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Writer's pictureMandie Kramer

Staying within carry-on size limit when traveling with young kids

Updated: Dec 2, 2021

Have you ever wished that you didn’t need to check a back or it just seems impossible to travel light, especially when you have a little one? Maybe you just want to save some money and not have to worry about checking a bag! This conversation with George is full of interesting techniques to be sure you pack everything you need and can still be hands-free without a checked bag, for trips as long as 10 days!


You are currently at the "show notes" blog post for this topic of staying within the carry-on size limit when traveling with little ones. Here you will find a great summary of the conversation along with all the links for the products she’s dropped in the podcast episode.


Listen in on the conversation by clicking on the picture below!




In this article, you’ll learn about packing cubes, which I had never heard of before. They are not like the plastic compression bags you may have seen at Bed-Bath-and Beyond, these are sleek cubes with durable fabric that have a simple but effective compression feature, so keep that in mind, it will help give a good visual! Wondering how many packing cubes do you need? She goes over that as well! George shares what she packs, how she packs it, and more fun tips for efficient yet effective travel packing.



Color Coding Tips


If you’re trying to fit everything for yourself and your child in one bag, the first tips George shares are about color coding and the use of packing cubes. Before this conversation, I had never heard of a packing cube, and if you haven’t either, you will get more clarification and links to the specific items within this post.


What are packing cubes?


Packing cubes are fabric compression bags that are shaped like a cube, much different than those where you take a vacuum or "roll" the air out. These are high-quality, durable, sleek products that can completely transform the way you travel.


The Eagle Creek Packing Cubes come in a variety of colors, which is how George’s family could easily decipher who’s stuff is who’s while on the go during their road trip. If you don’t have color-coding cubes, find a way to have a visual of the bag whether it is a different print, or at the very least, put some fun duct tape on the cubes and have a different pattern for each person. You never have to open up your bag and dig through everything to find the one thing you’re looking for (which for me is always at the bottom…).


The Peak Design Packing Cubes are highly rated by George. These do not come in a variety of colors, but they have other perks such as a storage pouch on the bottom for dirty clothes and “tear open” tabs and zippers that never get stuck. “I’ve used mine for 4 years now, and I travel a lot, and they still look like new”.


Before we go into how many packing cubes you can put into a back, let’s define the baggage size. Everything we refer to here can fit inside a BACKPACK which means if you prefer a roller carry-on, you have more than enough room for the upcoming tips.


But George made a great point in the conversation about the benefits of being hands-free. She had everything she needed for the trip for her and her baby, then she wore the baby on the front and was good to go! Being smart about what you pack and how you pack it can leave you feeling a new sense of freedom and less stress when traveling is trying to juggle all the things.


Does a backpack count as a carry-on?


You may be wondering if backpacks count as a carry-on, the answer varies from airline to airline. Discount airlines in Europe like Ryan Air absolutely count a backpack as a carry-on, but when I fly Delta in the states, I'm able to have a roller carry-on and a backpack. So do your research on what exactly you can get away with for free. In this context, the backpack is counted as the carry-on and everything for the whole trip is packed into this travel backpack.


Travel Backpack Recommendations


There are two different backpacks that she has traveled with as a carry-on. The Bellroy 38L Transit Plus Backpack is 38 liters, and the Nomatic 40L Travel Backpack is, as advertised.... 40 liters. If you clicked on the links you know these are not cheap, but they are a good investment if you value convenient and hands-free traveling. But if you have any other backpack around the same size, and you have the packing cubes mentioned in this post, you should be able to get by just as well.


What can you fit in a travel backpack?


In these backpacks, she fits one medium and one small packing cube, with room to spare!

So what can you put inside these cubes? Pretty much your whole wardrobe for the trip. Start with one outfit per day, plus one extra. This goes for your child as well (which kills me because I love to bring all of my daughter’s adorable outfits… but they have been completely unnecessary and a waste of space in the past if I’m to be honest with myself...)

George's son wearing the JuJu Mini Be Backpack

With one large cube for yourself and one small cube for your child, you’re good to go! If they are old enough to wear a small backpack and can walk, then take advantage of that extra space and pack entertainment and snacks in their bag so you don’t have to carry it and it is easily accessible while on the plane.


More Links to Products Mentioned in the Podcast


I hope you found this article helpful and I highly encourage you to check out the podcast episode with George to hear the full story and even some bonus content at the end about traveling to Prague and some must-dos if you plan to travel there in the future!


Do you have follow-up questions or did you enjoy this article? Feel free to comment below!


The best way to do one bag travel is to be organized! Figure out what is essential and then how to pack it most efficiently. Here are some of the recommended tools for packing organization from the podcast episode:










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