Carry On Only for a MONTH Including a LAVA Lamp!

Hey there! If you're a student of mine or have been following me for a while, you already know about my extreme ideas and the lengths I'll go to experiment with minimalism! 😄 Especially if you've read my book or taken my course, you're likely familiar with how far I push the concept.

I discovered minimalism at home through my minimalist approach to traveling. Traveling minimally to various states and countries is incredibly liberating. You might have read my article in the Ami magazine about this very topic.

For years, cheap domestic flights only allowed carry-ons, while international flights permitted free checked luggage. Recently, however, many airlines have changed their baggage policies, even for international flights. 😬

Despite always traveling minimally and rarely checking luggage, we thought we might need to check a suitcase after some shopping we did in America over Pesach. But as the "frum minimalist," I got excited at the opportunity to challenge myself and accepted the challenge to stick with carry-ons! 💪

And guess what? We succeeded without checking any luggage! 🎉

There was also the added bonus of saving money, as our multiple stopovers would have increased the cost each time we had to check in our luggage again.

I was astonished that we managed it! We bought everything we planned to (another concept I teach in my course is the importance of shopping intentionally and always with a list) while in America and didn't feel deprived at all. In fact, we ended up with one empty backpack, and our kids got to fill it with whatever they wanted. 🛍️

My students keep asking how we did it—how we packed and managed for an entire month, including freezing cold days, warm days, swim gear, my laptop, and shopping. For those familiar with America, some states can be very cold in spring, requiring coats and winter clothes, in addition to spring wear.

A Few Disclaimers

Before I dive into the packing list: We have pajamas and my husband's hat in America. Also, you don't really need pajamas—you can just use a T-shirt and leggings, which we always do when traveling. 😉

Additionally, we're careful to pack clothing that doesn’t wrinkle easily and can be file-folded in packing cubes. In fact, I don’t even buy clothing that wrinkles because I dislike ironing (I don’t even own an iron).

If you’re my student, you know my mantra: don’t fight with it, work with it! Don’t fight what you hate.

(I can't squish my husband's suits and shirts, though, as those can wrinkle easily.)

Here's exactly what we packed for our family of six, using five backpacks and five small carry-ons:

Each of us wheeled a small carry-on with a knapsack on top or on our back. It looks neat and orderly when we travel, I'm always careful not to have a mess of bags and items scattered everywhere! 😅

It's also important to me that we keep our food bag neat, clean, and organized. We stick to clean, non-odor foods to keep everything fresh and pleasant during our travels. (See my blog post on good foods for traveling here.)

Packing List for Our Family of Six

For my three older girls and me:

• 3 winter Shabbos dresses each

• 3 summer Shabbos dresses each

• Shabbos winter shoes

• Shabbos summer shoes

• 5 full weekday outfits each

• Hair accessories for weekday and Shabbos

• Sneakers (worn)

• 1 pair of flip flops/slides each

• 1 pair of booties (for one daughter)

• 1 pair of winter dress loafers (for one daughter)

• Dress shoes for me

• Running sneakers (for me)

• 3 pairs of winter tights each

• Shabbos tights and socks (4 pairs each for winter and summer)

• One medium-sized packing cube of undergarments

• 9 pairs of leggings for all (girls share)

• 9 pairs of shorts for all (girls share)

For me:

• A laptop, included the mouse and keypad

• Another wig besides the one I was wearing

• a fanny pack with my phone and charger

• 4 headscarves

• Tiny Ziploc bag with minimal makeup and jewelry

For my husband:

• Nearly 2 full carry-ons with suits, blazers, white shirts, and men’s dress shoes (His stuff takes up a lot of space and can’t be squished)

• 1 full backpack with seforim, tefillin, documents, and our passports

For the whole family:

• A medium-sized packing cube with swimming gear, including three pairs of goggles

• 2 knapsacks with food

• Coats for everyone

• Cardigans for everyone

• Plus 3 extra sweaters/cardigans for some members

• A full package of 40 diapers (we had already bought it and had the room for it lol!)

• Vitamins

• Some toiletries

• 6 water bottles

• Toothbrushes

Breakdown of What Was in Each Backpack:

1. Important Items: 1 full backpack with seforim, tefillin, sheet protector with documents, and our passports.

2. Food: 2 backpacks with food. (We had an extended stopover.)

3. Baby Supplies: 1 backpack with all our baby’s clothes, wipes, a full change of clothes for everyone, and additional diapers.

4. Kids’ Shared Backpack: Our girls shared one full backpack for their prizes and presents, including a large lava lamp (don’t ask!), books, jewelry, a stuffed toy, and random trinkets.

I'm sure I'll remember more stuff that we had with us, but this is it in a nutshell! 😅

Traveling minimally can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding.

By carefully planning and prioritizing, we managed to have everything we needed without feeling deprived. The experience was liberating, and we learned a lot about what we truly need versus what we think we need.

If you're considering a minimalist approach to travel, I encourage you to give it a try—you might be surprised at how freeing it can be! 🌍✈️

View more of my travel articles here.

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