What I’m Packing for 11 Days in Europe: Carry-On Only

Here’s what I’m attempting: eleven days across four countries, with a carry-on suitcase only.

Belgium. Luxembourg. France. Switzerland. One bag. No checked luggage, no checked fees, no waiting at baggage claim after an overnight transatlantic flight when I arrive in the morning and desperately want to get to the hotel and lie down.

I’ve been working toward carry-on only travel for a while now. The packing cubes made it feel possible. The right bag made it feel achievable. This trip is the real test: longer than I’ve done carry-on before, more weather variability than a short weekend, and enough moving between cities that I can’t afford to be dragging an overweight bag through cobblestone streets in July heat.

This is what I’m bringing, why I’m bringing it, and what I’m leaving at home on purpose. I’ll update this with the real post-trip version once I’m back — including what I actually needed, what I overpacked, and what I wished I’d thrown in.

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🗺️ The Itinerary

Eleven days, four countries, seven overnight locations. The trip is built around slow-ish travel with day trips rather than constant hotel changes — which helps enormously with carry-on only, because you’re not repacking every morning.

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🎒 The Bag Situation

After borrowing my mom’s BAGSMART 35L Travel Backpack for Oregon and loving the system — especially the detachable fanny pack — I decided to upgrade to the Bagsmart Blast Pro for this trip. The 35L was great for Oregon’s day-to-day, but for eleven days across four countries I wanted something with more organized structure, better carry-on compliance, and dedicated compartments for everything.

The Blast Pro is the same brand, same general system, but built specifically for longer carry-on travel. I’ll be doing a full comparison after the trip — what the 35L does well, where the Blast Pro improves on it, and whether the upgrade is actually worth it. For now: it fits in overhead bins, it has a trolley sleeve for stacking on a rolling suitcase, and it doesn’t look like a hiking bag on a city street. All wins.

Inside the bag: the same BAGSMART Compression Packing Cubes I’ve used on every trip since I found them. Compression cubes are genuinely the single biggest reason carry-on only is achievable for longer trips — not because they create space from nothing, but because they force you to be intentional about what goes in, and they keep everything from becoming one large tangled pile. The BAGSMART Large Hanging Toiletry Bag handles everything in the bathroom, hangs from any hook, and means I never put a shampoo bottle loose in my bag again.

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👚 What I’m Planning to Pack

July in this part of Europe is warm — high 70s to low 80s — with enough afternoon rain probability that I can’t ignore waterproofing entirely. The activities are almost entirely city walking, which means cobblestones, uneven surfaces, and a lot of standing. One mountain (Rigi), which adds a layer consideration for elevation. No beach. No formal events.

Clothing

The rule I’m following: seven days of outfits, planned to mix-and-match, that can be reworn across eleven days without looking like I’m rewearing them. Everything needs to work for heat, potential rain, and the occasional photo op. I’m not doing aspirational minimalist capsule wardrobe content — I’m doing practical, real-person packing where I know myself well enough to bring a backup.

The ANRABESS Keyhole Neck Tee is coming in multiple colors — it’s the kind of shirt that looks intentional and put-together even when you’ve been walking for six hours and just want to sit down. Lightweight, packable, doesn’t wrinkle in a cube. I’m building most of the clothing around pieces like this: things that do double duty, layer easily, and don’t need to be ironed or treated with special care.

Shoes

This is the hardest part of packing for Europe. Shoes take up enormous space and the cobblestone streets will destroy anything without proper support. The plan is two pairs: one comfortable walking shoe for daily city use, and one backup option for evenings or the mountain day. The REEF Neptune Women’s Shoe is on the shortlist for the walking shoe — cushioned, supportive, and doesn’t look like a hiking shoe in a French town.

I’m wearing one pair on the plane to save space. This is non-negotiable with carry-on only travel.

Day Bag

The WATERFLY Crossbody Sling comes everywhere as my day-use bag — same as it did in Seattle. It holds what I actually need for a day of city walking: phone, wallet, passport holder, earbuds, lip balm, one snack. Doesn’t require thinking about. Doesn’t pull on one shoulder. Fits under a seat on a train without blocking the aisle.

Rain

The SY COMPACT Travel Umbrella is coming. European summer weather is genuinely unpredictable and I’m not going to be caught at Multnomah-Falls-levels of wet again without one.

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🛩️ The Flight Kit

Transatlantic overnight flight. I do not sleep well on planes. Here’s what’s coming with me in my personal item for the flight specifically:

• Bose QuietComfort Earbuds — the single best investment I’ve made for long-haul travel. Active noise cancellation changes everything about a plane cabin.
• SARISUN Airplane Head Strap Pillow — I cannot sleep sitting upright without something holding my head. This is that thing. Worth every bit of the space it takes.
• Albatross Sleep Eye Mask — for blocking the light when the person next to me turns on their overhead at 3am.
• COOLOVER Compression Socks — mandatory for anything over four hours. Non-negotiable.
• Bonine Motion Sickness Relief — I take this before any flight over two hours. It works, it doesn’t make me groggy, and I’ve never regretted having it.
• Allclair Nausea Relief Inhaler and Chimes Ginger Chews — backup options that earn their place every time.

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📊 Documents + Security

Four countries means four opportunities to need my passport in a hurry. Everything document-related travels in the Coco Rossi RFID Passport Holder, which fits into the WATERFLY sling and means I always know exactly where it is. Anikathy Luggage Tags on the bag, Life360 Tile Slim inside it. If the bag gets lost — which carry-on only makes substantially less likely, but still — I have a way to find it.

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📝 What I’m Deliberately Leaving at Home

This is the part of carry-on only packing that nobody talks about honestly enough.

• The “just in case” outfit. I am packing for the trip I’m taking, not for an imaginary nicer version of it. If I don’t have a specific occasion on the itinerary, I’m not bringing the outfit for it.
• Full-size anything. Every toiletry is travel-size or solid-form. The hanging toiletry bag is not going to be heavy enough to pull on the hook.
• The second pair of pajamas. One set. That’s it.
• Books. Kindle app exists. I’m not carrying three paperbacks across Switzerland because I might want options.
• Anything I can buy there. If I forget something that costs less than the airline’s checked bag fee and I can find it at a pharmacy in Brussels, I’m buying it there.

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Related Reading

• Packing Cubes Worth Buying — the system I use
• Scotland Trip Guide — my first international carry-on attempt
• All Destination Guides
• New here? Start Here.