15 Minimalist Vacation Tips for EASY Travel This Summer 

Do you have a vacation planned for this summer? Are you thinking about what to pack so you can pack light or are you going to throw a bunch of random clothes in your giant suitcase at the last minute? Once you get there are you going to go big or keep it simple?

Would you like to have more fun and make your trip easier at the same time? If so you may need some minimalist vacation tips! 

Why Do You Need Minimalist Vacation Tips? 

Most people approach vacations with the go big or go home mentality. They pack huge bags, rent big cars, buy lots of new clothes and ultimately have a lot to haul around, a lot to worry about and a lot less fun. 

When you follow these minimalist vacation tips you will pack lighter which will not only save you money but also save you a lot of headaches. You will also get a better sense of the place you have traveled to, streamline your schedule, and be more flexible to try new things! 

Once you follow these minimalist vacation tips you will never go back. I promise! My husband and I have traveled many places in our 15 years of marriage and we have never checked a bag but we have come home with tons of memories! 

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1: Carry On 

Speaking of checking bags, can you pack for your two week trip, your cruise, or your road trip in a carry-on and a personal item? Absolutely! And you should. Why? 

Well, when you pack in a carry-on you don’t have to worry about paying extra for checking backs and you don’t have to wait in those long lines. You also don’t need as much room in whatever type of transport you take from the airport to the hotel or vacation rental. It’s easier for you to be flexible if you have several different locations on your trip and best of all, you will never lose your bag! 

Is it possible? I’m sure that’s what you are asking. Well, I speak from experience. We took two Alaskan cruises with bulky clothes without checking a bag. We have also gone to the Dominican Republic, a Caribbean cruise, a long trip to New York, and many other small trips with just our carry-on bags. We even did a 12 day trip to London and Paris in backpacks! Yes, you can even be stylish in a carry-on. A lot of the following minimalist vacation tips will help! 

2: Wear the Big and Heavy Stuff On the Plane

The first trick to packing in a carry-on   is to wear your biggest and heaviest stuff on your travel day if possible. For example, if you have a coat and boots wear them, if you have tennis shoes wear them and pack the sandals. 

Even if you have your coat or sweater over your arm in the airport they aren’t going to count it as one of your two items. They also don’t count hats or canes or cpap machine bags by the way. 

And one final note on big, bulky items. Heels take a lot of room so unless you really really need them for an event on your trip don’t pack them. If you do have to pack them fit them inside your other shoes (or your husband’s shoes). 

3: Consider Your Laundry Options

The next thing you should do if you have a longer trip to pack for is to consider your laundry options. If you can do laundry at your hotel that’s great! Plan on doing laundry once during your trip even though it’s boring.

If your hotel doesn’t have washers and dryers available you still have three options. You can use their laundry service but that can be pricey. You can search for nearby laundry mats (before your trip) and plan on spending a couple hours at one.

Or, if those options wont work, you can pack a wet bag (like you would use for the lake). You simply put a few items in there with a laundry sheet, shake it around for a bit, and then rinse out your clothes and squeeze them before hanging them in the shower to dry. The downside of this is it may take up to 24 hrs for your clothing to be dry enough. 

4: Use Versatile Items and Lightweight Layers

Now what will you pack in your precious carry-on space? You will want to pack lightweight layers. If you are going somewhere cold pack your long sleeve shirts and jeans but limit sweaters. Remember you can wear a sweater and/or a coat on the plane. If you are going somewhere warm it should be easier. 

What if you are going to a special event where you need to wear fancy clothes? I recommend choosing an outfit that is not too bulky and wrinkle resistant. You may normally hang these items but fold or roll them. I often fold them just to the size of the suitcase and put them on top then hang them as soon as I get to the hotel. (Most hotels have irons by the way.) 

