Years ago an airline forced me to check my carry on and then promptly lost it. I had only the clothes on my back and a spare shirt and underwear I kept in my personal bag. I made a beeline to CVS and bought some toiletries and a pack of Hanes XL shirts to sleep in. I used hotel shampoo to hand wash my clothes in the evening. I had a great time and realized how little I could thrive on. I’ve been one bagging it ever since.
Totally agree about the laundry. We plan an Airbnb every 5 days or so. One thing to note is that most European places will not have a dryer so be prepared to hang clothes. We plan to dry while we are out for the day.
for those who are not thrilled with price of the shirts he mentioned. Alternative options are 32 Degree warm at Costco or even going to Walmart and getting base layers in light med or heavy coverage options works well. I went to London last year with both underlayers and I did well. It was October so just getting into fall. two days of rain. Also you can sleep in these as I got both tops and bottoms. That will keep you from having to use multiple pieces of clothing to layer. I brought 3 pairs of leggings and a nice top or two and 3 pars of the base layers. I was fine for 7 days
My husband and I recently returned from a 6 week trip to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland. We packed carry-on backpack only, taking predominately Unbound Merino for men and women. UM makes great clothing. A video about UM women clothig would be great.
I travel about 3 months a year for 1 month each trip. I’ve discovered 3 shirts, 3 underwear and 3 pair of socks is more than enough. Just sink wash, or book a place with a washer, as you stated. Wash these items you use every evening before bed. You can always buy more. 2 pair of pants. 1 jeans, 1 nice slacks or shorts, depending on time of year. 1 pair of walking shoes and for me, an open water swimmer, swim shoes, or sandals and swim suit. In cold weather a jacket, removable fleece liner, scarf and hat..stocking and Italian flat cap. I use a small duffel to pack everything. Toiletries and meds fit in end pocket or inside bag pocket. I use a male shoulder strap borsa,(bag) for my iPad. And layering of clothes while flying. Done. Unless you are going down the amazon in a dugout canoe…..you can always buy what you need as you go. This is my first time viewing your videos. You do have more commercial products than I care to waste mins. Watching….but gotta make a living or why not get sponsorship when you can. It’s tolerable, or scrollable.
Thanks for mentioning my beef with Borring plain sneakers and corporate core. Personally I feal the same. It's is borrowing to me. That's why I love your styling videos. They are so creative and inspiring 😄 Ps. I love tights and find them super comfortable, but you need one in your size. Then they are just like leggings 😄
Just got back from the UK and France. Packed very similar minus all the camera gear. Worked perfectly (and probably a lot lighter without a laptop and all that tech). Just a single 30L Tom Bihn Bag with a packable day bag. Unbound is great and I agree that it's probably the best of all merino brands.
Watching your video now. It’s great! Question about flying your drone. Did you have to get any kind of certification for filming in the EU or just ask for forgiveness and not permission?
Ok, talking about Unbound Merino (and yes, I did write to them with these comments). Their sizing sucks! Not everyone is S,M, or L…even XL. Big and Tall people travel too and don’t really have good merino wool gear to buy and use - and I just don't understand why companies aren't making changes with their sizing. We aren’t i. Our 30s and 40s, people in their 60s travel too - hey, we’re retired! So it does piss me off that I as a big female has to buy mens Ts and my hubby (Big and Tall) just has no options. sorry for the complaint but Unbound is just not listening. So there it is. If you have any suggestions for loose fitting ts for both women and men in Plus sizes and Big and Tall, love to hear about them.
Yer, but what did your bag weigh after packing? Many international airlines have not only size limits but weight limits for carry-on. Obviously you were not flying Singapore Airlines with 7 kg max weight for carry on.
I have traveled carry on only for decades. It's the way to go. I have had some fun doing laundry (did you know frozen laundry dries too ?) Be very aware of the temperature the washers are set at. Normal in other countries may be too hot and shrink some fabrics. (And wash any natural fabric, like wool, on gentle, because some foreign machines are just too vigorous for them).
Lots of similarities to how we pack, as long term travelers. My husband wears mostly Unbound Merino clothing. I’m thinking of getting him the Peak Design packing cubes and shoe bag, even though it’s more for me since he doesn’t care about things like packing cubes 😅. We also have an older Insta360, but we seem to have broken most of our cameras at this point… Hope you enjoyed traveling as a family! 🌺 Heidi
Can you do a winter version?! Just back from Iceland totally underpacked weather flipped to extreme cold not autumn Loved the scenes with the family #blessed
I usually don’t have trouble getting everything in one carry on even if going away for 2 months! I always get Airbnb with washer and not a big deal for me to do my laundry! My next trip is a month long cruise to South America so have to have more toiletries more than travel size. They take a lot of room. Then I have to check baggage! I also workout a lot (ran also til I turned 70). I pack more clothes than you but just one pair of workout shoes and two pair of pants since we are going to South Pole. Rest of time, I will be in shorts!
Sounds great… however, who you fly with is critical. There are weight & size restrictions on some airlines for carry on and altough most legacy carriers are very likely to le tthat slide, discount carriers will not let that be the case. Standard carry on size for Europe is 21.65” x 13.78” x 9.85” with a 26lb max allowance. I always pack with this restriction in mind just in case, I come across an overzealous staff member or if I am flying in Europe with a discount carrier (Also to Europe with the likes of Norge, Condor, etc.) - Better safe than be hit with an astronomical gate check fee.
Totally agree! In this instance, we flew major carriers from USA to Europe and back, and all our city to city travel w/in Europe was Train or Car. If we'd been flying a bunch of smaller carriers, I likely would have done a slightly different strategy.
