PACKING
What to pack for international travel: a checklist that fits a carry-on
Read the airline’s size and weight first, then pack for the number of days. A bag that fits the sizer empty may not when it is full.
Quick answers
What should I check first when packing for a trip abroad?
The baggage page for this ticket: cabin size versus checked weight. Fitting the sizer empty does not mean it will fit full.
Do I need a checked bag for a 3-day business trip?
Usually a carry-on and a personal item are enough. Check a bag only if a jacket cannot be crushed or liquids exceed 100 ml.
Can I put a power bank in checked luggage?
No. Power banks stay in the cabin, typically at or under about 100 Wh. Read the airline’s lithium-battery note before you fly.
How should I pack carry-on liquids?
Each bottle 100 ml or less, all in one clear bag at the top of the cabin bag. Larger bottles go in the hold, and a connecting airport may be stricter.
01Start with the bag rules#
Carry-on is a sizer plus a personal item; checked bags are weight and linear size. Budget fares often sell the hold bag separately, and airport excess is the most expensive. Open the operating airline’s page for this ticket, not last year’s brand memory.
This site’s luggage tool can add three sides and a weight. It does not replace the fare’s allowance. Strategy differs: documents, medication, chargers and one change of clothes stay on you; heavy liquids and spare shoes can go in the hold.
02What three trip lengths actually need#
Days set laundry, climate sets layers, a meeting sets whether a jacket must stay uncrushed. The table is a starting point, not a shopping list. Skip consumables you can buy on arrival.
Even on a two-week winter trip, the carry-on should survive a delayed hold bag: documents, medication, charger, one warm layer and a day’s clothes do not go below.
| Category | 3-day business | 10-day leisure | Two-week winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Documents and money | Passport, visa, cards, a little cash, hotel voucher | Same + insurance PDF | Same; copies in a second pouch |
| Clothes | 2–3 mixable outfits + one meeting set | 5–7 outfits and one outer layer | Base + sweater + waterproof; fewer duplicate bulky pieces |
| Electronics | Phone, charger, adapter, power bank | Add a spare cable and earphones | Same; keep batteries warm; never check them |
| Toiletries | 100 ml bag for screening; large bottles in the hold | Same; sunscreen for the climate | Same; lip balm and lotion count as liquids |
| Where it rides | Carry-on + personal item if you can | Check spare shoes and liquids if overweight | Check spare warmth, not the core kit |
03Documents, money and electronics#
Check passport validity against the entry rule; some countries want six months. Keep digital copies of visa, boarding pass and lodging. Split cash and cards; never put the passport in the hold.
Phone, charger brick and adapter in one pouch for the X-ray. Power banks stay in the cabin, usually at or under about 100 Wh, and cannot be checked. Tie cables so they do not knot at the bottom of the bag.
04Liquids, clothes and weight#
Carry-on liquids are typically 100 ml per bottle in one clear bag at the top. Larger toothpaste, gels and cosmetics go in the hold. A transit airport may be stricter — pack to the strictest leg.
Plan outfits per day and skip duplicates. Weigh the packed bag. Excess fees almost always cost more than leaving a hoodie out. Rolling saves space; the scale decides whether you pay.
05What stays in the cabin versus the hold#
Irreplaceable items stay on you: passport, medication, charger, power bank, one change of clothes, one warm layer. Replaceable bulk can go below: spare shoes, large toiletries, a heavy coat. If the hold bag is late, the carry-on should get you through the day.
Low-cost airlines often sell “cabin bag” and “personal item” as two products. The personal item sits under the seat; the wheeled cabin bag may be extra. Pack to the product on this ticket, not to a friend’s fare that included a cabin bag.
06Pack for the way home, not only the way out#
The outbound bag is not the return bag. Duty-free liquids, a second pair of shoes and gifts add weight on the last morning, when you cannot dump them in a hotel bin. Leave 1–2 kg and a few litres empty on the way out, or plan a cheap laundry mid-trip so you are not carrying fourteen days of clothes plus souvenirs. Weigh once packed for departure and again the night before you fly home. If the airline sells extra weight cheaper online than at the desk, buy it the day before — not in the check-in queue at the airport rate. If the return is a different low-cost fare, the limit may be tighter than outbound — pack to the stricter of the two tickets. Keep the prepaid extra-weight receipt; the gate can still ask for it.
Liquids you buy abroad still count at screening on the way home. A full-size lotion from the pharmacy belongs in the checked bag, not in the 100 ml pouch you used outbound. Food and powders can trigger extra questions; keep them where you can pull them out. If you only paid for a cabin bag on a low-cost fare, the return is the same fare: a second checked bag is a new purchase, not a courtesy because the outbound hold was empty. Put a fold-flat tote in the carry-on if you expect to shop; do not count on the airline handing you a free hold bag. Weigh the way you will board: a duty-free bag hung on the handle can push a bag that passed at home over the cabin limit at the gate.
07Common mistakes#
Measuring the empty shell, weighing clothes without the bag, checking a power bank, stuffing full-size bottles into the cabin bag, and packing this fare as if it were last year’s airline. Multi-leg tickets can differ on every sector — pack to the tightest.
Putting every change of clothes in the hold leaves you with nothing if the bag is late. Even when you check, the carry-on still holds a day’s clothes and everything you cannot replace.
08Before you close the bag#
Phone and power bank charged; documents and cash in the personal item; weight and size checked against the airline page; medication, cable and adapter in an outer pocket.
The list is for screening and the allowance, not for filling every litre. Shampoo you can buy on arrival should not occupy the 100 ml bag.
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MORE GUIDES
Keep reading before you go
How big can a carry-on be before it is turned away?
Limits vary by airline, cabin and fare. First check whether the included piece is an under-seat bag or an overhead cabin case, then measure the packed bag with wheels and handles.
Airport security: liquids, electronics and batteries
Most checkpoint queues come from three things: oversize liquid bottles, a laptop buried in the bag, and a power bank in checked luggage. Departure and transfer airports can disagree; pack to the stricter stop.
Things to do before an international trip: a pre-departure checklist
Most problems abroad start as unfinished chores at home. Work through seven days out, two days out and the departure day, then leave.