Last Updated on June 14, 2025 by Karis Tavernier-Nicholas

Travelling can be stressful enough, but travelling on a tight budget can sometimes feel as if you’re growing new grey hairs for your efforts in keeping costs down. From deciding where to go (there are just so many places to visit!), to adding the local language to your already-jam-packed Duolingo list to pick up the basics, to constantly checking the local forecast for updates on the weather, it’s all too easy to lose sight of the privilege it is to be able to travel at all.

So, whether you’re booked onto a budget airline flight and hoping to keep the costs down by saying ‘no’ to checked-in luggage, or you simply don’t want to lug suitcase upon suitcase around as you try to navigate a new city, a carry on bag may be your only option. Here’s how you can make it work.

Remember to breathe

First things first, remember to keep calm. Your flight might be tomorrow and you might not have even begun packing, but a calm head will go a long way (believe me). Although the bag you were more than confident just a week ago would fit everything with ease, you’ve now spent too many hours reading horror story after horror story of how some budget airlines (I name no names) may try to charge you extra even if the front pocket of your rucksack just pokes through their metal bag check, and now you’re convinced it’s impossible. To make matters worse, it’s now 24 hours before boarding, you’re checked-in and the price to add checked-in luggage has gone up.

So what do you do?

Choose a good carry on bag

Unless it fits the exact dimensions of carry on bags allowed onto budget airlines, I prefer bags made of a softer material to allow for flexibility if I need to squash it down into size. As well as this, consider whether you want a hands-free experience that can be had with a rucksack versus wheeling a small suitcase around. This decision is ultimately down to your preference: do you want to deal with the potential weight of a rucksack on your back or the potential difficulties with wheeling a suitcase over cobblestoned, narrow streets (destination dependent, of course)?

As I prefer to use a roll-top rucksack over a suitcase or sports bag, it’s key to find a bag that is good enough quality to withstand a few trips. One with thick, padded straps is a good way to go, offering much needed support with the weight.

Plan your outfits

This tip is particularly good if you’re heading for a short getaway. Although it may be boring wearing the same things again and again, and there is the risk of dirtying something beyond wearability, sometimes it’s just necessary. Of course, there’s always the option of washing your clothes, even handwashing if necessary. However, creating a capsule wardrobe for travel helps here.

Bringing a mix of lightweight clothes and a cardigan/jumper just in case the weather turns bad generally works well. If you’re only going for a few days or a weekend trip, ideally you’d bring two pairs of trousers (one pair of jeans that you’d wear there and another lightweight pair just in case the weather’s nice), three to four tops (depends on how long you’re away for), and a vest (for extra layers if needed and it’s so small it requires hardly any room). If you find you have the room (and really need it), bringing a lightweight dress along too should be possible. That being said…

Be brutal with what you pack

Do you really need that extra dress? Do you really need to bring your full makeup kit? Be completely honest with yourself. Chances are, if it’s a short stay, you won’t need as much as you think. I know how difficult that can be to believe. For curly-haired girls such as myself, the prospect of heading off without my trusty hair straighteners feels like a risky game. But I survived without them for a few days, even if it meant having to wear my hair up to keep it at least looking tame (especially after a day spent exploring in the rain), and still managed to look alright enough in pictures I wouldn’t mind adding to photo albums. 

Wear your heavier clothes on the way there

Even if the forecast looks promising, be sure to bring something that can keep you warm if the “real feel” temperature isn’t all that great. One way to avoid bulking up your bag, wear your heavier clothes on your way to your destination. In the spring and summer months, the heaviest trousers might be a pair of jeans (especially if you want trousers that offer versatility). Wearing them on the way there – especially if you have an early flight and the sun hasn’t fully woken yet – is a way of making space in your rucksack. After all, budget airlines can’t really tell you to take something off, or add what you’re wearing to your baggage allowance when you take it off once on the plane.

Despite the many hassles packing your life in a rucksack can bring up, there are many benefits too. Skipping past the checked-in luggage carousel where others wait anxiously to be reunited with their possessions reminds you of the stress of dealing with potentially lost luggage. Providing your bag isn’t too heavy that it’s uncomfortable, having a rucksack allows for your holiday to immediately begin. Maybe you’ll head to a café and enjoy a much needed coffee in your new surroundings, all the while your minimal luggage sits on the chair beside you. And then, when it’s time for you to check-in to your hotel, you can easily use public transport and slip into the area like a local without much fuss.

And, if you’re still really worried about leaving behind something you might need, there’s probably a good chance that you can get it when you reach your destination.