everyday commuting because it's lightweight, adjustable, and fits everything you need really easily, but it also has a lot of handy features like this waterproof privacy compartment that's perfect for shoes or sweaty gym clothes when you're on the go, and it comes with this magnetic carrying case that you can use for all your extras. It snaps on the front of the bag with a magnet that's surprisingly strong, so it's a great way to pack little extras without wasting any space you may need inside of the bag. See? It's not going anywhere. And this secret magnetic back pocket is so handy for things that you might need to access quickly like your passport, your phone, or your AirPods. And if you're flying, this bag fits easily underneath airplane seats, big or small. This back compartment will fit a 15-inch laptop with room to spare, and it has a built-in trolley sleeve so it'll fit easily over any carry-on bag. This bag is honestly really comfortable to carry, it fits everything you need, and it's always what I go for for short-term travel. So, if you're interested in checking out Monos for your next trip, I'll leave a link for you in the description below. Thanks, Monos! Once you have your bag out of the way, the next thing you need to do is be strategic with your packing since you don't really have a lot of room. Whenever I travel, I always like to refer to this packing checklist that I keep saved on my phone, and if you want your own, I'll leave a link to a free downloadable PDF in the description. Making a list when you travel is so important because it gets it out of your head and onto paper so that you don't forget any essentials accidentally. It's really going to help organize your thoughts and make you a better packer, so try it. I always write down where I'm going, how many days and nights we're going to be away, activities we'll likely be doing, and really important, the weather. We'll be going to a beachy cottage destination this time, so it means a lot of leisurely walks in town, farmer's markets, barbecues, and hanging out on the beach. Another tip is to always make sure to check what types of amenities your combinations may have to help further streamline your packing. In this case, I don't need to pack extras like towels, shampoo, conditioner, or a blow dryer because that's all going to be there. If a lot of essentials are being provided to you by your host or accommodations, save the precious space and don't pack it. This time around I'm packing three tops, two bottoms, two pairs of shoes, one set of pajamas, a bathing suit, one set of workout gear, and some extra essentials like my sunglasses, a hat, and this crossbody bag for walking around during the day. But feel free to adjust as you like. Swap out a bottom for a skirt or a dress, or swap a shoe for an extra top. The important thing here is to tweak this to your needs, destination, and sweat level. But I think this is just enough to maximize outfits for about four to five days without necessarily feeling bored or having your clothes get too stinky. And if there's something that you need to or want to bring but it's just too bulky, wear it as your travel outfit. For instance, on my travel day I'll be wearing this pair of jeans and this denim jacket. These were way too big to pack, but I still needed a way to bring in some extra layers for cooler evenings, so wearing it is how you can do it. Plus I saved a ton of space in my backpack by wearing my bulkier sneakers instead of trying to find ways to stuff them into the bag. And as for socks and undies, my rule of thumb when you don't have access to laundry is to pack one pair for each day plus one extra. Because salmonella is a thing. We're going away for three days, so I'm going to bring three plus one. One of the biggest revelations I made when it came to packing light is to stop packing outfits and pack your personal style instead. Packing and planning outfits, although it may seem a really good idea, it without fail always led me to overpacking and half the time I would just end up wearing the same two tops and bottom anyway. Instead of the outfits, focus on things like the weather, the activities you'll be doing, and the overall vibe of the place you're going to help guide your clothing choices. When the pieces you choose are versatile, you start to worry less about what goes with what because you know you can just mix and match to get the vibe that you want. And if you're still confused, I'll show you what I mean once we get packing. For the three tops, I'm choosing one t-shirt, one tank top, and one cotton button down. For tees, I like to pick a more elevated tee that feels a bit more polished, but a t-shirt in general is still casual, so this is a great way to make sure that you feel relaxed but not sloppy all day long. And this one from Koss I feel like covers all those bases. Next, I'm bringing one tank top because I just want something sleeveless, and I'm going to choose black because a lot of my bottoms are darker, and one color dressing is a really easy way to feel more elevated if you want that. And then for this cotton button down, this can act as a