How to Travel Alone With Only a Carry-On

The setup

Traveling with someone, luggage is a shared problem: one person watches the bags while the other gets coffee, two people wrestle the big suitcase up the station stairs. Alone, every bag you bring is a bag you lift, drag and guard by yourself, all trip long.

Why it's hard alone

You can't leave a bag with anyone while you use the restroom, buy a ticket or check a map. You lift your own suitcase into every overhead bin and up every flight of hotel stairs. And a checked bag that goes missing means you're sorting it out alone in a foreign airport. One carry-on solves all of that.

The solo method

1. Check your airline's carry-on limits first. Sizes and weight limits vary, especially on budget and international carriers. Pack to the strictest one on your itinerary.
2. Pick a color palette. Two or three colors that all match means every top works with every bottom. Fewer pieces, more outfits.
3. Wear your bulkiest things on travel days. Boots, jacket, the heaviest sweater.
4. Pack in cubes. One for tops, one for bottoms, one for underwear and socks. Unpacking at each stop takes a minute, and nothing gets lost at the bottom.
5. Plan to do laundry. A sink and a small bottle of travel wash, or a laundromat once a week, halves what you need.
6. Keep valuables in your personal item, on you. Passport, phone, cards, medication, chargers. If you're separated from the carry-on, the trip still works.
7. Test-lift it at home. If you can't lift the packed bag over your head comfortably, it's too heavy to manage alone in a crowded aisle.

What nobody tells you

Solo travelers often over-pack "just in case" items because no one else is bringing a backup. You don't need one. Almost anything you forget can be bought at your destination, often for less than the hassle of carrying it.