Packing Just a Carry-On for our Month Away & How I Packed 30+ OUTFITS!

Good morning!!! This girl is PUMPED. We are Summer adventure bound!!!!!!!!!! At 2:20pm today all four of us (John, the boys and I) will be picking the girlies up from their last day of school and are heading to the airtport! Well, Ab too. She is driving us so we don’t have to leave our car at the airport for that long. That bill would add up fast! LOL. For more on where we are headed this Summer, here is a link to that post.

Yesterday I packed and made my biggest packing post yet! TWENTY SEVEN OUTFITS plus a TON MORE possible mix and match combinations all into ONE CARRY-ON SUITCASE! Today I am sharing quite a few new outfits I got for our trip as well as some mix/match ideas for each piece as well! Mixing and matching is KEY for packing light so I’ve done quite a bit of that in these images below and as you’ll see there’s a hundred and one more combinations I can create from these pieces on our trip.

Before I go any further, let me answer one of the biggest questions I get… WHY PACK SO LIGHT??? For one, as crazy as it sounds it literally just feels so liberating. One of the main reasons I started our Summers away six years ago now was to “leave it all behind” and adventure the world. And then after adventuring the world that first Summer with just my girlies and I and TOO MUCH LUGGAGE, I realized what a hassle it was to city hop, country hop, walk cobblestone streets dragging luggage, take multiple methods of transportation and climb sooo many flights of stairs with so much crap. So I set out on a mission to pack light and truly get away from it all. All of the stuff. And we have NAILED IT! P.S. It’s so so worth it I PROMISE!

At the bottom of this post I have detailed out how I pack toiletries and where I put everything other than clothes since my carry-on is all clothing. Let’s just say that it is THIS UNDER-SEATER BAG and it is a GAME CHANGER!!! P.S. I also only “pack” (but really wear to the airport so no need to pack) ONE PAIR OF SHOES! These are this years… MY SUMMER ADVENTURE SANDALS. So without further ado since I still have lots of little things to do this morning before we head out, here is literally everything I packed! Plus undergarments and bathing suits of course!

Tank / Skirt / Sandals

This skirt is my FAVE! Wore it in Portugal a ton! Oh and this fabulous semi-cropped tank comes in a four pack for $25! Wearing a SMALL in BUNNY in the skirt and a MEDIUM in DARK GREEN in the tank.

Tank / Skirt / Sandals

I looooove this skirt! I ordered four denim skirts to try out and this one was my FAVE! Oh and this fabulous semi-cropped tank comes in a four pack for $25! Wearing a MEDIUM in NAVY BLUE in the skirt and a MEDIUM in DARK GREEN in the tank.

Tee / Skirt / Sandals

Another denim skirt I LOVED! Stretchy, soft, cozy and a great length! Paired with a tee I LOVE from Free People. The color is GORGEOUS! Wearing a MEDIUM in SCARLET IBIS in the tee and a 6 in LIGHT WASH in the skirt.

Ruffle Top / Skirt / Sandals

The ruffle sleeved crop top is ADORABLE! I have worn it quite a few times lately and it was a MUST PACK! Wearing a MEDIUM in KHAKI in the tee and a 6 in LIGHT WASH in the skirt.

Tank / Skirt / Sandals

Same tank that comes as a four pack I posted above paired with the same skirt as above! Lots of cute mixing and matching. Wearing a MEDIUM in CHOCOLATE in the tank and a 6 in LIGHT WASH in the skirt.

Tee / Shorts / Sandals

These shorts are PRECIOUS! They are part of an outfit that I got recently from Free People. Once again, I LOVE this tee and the color is GORGEOUS! Wearing a MEDIUM in SCARLET IBIS in the tee and a MEDIUM in IVORY in the shorts set.

Tank / Shorts / Sandals

This tank was a great casual, cozy piece to pack. I love it tied up with shorts or a skirt. Comes in lots of cute colors too! Paired this tank with a cute new pair of shorts that are soft, cozy and a great length! I am wearing a MEDIUM in PINK in the tank and a 6 in NEW DENIM- 03 in the shorts.

Top / Skirt / Sandals

This skirt is SOOO CUTE! I think I will be wearing it a ton! Paired it with a fabulous new halter neck top/tank. More mixing and matching! I am wearing a LARGE in BLACK in the top and a MEDIUM in CARAMEL in the skirt.

Top / Skirt / Sandals

Same skirt as above that I LOOOOVE paired with another new ruffle tank. This tank is full length and the khaki one I shared above is cropped. Wearing a LARGE in SNOW and a MEDIUM in CARAMEL in the skirt.

Crop Top / Skirt / Sandals

Another denim skirt I LOVE! I fully expected to send one back but I liked all of the ones I ordered so so much! And this crop top just might be my fifth color in this top. I LOVE IT SO MUCH! Wearing a MEDIUM in FLUO PINK in the top and a 6 in ANTIQUE BLUE in the skirt.

