How to Travel Like a Minimalist: Living Out of Carry-On Luggage

Last updated on February 7th, 2025

Five years out of my nine years living abroad, I have only lived out of a carry-on luggage and a laptop bag. People are usually shocked when I tell them this, especially women. There is an immense amount of freedom knowing that at any moment, I can pack up all of my physical possessions in just 10 minutes (I’ve timed it) and be out the door to anywhere I want to go!

When I’m on the move, I save tons of time and money never having to check luggage or wait to pick it up at the baggage carousel. By having less in life there is less mental strain because there is simply less to worry about. If you’re interested in the benefits of minimalism read my book How to Live Abroad and Thrive with Passive Income as I go into much greater detail on the topic.

I’ve been asked so many times what I travel with that I have decided to finally share what all I lug around with me. Below is what I live with for 10-11 months out of each year.

Less is truly more!

The things I live with:

Electronics

Clothing

Toiletries

Miscelaneous

The answer is no, I don’t stink all the time, I just wash my clothes often! Perhaps in the future I will share how I manage to keep everything so clean while living out of hotel rooms.

Five years living as a minimalist and I’m still working to downsize. Every once in a while I’m able to remove more things such as this year when I went from three pairs of shoes, down to two pairs! I was excited! The lighter my bags are the better I feel!

Becoming a minimalist has really improved my life and the lives of those around me. I would urge you to give it a shot as well as it’s better for our planet, our minds, and our bank accounts!