Traveling internationally with just a carry-on bag...

EasyJet has a one carry on rule unless you pay for an upgrade.

In 2002 I took a 16 day safari with only a backpack and a small day bag that was just slightly larger than a fanny pack. I brought or wore 2 pairs of khakis, one pair of shorts, 4 shirts, a light weight wind breaker and enough old socks and undies that I could wear a fresh pair and throw them away daily. I laundered the shirts in the sink and sent the pants out to be laundered and pressed if i had two nights at a hotel. I ended up giving away a shirt because I thought it had gotten too much bug spray on it and the oils might not launder out, just left a note that if the room attendant didn't want it to give it away or throw it out. On the way home I bought tons of souvenirs and the gift shop actually packed my dirty clothes in a box with a drum that I checked and I hand carried a back pack full of gifts. I remember having my mom take a photo because I brought back so much. It is really freeing to not drag a bunch of crap with you. I lost my wind breaker but bought a sweat shirt and bought one tee shirt as a souvenir so it worked perfectly. I would do it again, I packed very light on a China trip and our Europe honeymoon and just laundered stuff in the sink and used the iron to dry stuff if it had not dried by morning. Personally I'd rather do a little hand washing than carry more stuff or have to pay a porter. But I'm a minimalist when it comes to going out. My friends always have a million toys and snacks for their kids. I bring one crappy umbrella stroller and a plastic shopping bag, I put two bottles of water and a couple snacks and use that as my home base, to store sweatshirts or anything I don't care if it's stolen. The kids and I run around and have fun and I've never had someone steal my drink or popcorn (I sometimes bring reusable containers from a theme park). Most people tell me it's so tough to take the kids with all the stuff but seriously they don't need that much stuff and neither do we. The hardest part for me is not having my little one run off. If I took them internationally I'd do the same thing and just buy clothes and stuff as souvenirs or skip buying them all together. Easy :-)
Try it and you'll never look back. I have a really great backpack that needs replacing but I'm not sure they make it anymore, dakine used to make a surfer's backpack with a wet and dry compartment, so you could stuff your wetsuit in the bottom. I keep any dirty laundry in the bottom half. The bag has a flexible inside so when the wet area is empty you can fill the entire dry area and vice versa.
Eta looks like they still make them and this is on sale

m.zappos.com/p/dakine-point-wet-dry-29l-lineup/product/8537548/color/669422?ef_id=Va8gRgAABIVfky4r:20170708005031:s

They make solid ones too if you want to go with all black
Eta on further review this might just have an outer pocket, mine had a separate zipper on the bottom plus an outer pocket

I just got back from 16 days traveling around New Zealand with just a small rolling, hard sided suitcase from Marshalls and a smallish North Face backpack. I also had a soft fabric 'Sports Sac' type purse packed in my luggage.
Usually I travel light with a large suitcase as I love souvenirs!! But we were taking some internal flights on EasyJet with severe restrictions, and living in an RV for a week as well as visiting different cities every couple of days.
I wore my hiking boots on the plane and took a pair of sneakers. I must admit I got very bored of wearing my one hoodie everyday. Laundry wasn't a problem - we did it multiple times. Throwing away your clothes or mailing dirty ones internationally seems completely ridiculous to me.
I used the hotel toiletries and hardly wore any make up. All the small size liquid toiletries were put into a ziplock bag to save time at the airport.

Two years ago the three of us did 3 weeks in Europe with an carry on each in September.


We used the Rick Steves backpack and they worked out great. I liked being hands free and had ample room. We did do hand washing. Bring a twist laundry line to hang things without clips, but still bring a couple of clips for heavier items. I bring individual packets of hand wash soap and a small stain stick. Don't let the laundry pile up too much, because you need room for it to dry. My son was in the process of out growing socks and underpants when we went, so I brought all of his old ones and tossed them as we went.

Look at Pinterest for ideas on pulling together a coordinated wardrobe. It will make it easier to pack light.

Because we were gone for 3 weeks, I just bought stuff like toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion when we got there. Due to being there so long and having the size limits on liquids we found this easier. We ended up loving our toothpaste, and shipped several tubes home.

For things like eye creams, or serums, where you don't use much, consider transferring a small amount to a contact lens case.