And what do I mean by versatile? Well, you will want to choose a color scheme of just 3-4 colors so that every top can match every bottom in a pinch. You will also want to choose things that can be dressed up or down depending on what shoes and accessories you are wearing and you might want to think about things that can be used in different ways. For example, I use my lightweight cotton scarf (which I wear on the plane) as my pool cover up and I turn a simple day dress into something more appropriate for church with a little sweater that I can also wear with any t-shirt and jeans. 

5: Follow the Two to One Ratio

How many items can you pack? Well, you would be surprised. I would say I could easily fit 4 pairs of pants, 8 shirts, two dresses, a set of lightweight pajamas and my underwear in my carry-on suitcase. I usually can squeeze in at least one pair of sandals too! 

But how much do you need to pack? Well, that depends on the length of your trip. I follow the 2-1 ratio most of the time. I need two shirts for each pair of pants because most pants can be worn at least twice without washing but shirts get sweatier. Then I usually pack 1 pair of pajamas per three nights of my trip. 

Of course, if you are taking a long trip you may need to do laundry in the middle of it. That’s going to be the case when my husband and I travel to Belgium and Paris for a special convention and a side trip this summer. 

6: Do Without

The number one rule of packing in a carry-on is that you have to do without. You have to really think about what you need and only pack that instead of packing every cute vacation outfit you can think of. I know that sounds like a drag but remember all those times you packed a ton of stuff? Did you even used half of it? Every time I pack in a carry-on I still come home having not used at least one item. You don’t need as much as you think. 

Here are some things you might do without. Do you really need your big hairbrush or can you use a flat comb? How many different bras do you really wear in one week? Is it possible to dry your hair with the hotel blow dryer or and skip the curling rod in favor of an overnight curling headband?

Would cute flats be okay instead of heels? Is it possible that one sweater or jacket could match all your outfits? Do you need to pack three big books or could you download them on your phone? Can you pack your pills in a pill container instead of taking all the bottles? Can you use the shampoo and conditioner provided by the hotel?

It’s kind of fun when you really start playing the game. And remember this. You don’t want to spend your trip running to Walmart for stuff but at the same time that doesn’t mean that it’s not available if you really need something. 

7: Throw Away

One of my favorite minimalist vacation tips for packing in a carry-on is to bring stuff I can throw away. For example, I bring my oldest undies and socks so I can toss them when I’m done. You can do this with anything really. You might pack shoes that have just enough life in them for the trip and let them go before you head home. For our trip to Mexico I packed an old swimsuit that I could toss. 

Of course we all want to look great on our trips so don’t pack clothes you won’t feel good in. We also don’t want to be wasteful but where you can pack something you are about to let go of anyway. 

8: Plan Outfits 

The key to success when you travel light is planning your outfits. Take the time to really think about which two shirts will go with each pair of pants and what day you want to wear them. Think about the activities you know you will be engaged in and make sure your clothes will be appropriate and comfortable. Take pictures of your outfits or write them down. 

I know, I know. I’m a huge packing nerd but when you plan your outfits it’s way less stressful on the trip. You just look at your “outfit itinerary” and get dressed and out the door! 

9: Limit Valuables 

I can’t emphasize this next one of my minimalist vacation tips enough. Take as few valuables as humanly possible. I don’t take my kindle or my ipad or my laptop. I do everything on my phone. Unless it’s a work trip there’s no reason to take all those expensive gadgets. I don’t even take my wedding ring. I have a silver ring set I wear instead. 

Think about it this way. You want to pack light as in less stuff but also as in less loss. When you take precious or expensive items on trips you are setting yourself up for sad and irritating situations. You will either become a target of crime or lose stuff and both of those events can ruin a trip. 

10: Be Smart About Souvenirs

What about all that stuff you want to buy on your trip? Well, first of all, if you are not checking bags you can’t get anything liquid over 8 ounces but beyond that you probably won’t have much room in your suitcase. 

You can make up some room for souvenirs by throwing away undies and other items but in general you are going to want to keep your souvenirs small, not too fragile, and useful. I like to get earrings and my husband likes magnets and shot glasses. Key chains and other small items are also great! 

