How to pack for a short trip

Staying within carry-on: the real savings lever

Skipping checked baggage altogether for a short trip means having nothing to wait for on arrival and eliminating the risk of loss when time at your destination is already limited. For details on how to best use the internal space, see the dedicated guide on how to organize your carry-on.

Clothes designed to mix and match, not one outfit per day

Two or three versatile pieces that coordinate in multiple ways cover an entire weekend better than a different outfit for each day. Rolling clothes instead of folding them wrinkles them less and frees up visible space at a glance; for more delicate or structured pieces, traditional folding remains preferable. An often-underestimated trick is wearing during travel the bulkiest item you plan to bring — a heavy jacket, a pair of hiking boots — instead of stuffing it in your suitcase.

Toiletries, shoes and the shower cap trick

Travel-size formats under 100 millilitres are enough for a few days, without needing to transfer anything. A single change of shoes, besides those worn, is almost always sufficient: shoes are among the heaviest and bulkiest items in luggage. A practical trick widely used by frequent travellers is to store unworn shoes in a disposable shower cap, often available free in hotels, to isolate the dirty sole from clean clothes.

Weather, digital documents and the 'just in case' mistake

Checking the weather forecast for your destination in the days immediately before departure, rather than relying on a generic assumption tied to the season, avoids both overpacking and arriving unprepared. The digital boarding pass, when the airline allows it, eliminates another practical nuisance. For a weekend, the likelihood of actually needing a third pair of shoes or a second heavy sweater 'just in case' is so low that it doesn't justify the suitcase space it would take up.

Before closing your suitcase, wear during travel the heaviest item you planned to bring — a jacket, a pair of hiking boots — instead of packing it: it's the quickest way to gain real space without giving up anything.