The great thing about power strips is using them at the airport or train stations, there is always somebody that needs a quick charge and you can have some great conversations, don't forget the deck of cards either
Wife and I are going to Europe next summer, and I'd love to be able to do just a carry-on. We are doing a 10 day land tour (3 cities), train to another city for 2 days, then 10 night cruise. 22 days total. With having land stuff, sea stuff, swimming stuff, I'll need more than one pair pants, 1 pair shorts, sleep and swim. Same with shirts. But you have challenged me in the video. If we were just doing the cruise or the land, I think I might would attempt it. Thanks for the videos - I've learned some helpful tips.
What shoes do you recommend for lots of walking while traveling? I finally found a pair of comfortable stylish sneakers for our trip to Europe last fall but unfortunately they were not waterproof. I am curious if there is a better option? Planning our return trip this November and would love to know if there’s a better choice.
It is not about it being just one bag but about it's weight as well. When travelling to Europe, they also insist that your carry on should weigh no more than 5-8 kg.
For this trip in particular, we flew major carriers to and from USA and then navigated between cities w/ train or car. Weight was not a factor for me. If we'd planned to fly smaller carriers like RyanAir from country to country, my strategy would have varied.
@@awaytogether Thank you SO much for the quick response. Will you ever shoot a video for a small weight luggage? From where I am it is usually only 1 piece between 5-10 kg
Merino wool does itch, ice breaker mixes local with merino wool for itch. Icebreaker merino wool products very high quality, can be bought at big discounts from Sierra Trading Post. $25 or $29 for tee shitts when on sale
I'd be interested in knowing what you used for your personal item on the plane. I usually use a small backpack, but would like to avoid the turtle effect in the airports. Suggestions?
I get you had merino and didn’t have to wash it as much. I saw you only had 1 shirt and shorts for running. These are synthetic fibers so you have to wash it each time you run no?
Yes, being a RU-vid creator and packing camera equipment to travel adds a whole additional layer of complexity! A fair amount of space, and definitely extra weight!😮
Geez! We’re trying…but we struggle with 4 month trips that include summer and winter weather, hiking and formal nights, and all the camera equipment. Add Jennifer’s mask/fins/snorkel and Jonathan’s guitar and we just haven’t been able to get down to a carry on. But we’re still trying.
@awaytogether. We never worry about laundry anymore and faithfully bring our scrubba to wash things easily and really really well. I see a little person and this has been nice with our kids.
Greetings from Texas! I want to buy merino wool clothes for travel and I wanted to ask you - have you ever had issue with moths in your merino wool clothes ?? Thanks for the video. I only travel with 30 L backpack but I still want to go light packing with merino wool clothes. I am excited to try merino wool but was concerned about moths. I also loved your toiletry bag and planning to buy one. 😊
Really enjoy your videos and reviews. We leave for Germany in 20 days for 18 day vacation. 1st time trying new monos carryon and osprey backpack. Thanks for your recommendations.
Allie. : - ) Just found your videos and am enjoying them - Thanks! One request: I'd love to see the palm to camera move eradicated from the internet. It's what you see when someone puts their hand in your face in real life, which is often degrading and/or violent. Not a great match for the upbeat tone of a travel video! Watching Allie's toiletries video next. : - )
For those not want merino wool, suggest your try Patagonia Capilene products. They also have merino wool and merino/capilene blends. I have some capilene pieces that I wear all the times that are 20 years old and still look and feel new. These pieces are extremely easy to sink wash and dry quickly. Yes, Patagonia also has plus sizes. Check them out.
@awaytogether We are planning our first international trip to Italy next year. We are planning on cary on bagage. Marina wool is way over our budget. What other clothing would you recommend? Synthetic blend? Thanks. We have learnd alot so far from you and Your wife.
Thanks for the great tips. Even for weekend trips I'll wash my t-shirts, socks and underwear in the hotel sink and let them dry overnight. I'm planning a 12 day UK trip and want to travel as light as possible.
Allie, please send me your packing tips, we are traveling southern England and London for 3 weeks and I could use some ideas. Thanks! Love your videos 😊
No substitute for merino with full layers but fyi there's a handful of antibacterial socks that are cheaper and just as functional. Also bamboo fabrics can also be even better than merino for t-shirts and socks as well. Super nice stretch and a cool wear.. plus similar odour benefits to merino. And more affordable. Only 100% neccesary merino item imo is a thermal top layer. The pants could be regular thermals and theres plenty of other alternatives for t-shirts ect
I mainly go to warm to hot weather and I sweat a lot. So do yo think the Merino wool still would be ok for me? Also we do cruises where you are very casual (sports-ie) during the day and nice dinning during the evening. Do you have a video on that?
Regarding doing laundry: Laundry takes about an hour. You're gonna have a day that you're tired and want to take a break, so take a book, head to the nearest laundromat, and do a load of laundry. You'll meet locals and sometimes other travelers. Ii even had a British couple ask if I needed to use their laundry detergent and we had a nice chat for a few minutes.
Thank you so much for your fantastic, informative videos! I am learning so much about travel planning. If you haven't done so already, would you please talk about what you and Allie did for insurance when you embarked on your 6-month long sabbatical? Thank you!
Nick, Nick, Nick. You are a parent. You should not be HELPING with your kiddo, that makes it seem like you think it is all Allie’s job. No, it’s BOTH of your jobs. Do police pairs think of doing their job as “helping the other partner?”
We also look for places with laundry for at least one of our stays. Works so well!! Really appreciate the merino wool tip!....we are heading to Europe this year and your videos are so helpful.
