What can you really fit in your personal item?
- oconnori2
- Sep 13, 2023
- 3 min read
When traveling abroad, specifically in Europe, one of the great benefits is the cheap flights. Many students choose to travel to new locations on the weekends and no one wants to pay +$100 for a carry-on or checked bag. Instead, airlines allow a “personal item” for free which is a smaller bag that must fit under the seat in front of you. The average size is around 40x20x30 cm or 40x20x25cm.
The bag:
Let’s start with the bag itself. From my personal experience, you’re going to want a bookbag, not a purse-style bag. Having the weight distributed on your back, and 2 hands free will come in handy more than you might expect. There’s a huge range of bags and a large price range to choose from so here are some of my recommendations…
I somehow got away with this bag on all my flights, but it was bigger than the given dimensions… Osprey Travel Pack $175
One aspect I really liked about this bag was the large wrap-around zipper that opened into the entire bag. This was helpful to be able to set my bag down at hotels/hostels/Airbnbs and be able to access all contents in my bag.
Dupe: Amazon option with the large zipper! $40
For my fashionistas:
I'm an over-packer. I understand the struggle of fitting 3 days of belongings into just one bookbag, but if I can do it, so can you!
Look at the weather in advance and plan! those! outfits!
As you can see I would try on everything before packing it just so I knew for sure it was necessary and comfortable.
Try to bring items that can be worn more than once, whether that's a good pair of jeans, a neutral color jacket, or a scarf.
It's already hard enough not to over pack on clothes, but also try not to over pack on shoes. My personal rule for weekends was 1 pair on my feet and 1 pair in my bag. On every single trip, I brought my New Balance 574's. Highly recommend. However, with this rule, it sometimes meant I was at the airport at 6am in my tall booties & having to pack my tennis shoes just because I needed the space.
My "don't forget" List:
Pajamas
Socks & Shoes
Hat or Sunglasses
Rain jacket
Comfy clothes for plane ride home
Camera
Chargers
Fanny pack/Belt bag
Saving room:
Some more basic tips on saving room:
Wear your jackets/bulky items. If your jacket is going to take up half the bag…wear it! Other items you might consider wearing on the plane are scarfs, sweaters, bulky shoes, etc. (my roommates in many layers on a flight seen to the left)
Roll your clothes! We've all heard this one before, but it's true and it works. Personally, I found that rolling all my clothes allowed for me to pack way more. Many people swear by packing cubes, but I felt they were unnecessary, took up extra room, and generally weren't as efficient
If you pack a pair of shoes, fill them! I liked to pack my socks inside my shoes when traveling because every square inch of space is crucial.
Some airports only allow 1 clear bag for toiletries & travel liquids, so make sure you only pack 1 and it's TSA approved. These are the pack I got from Amazon and used!
Here's what a packing list might look like for me on a travel weekend!
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