Pro tip: If you are traveling to a place that’s known for something like a special brand of rum or lotion or food you can usually get that stuff in the duty free stores at the airport after you get past security so they don’t have to be under 8 ounces and the airline staff doesn’t even care that you have an extra bag.  It’s a win win! You can pack light and bring home cool stuff too!

11: Use Public Transportation 

Of all my minimalist vacation tips this might be one of my favorites. If you are traveling to a big city like New York, Paris, or London you probably don’t want to rent a car. It’s annoying and expensive to find parking, you spend half your time stuck in traffic and the other half lost. Don’t bother. 

Instead, get brave and use the subway, the tube, the metro, the tram, or whatever they call it! It can actually be pretty easy to maneuver cities this way and it’s a lot cheaper than renting a car. I am a little obsessed with the freedom taking public transportation provides and you can always use your Apple or Google maps app to get directions. 

You may be tempted to just use Uber but save that for when you are too tired to walk, you are in a place public transport doesn’t get close to, or if you are in a hurry to meet an appointment. 

12: Book Popular Sights and Tours

I’m usually a free spirit and I like to have a loose plan instead of a definite schedule but I’m sorry to say it is necessary to get time slots at a lot of the most popular museums and attractions. You can usually do that on the website of the place you want to go. City passes might also be a good idea if you think you will hit enough of the attractions to make it worth it. Do the math. 

And what if you want to go further away from the city? In that case, you might want to look at Get Your Guide or Viator for tours. Weigh the price of the tour against how much it would cost you to get there on your own and how stressful it would be for you. It’s often not much more money but a lot easier! 

Out of all my minimalist vacation tips this is the one I most want you to remember. Don’t scrimp on experiences! Remember you traveled to see the place. Make memories! 

13: Find the Hole in the Wall 

When we went to Paris and London everyone asked us how expensive it was to eat. I think a lot of people like to make reservations at fancy restaurants and of course those are expensive. But honestly, it’s not really necessary. My husband and I always find simple restaurants to eat at. The food is almost always great, there’s no pressure to get there at a certain time, and the cost is much lower. 

When looking for a good hole in the wall look for menus in the language of the country, locals speaking that language, and a decently full restaurant. Check the menu for prices too!

Honestly, all the Instagram famous places end up getting overly popular and letting the quality slide anyway. 

14: Be Aware of Your Surroundings

This should go without saying but it’s got to be one of my minimalist vacation tips. Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t walk down dark alleys at night. Don’t look rich or show too much skin. Try to blend in. Wear a cross body purse that is theft-proof and don’t sign petitions or let anyone put jewelry on you. 

Also, if you see something bad happening you should leave the area and mind your own business. If you can report the activity without it being obvious to the perpetrator do so but don’t do anything loud, aggressive, or pushy. 

15: Get a Phone Plan

Last but not least, if you are traveling to a foreign country check your phone plan. You can either change your plan to include your trip or you can get an e-sim for that country online. It’s actually pretty easy and not too expensive.

Having good internet should be the top priority because you can use maps and chat with people on WhatsApp or Facebook with just the internet. Good phone service is handy if you need to contact other people in your party or if you need to call your hotel, emergency services, or other local places. 

Minimalist Travel Tips Make Your Trip FUN and EASY

I hope I have convinced you that keeping it simple when you travel is worth a little extra planning. I promise you will have more fun with less stuff when you follow these minimalist vacation tips! Pack light, experience the place you traveled to, absorb the culture! You will be more flexible, less stressed out, and ready for any adventure when you pack light like a minimalist. 

Personally travel is the number one reason I live the minimalist lifestyle! There is nothing more valuable to me that the things I learn when I see new places and cultures.

What about you? Do you love traveling? What are your favorite minimalist vacation tips? I’ll take any pointers I can get! Share your tips for packing in a carry-on or enjoying the destination in the comments below.