beach cover or jacket on the beach, but I can wear this on its own too and feel really polished, but still relaxed because it's cotton. For bottoms, I really only needed two, so I went with these comfy but versatile linen blend trousers from Uniqlo. I purposely chose them in a neutral navy color so they feel more refined when I want them to, but with the drawstring and the linen vibe of these, it still makes them really easy and casual for a stroll on the beach or in town. And then I'm packing these shorts that I recently got from Everlane. These I think are a lot more versatile than, say, a pair of denim shorts, which I think just read too casual across the board. These can be dressed up for going into town for lunch, and then dressed down pretty easily while still feeling comfortable for lazing around at the cottage. And a tip for travel anytime is to always pack at least one bathing suit. I decided to pack this one because the tube top bandeau style can double as a shirt, if I really wanted to, and I can wear it like this. For shoes, I always like to bring a low-profile sneaker that's comfortable but still fashion-forward, like these Sambas, and these tiki sandals are ridiculously comfortable. I really could get away with just the flip-flops if I wanted to on this trip, but I'll probably go for at least one zone 2 cardio run, which is what the Sambas also double for. And finally, one pair of PJs and one workout set for health. I usually like to use packing cubes from my suitcase, but in this case, I don't think you really need them. This is where I like to get creative with what I have. For example, I decided to pack all of my socks and underwear in this bathing suit garment bag, and it all fits nicely in there to keep things organized. And when it comes to folding clothes, there's the age-old debate on whether you should roll or fold, and I generally like to do a simplified version of the Marie Kondo fold, which means basically folding into thirds. For the backpack, I still do fold this way, but I will end up doing one extra fold so that the garment fits into the bag better without overstuffing it. And I just place the clothes where it makes sense. I like using the bottom of the bag and this privacy compartment to protect all of my clothes, and then I'll put my sandals in a shoe bag, but they'll actually fit nicely in the laptop compartment here. So you can see how you might have to get a bit creative to Tetris things into your backpack, but it really does work. Now let's move on to liquids and toiletries. I want all my makeup, skincare, haircare, and deodorant to fit into this one makeup bag, so I'm focusing on really bringing the bare essentials only. Remember that if you're staying in a hotel or Airbnb, you can check to see if they supply things like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. so that you don't need to pack it. But for anything else I do need, like my skin cleanser, I'll decant them into these little reusable bottles I got off Amazon to save me from packing the full bottles. And any liquids that might leak, make sure you put them in a separate Ziploc bag, because they will leak. I got hair oil on my bedding here. Better there than all over your bag though. We're going on a more beachy vacation, so I don't see myself needing too much makeup, but in this case I always like to opt to bring my most compact products that I have, like this concealer from RMS and this blush from Merit. And then I pack things like my toothbrush, floss, q-tips, band-aids, pimple patches, and I'm pretty good to go. Finally for electronics, I'm packing my laptop, which will go right into this laptop sleeve here. And I do like that it's separate from my toiletries and clothes, just in case something does decide to spill. Any cables, SSD drives, chargers, and extra batteries, I'm going to be packing in this extra carrying case from Monos, which clips perfectly right to the front of the bag. I love this space-saving hack. Then I put my camera, this fuzzy thing is my mic, and my tripod, kind of on the top of the backpack, wherever they will fit. My AirPods and keys will go into this little magnetic secret pouch. And that's pretty much it. And I did say I was going to bring this Lululemon crossbody bag, so in there I'm going to put things like band-aids, a sunscreen stick for easy reapplication, and my wallet. Oh, and the forecast said there might be rain, so I'm bringing this tiny little travel umbrella. Pretty much my only, just in case. So that's exactly how I pack light for travel, using a backpack only. As you can see, it is possible. And to be honest, I still probably overpacked here, so you can let me know in the comments. And if you can refine this even more, go for it and let me know how you did. If you watched this whole video and got some value from it, leave me a plain emoji in the comments and let me know where you're traveling next. As always, if you liked this video, please do give it a thumbs up for the YouTube algorithm gods. It helps me so much more than you may think. And if you haven't already, please subscribe. I'll see you next Sunday, and safe travels. Bye!