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When my boyfriend found out he had a plus-one for a friend’s wedding in Florence, we knew we couldn’t pass up a chance to visit Italy. Attend an event at a villa in the beautiful Tuscan countryside? Why yes, thank you, sign us up. But once we figured out whether we could afford it and considered that we were given late notice and had busy work schedules, we didn’t want to take a long trip.
While I was still perfectly happy to have a long weekend in Europe, I also felt like that meant I couldn’t justify checking a bag. Some initial questions I had: How do you pack for a European vacation in a carry-on? How can I include everything I need for a weekend of wedding festivities in a tiny amount of space?
Given the short turnaround, Amazon Prime (or paying for expedited delivery elsewhere) was the only option to make sure I could get what I needed on time.
Now that I’m back, I can officially say that I had everything I needed for a successful trip and I was a stellar wedding guest (IMHO). So I wanted to share what I learned to help travelers pack light, stay organized, and maximize space in a carry-on to avoid checking a bag when traveling.
Before you say it, I already know that most of the things on this list are not strictly necessities. Sure, it’s not the end of the world if your clothes are wrinkled at the wedding, but I will say that for my own personal happiness, I wanted to look and feel my best. If you also tend to feel out of whack particularly during international travel and have the time, resources, and interest, these are some things that I recommend to stay organized and make the most of a quick trip.