Crop Top / Skirt / Sandals

If you’ve followed me for a bit, you know I LOVE this skirt! It’s actually a two-piece outfit and I am wearing the floral crop top that came with it with a denim skirt below. I love it just as much worn in pieces like I pictured here. It is soooooo beautiful! Paired the skirt part of the two-piece outfit with my favorite crop tank. Wearing a MEDIUM IN FLUO PINK in the top and a MEDIUM in the skirt.

Top / Skirt / Sandals

Floral crop top part of the outfit I mentioned above paired with a denim skirt I LOVE! Wearing a MEDIUM in the top and a 6 in ANTIQUE BLUE in the skirt.

Top / Skirt / Sandals

Same skirt again that I LOVE paired with a halter top tank I raved about when we went to Austin, Texas earlier this year. Wearing a LARGE in GREEN in the top and a 6 in ANTIQUE BLUE in the skirt.

Crop Top / Skirt / Sandals

I love this combo so so much! Feel so AW!!! I have this skirt print in a dress and I loved it so much I got the skirt version! Wearing a MEDIUM in HOT PINK in the top and a MEDIUM in BLUE FLORAL in the skirt.

Crop Top / Pants / Sandals

Same top AGAIN with the cutest pants EVERRR!!! I loved these when I received them just as much as I thought I would when I saw them online! They’re siky soft and a perfect fit! Wearing a MEDIUM in HOT PINK in the top and a MEDIUM (LONG) in PRINT #10 in the pants.

Top / Pants / Sandals

If you recognize these pants it’s because you just might have seen them in ivory in my palazzo pant post. I loved them so much I got them in yellow too! Paired with one of the most worn tops in my closet! Wearing a MEDIUM in BLACK in the top and a MEDIUM in YELLOW in the pants.

Top / Skirt / Sandals

This skirt is FABULOUS! It came as a set but the top was a no-go for me and my bra size. LOL. I loved the skirt though! Paired with my very favorite crop top! Wearing a MEDIUM in BLACK in the top and a SMALL in CANYON IRIS in the skirt.

Top / Pants / Sandals

Same pants I’ve posted on several trip posts now! I LOOOVE THEM!!! I have them in green and orange! Paired with that same crop top. Again. LOL. Wearing a 4-6 in N-GREEN and a MEDIUM in BLACK in the top.

Tank / Skirt / Sandals

What a fun skirt! Loved it in person just as much as I did online. It was a MUST PACK! Paired with a cute ribbed full length tank I just got all tied up in a little knot. Wearing a SMALL in BLACK in the tank and a MEDIUM in 1-PINK in the skirt.

Tank / Skirt / Sandals

Same tank paired with an ADORABLE new skirt! I can see myself wearing each of these pieces a ton on our trip! Wearing a SMALL in BLACK in the tank and a MEDIUM in LIGHT BLUE in the skirt.

Dress / Sandals

LOVE THIS DRESS!!! I don’t normally go for the “baby doll” style dresses but something about this one was so cute! Wearing a MEDIUM in A YELLOW.

Dress / Sandals

Another dress score from my recent Amazon haul! This one could easily be dressed up or even worn as a beach cover-up! Wearing a SMALL in BLUE.

Dress / Sandals

This dress is so so fun! Very boho and very cozy! I love that I can wear a normal bra with it too! Wearing a SMALL in 3- SKY BLUE.

Dress / Sandals

I got sooooo many cute dresses for this trip and I love this one so much too! Very feminine and cozy and I love the fit and the length. Wearing a MEDIUM in GRAY.

Outfit / Sandals

The most random purchase but I ended up really liking it! I actually only ended up bringing the sweater because I started running out of room in my carry-on. Imagine that! LOL! But I did think this sweater would be perfect for chillier evenings. Wearing a MEDIUM in BEIGE.

Top / Skirt / Sandals

Two new pieces that I love love love! I ended up getting this top in three colors and this skirt is a great staple piece! Wearing a MEDIUM in DARK GREEN in the top and a MEDIUM in BLACK in the skirt.

Dress / Sandals

Ending this post with one of my FAVORITES! Love everything about this dress! The fabric, the fit and the length are just perfect! Wearing a MEDIUM in 05 LIGHT BLUE FLORAL.

Toiletries and Such!

One of the biggest questions I am asked about packing just a carry-on is what to do with your toiletries! First, I will say that particularly for our long Summer trips, I mainly buy full sized toiletries once we arrive and we are usually gone long enough to finish out at least one if not more of each major toiletry item… toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner… So really no need to go to the hassle of packing those anyways. For my can’t live without items, I either buy travel sized…

Or I decant my faves…

From there, I pack everything here plus my makeup into this toiletry bag…

Toiletry Bag

And then I throw this bag, my laptop, any extra shoes (not bringing any extra this time… this image was from our Portugal trip) plus my curling iron, flat iron and hairbrush into this underseater bag. The key is that this bag counts as your personal item and NOT your carry-on so you can bring BOTH! SEE… I told y’all it was a game changer.