How to Master the One Bag Travel Method

Hello, dear readers! Earlier this week, I shared a photo of the one bag I packed for my upcoming 2.5-week trip in my IG story, and a few people responded, asking how I was able to do it. Writing it all down in a blog is the easiest way for me to explain, so let’s get started on our little crash course: How to Master the One Bag Travel Method (without feeling like a complete frump).

This weekend, I’ll be headed to Seattle, then San Francisco, and finally, Korea! Even though this isn’t specifically a Disney park trip, we do have a few Disney-esque things on our agenda, including visiting Korea’s first Disney store and Lotte World (a.k.a. the Disneyland of S.K.).

Either way, these packing tips will still be helpful to those who are traveling to a Disney park or anyone who’s looking to travel light and cut back on all of those tempting last-minute pre-travel Target runs 👀

I’m not a minimalist or a maximalist; I’m just an… averageist? But we’ll be using a lot of public transportation on this trip, and I really don’t want to drag around a ton of extra weight if I don’t need to, so here is my little step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Only Pack a Week’s Worth of Clothes

• It’s tempting to want to bring all of your favorite outfits when traveling, but do your best to stick to seven days’ worth of clothing MAX. When you’re booking your accommodations, look for a place that offers laundry. Several of the Airbnbs we’ll be staying at will have washers in the units so that we can have clean clothes throughout the duration of our trip.

Step 2: Stick to a Capsule Wardrobe

• Think of clothing items that go with everything. For this particular trip, I packed seven long-sleeved tops, two pairs of jeans (many people prefer to pack only one pair of jeans, but I need at least some variety), a pair of leggings, and a couple of pairs of heat tech-style pants.
• I love skirts and dresses, too, but I won’t bother with those since it’s winter. However, if you’re traveling to a warmer climate like Orlando or Anaheim, ensure the skirts and dresses are interchangeable with your selected tops.
• Have a color scheme. This doesn’t mean everything has to be one color, but maybe everything can be a warm or cool tone, or perhaps you can pack mainly muted tones so that you can easily mix and match outfits as needed.

Step 3: Use Compression Packing Cubes

• Packing cubes have gained a lot of popularity recently because they make it easier to stay organized when you’re away from home, but compression cubes are even better! They free up so much more space in your luggage, and the smaller ones can double as neck pillows!

Step 4: Wear Your Bulkiest Clothes on the Plane

• Every little inch of space counts. For this trip, I’ll wear my winter boots on the plane and keep my favorite sneakers in my luggage. I’ll also be wearing my flannel “shacket” or shacket-ish thing since it’s the bulkiest top I have in this case.
• I’ll also be storing my winter coat in the overhead bin. Life hack: Keep a plastic bag in the coat pocket and use that to store your coat so that it doesn’t get all dirty and nasty on the flight. I sure wish I had known about this when I visited Tokyo Disney during the winter a few years back!

Step 5: Ask Yourself What You Don’t Need

• This is obvious, but asking yourself if you genuinely need certain things is essential. i.e., instead of bringing a travel guide, use your phone. Instead of bringing a physical book, you can use your tablet (or your phone again). Remember, every little bit counts.

Step 6: Decant Your Toiletries

• Once again, think about what you need. I like to divide my toiletries up into two categories: 1) what’s necessary to have and 2) what’s nice to have. My skin is very sensitive, and I have color-treated hair because I’m not ready to fully embrace my gray roots yet, so those are my top priorities, but I can cut back on the fun things like makeup and perfume since I forget to use those half the time anyways 🤷🏻‍♀️
• Sometimes, even TSA-approved store-bought travel-sized toiletry items can take up too much space, so put your toiletries into smaller containers whenever possible.

Step 7: Use Solids Whenever Possible

• This only applies if you’re planning to do carry-on only. Think about what liquid items you have that come in solid forms instead. Products like Vaseline and spray deodorant count as liquids, but Vaseline All-Over Balm and deodorant sticks are solids and don’t count towards your overall liquid “allowance.”
• Keep all of your liquids in a quart-sized ziplock bag and the rest of your toiletry items in your standard cosmetic bag or whatever you use, so that it’s clear to TSA that you’re not exceeding the limit.

Step 7: Start Packing a Few Days in Advance

• I know not everyone has the time for this, but if you do, it helps to pack a few days in advance so that you can reassess whether you have too much stuff or if your bag feels uncomfortable when you’re wearing it (if you’re using a backpack).

Step 8: Weigh Your Bag

• Again, this only applies if you’re traveling carry-on only, but it’s important to weigh your bag so that you don’t accidentally exceed the airline’s weight limitations.

Step 9: Don’t Make “One Bag” Your Obsession

• I think the one-bag method is fantastic and a good way for all of us to cut back on unnecessary expenses since there are so many “things you need for traveling” list videos these days, but people shouldn’t kill themselves to fit the one bag trend, either. As mentioned above, I wanted to travel light for this trip because we’ll be running around seven different cities, but if that’s not the case, bringing what you need is OK if it means having an enjoyable vacation.

Are you a chronic over-packer, or do you prefer to travel light? Share in the comments below!

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