This has been a busy travel year for me, so I’ve had a lot of opportunity to hone my packing skills. After a 10-day summer vacation with just a carry on and a backpack, I promised an update on how packing for my other trips went. Read on for an update and travel packing tips from my recent 5-day and 2-day business trips, and 16-day U.K. vacation.

Travelling light is yet another way I’m seeking to simplify life—excess baggage just weighs us down and complicates everything. In 12 useful tips for travelling with just a carry on, I shared travel packing tips and learnings from our summer vacation. But do those same tips work for business trips, or longer vacations in seasons where heavier clothing is required? Let’s find out!

5-day business trip

Packing for my 5-day business trip was more challenging than the vacation, mainly because I needed enough outfits for daytime and evening activities each day.

I started out by making a grid of the various activities I had planned. Then, I planned outfits for each activity, choosing items I could mix and match. Other than the dress I wore for the Sunday evening event, and the Canada t-shirt I wore for the Tuesday evening Canadian reception, I wore every item twice. Shoes take up a lot of space, so I made sure every outfit worked with either the single pair of dress shoes or the casual flats I wore for travel.

What I packed

Here’s the full list of items I needed to pack.

• Black capris
• Pink sweater
• Blue dress
• Black blazer
• Patterned skirt
• Blue suit
• Blue t-shirt
• Canada t-shirt
• Casual grey capris
• Navy t-shirt
• Jewellery
• Packable rain jacket
• Sun hat
• Black dress sandals
• And of course, pyjamas, socks, underwear, bras

In addition to my suitcase, I also carried a smaller bag with my travel mug, water bottle, travel snacks, iPad, chargers, meeting notes, and a small purse to use when I got there.

Making it all fit

First, I packed smaller items like pyjamas, bras and underwear in a small compression cube.

Then, I laid the larger clothing items flat, and carefully folded them and put them in the bottom of the suitcase. I tried putting them in a larger compression cube, but it didn’t save much space and I had visions of me ironing in my hotel room when my clothes came out of the cube all wrinkled.

Next, I folded smaller clothing items like t-shirts and blouses, and packed them in a medium compression cube.

The dress shoes fit in the suitcase pocket, and I stuffed smaller items like socks inside the shoes to save space. Then, I secured everything with the straps and tucked my packable rain jacket, makeup bag, and travel mug along the sides of the suitcase. Voila!

2-night business trip

There’s nothing worse than carefully planning and packing everything in a carry on, only to have an airline employee tell you there’s no room on the plane and you have to check it anyway. Earlier this year, I invested in a small under-seater suitcase for shorter trips. It has already saved me enough time to pay for itself. With a little planning and careful packing, I can fit everything I need for a one- or two-night trip.

I worried whether the suitcase would fit under the seat on a small regional jets that service the routes I often fly. So far, that hasn’t been a problem.

For a recent 2-night business trip, I packed the following in my under-seater suitcase:

• Pair of capris
• Top
• Denim skirt
• White t-shirt
• A long grey cardigan that matched everything
• Socks, underwear, pyjamas
• Dress shoes
• Toiletries
• Meeting notes
• iPad
• Water bottle
• Snacks
• Small purse

First, I laid all my clothing flat and smoothed out the wrinkles. Then, I rolled them lightly to the size of the packing cube. For the clothing, I used a large 15 ½” x 11 ½” cube.

Then, I packed my pyjamas, underwear, and socks in a small 12” x 8” packing cube.

After that, I rearranged the other items to make everything fit in the bag.

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16-day UK vacation

Finally, for the biggest challenge of all, I pledged to take only a carry-on and a backpack for my 16-day vacation to the UK. The weather in England in October is unpredictable. When I looked at the long-range forecast a few days before my trip, I added an umbrella to the list. It’s much easier to travel light in the summer.

Layers! That’s the secret to travelling light in colder climates. As much as it pained me, I shunned my bright colours and chose a lot of neutral items—black, grey, white, navy—that I could mix and match.

Did I do it? Let’s take a look…

What I packed in the suitcase

• Black dress
• Navy knit dress
• Navy scarf
• Teal blazer
• Long black cardigan
• 2 pairs of jeans – blue, black
• Grey corduroy pants
• Grey light long sleeved sweater
• Black long-sleeved t-shirt
• White long-sleeved t-shirt
• Long sleeved striped t-shirt
• Long sleeved blouse
• Pyjamas – 2 pair
• A week’s worth of socks, underwear, bras
• Slippers
• Spare glasses
• Black dress shoes
• Umbrella

Making it all fit

First, I put all my socks, underwear, bras, pyjamas, tights, and slippers into 2 medium packing cubes. I was a bit alarmed when I saw how much room they took up in the suitcase. Would my clothes still fit?

A couple of days before departure, I did a packing dry run.

First, I layered and folded the 3 pairs of pants, and the tops. I tried fitting it all into a large packing cube but couldn’t do up the zipper. I removed the long-sleeved blouse and the grey corduroy pants. Then it zipped up.

I settled that packing cube in the bottom of the suitcase and put my black dress shoes beside it.

Next, I layered and folded the dresses, blazer, long black cardigan, grey cords, and the long-sleeved blouse, and placed them in the suitcase. Problem…there was no way I was going to fit the 2 medium packing cubes in there. It was time for a rethink.

First, I put the slippers and tights in the front pocket of my suitcase. Then I pulled out a pair of pyjamas and enough socks & underwear for the first couple of days and put them in a medium packing cube in my backpack. Finally, I rearranged the remaining socks, underwear and pyjamas and fit them all into a medium packing cube. Success!

Three travel packing tips that work for any trip

Honestly, there’s nothing magical about packing light for any kind of trip. I’d summarize my learnings into three travel packing tips that will work for any trip.

• Planning. Start by planning your outfits based on the activities you’ll be doing during your trip. Map it all out on a grid. It really works!
• Layering. This is critical, especially in fall and winter. Forego the big, bulky sweaters and plan layers instead.
• Coordinating. Ensure every top goes with every pair of bottoms, and every jacket or cardigan goes with top and every pair of bottoms. That will let you mix and match multiple outfits with just a few pieces.

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Now that I’ve got packing light down to an art, I think I’ll stay home for a while.

What’s the longest trip you’ve ever taken with just a carry on? Drop me a comment below and let me know.