Wondering what to pack for long-term travel? If you’re planning to do it all in a carry-on, here are some key lessons: pack light, pack durable, and prepare to become thoroughly tired of everything you wear.

Long-term travel teaches you a lot about what you really want in your bag — and what you wish you’d left at home. If you’re working on a carry-on packing list, here’s how all of my clothes held up after many months of use and re-use on a round-the-world trip. This will help as you choose your wardrobe for your own exciting adventure.

Packing Cube 1: T-Shirts

• L.L. Bean Tees (2): Oh, L.L. Bean, you’ve been one of my mainstays for a long time, but I must admit that I was disappointed with about half of your gear on this journey. One of your T-shirts (item #518372, below, if you’re listening) behaved perfectly, like it came straight off the rack — while the other (item #509305) pilled like it was trying to enter a fuzzy sweater contest.
• Athleta Breezy Scoop V Tee: Love the fit, hate the pilling. Not worth the hefty price tag.
• Uniqlo Tee: I’ve owned my T-shirt from their AIRism line for years, and it’ll stand up to anything. Thanks, Uniqlo!
• Under Armour workout tank: By far the oldest and most-used item in my bag, and it’s still good as new.

Packing Cube 2: 3/4 & Long-Sleeve Shirts

• L.L. Bean Streamside Tee: Here we go again … L.L. Bean, I’ve loved you, and you’ve done me wrong. This shirt’s fabric wore so badly that it was no longer comfortable; I ditched it as I could find something new.
• L.L. Bean Adventure Grid Fleece Quarter-Zip Pullover: This, L.L. Bean, is why I keep coming back to you. I’ve worn this pullover everywhere — it’s so familiar that friends call it “the green thing.” It doesn’t hang perfectly, but it’s still my go-to layering device.
• Patagonia Capilene Baselayer: I’ve owned this thing forever, and it never fails. It’s my go-to when I need something warm. And it doesn’t have to be a base layer; it stands alone just fine.
• Beyond Yoga Featherweight Morning Light Pullover: Perfect. A simple but wonderful top: light, easy, quick to dry, never wrinkles, and soft as the day I bought it from REI.

Packing Cube 3: Pants & Shorts

• KÜHL Women’s Tech Pants: I wish I knew what style these were, because I would buy them again — but I can’t find an identifier anywhere. They’re not going to win any fashion awards, but they’re tough and comfy all at once (you’ll see them in the Egypt photo at the top).
• L.L.Bean Vista Trekking Pants (below): I’m happy with these L.L. Bean pants, which are wearing really well (but don’t get me started on the fleece-lined L.L. Bean leggings I wore in Iceland). The fashion police can’t possibly be excited about my wearing trekking pants anywhere with a population of over 1,000 people, but I manage.
• Athleta Elation Flare Pants: So glad to have these in my carry-on wardrobe. They’re soft, they dry quickly, and they look great. I could do with a bit less pilling between the thighs, but who’s going to notice? 🙂
• REI workout shorts: REI rarely steers me wrong, and I can’t complain here.

Packing Cube 4: Dresses and Scarves

• White Ginger Dress (below): Absolutely the best, bought as a last-minute dress option at a tiny boutique in Singapore. It packs into a tiny ball of nothingness and comes out of the bag looking light and elegant.
• REI Aoraki Travel Dress: This thing is a workhorse. It has pockets, it barely wrinkles, and it’s made of some sort of magical stain-free, easy-to-wash fabric.
• Karina Cecelia Dress: I get so many compliments on this dress! It has pockets and doesn’t wrinkle at all. The downsides? It’s easily the heaviest and bulkiest piece of clothing I carried aside from my jacket, and it’s pilling just a tiny bit.
• Harlow & Rose Sundress: Another favorite. Dries easily, wears well, doesn’t take up much space.
• Shift Dress from Morocco: Takes too long to dry, but it’s the closest thing I have to a nightgown, and it can double as a pool dress. It was terrible quality when I bought it, so it’s the one thing I have that was improved along the way (my mom attacked it with a much-needed needle and thread operation).
• Scarves (2): One rainbow scarf that I bought in Morocco (they said it was authentic, and I believed them in the moment …), one multicolored scarf that I bought in the States.

Packing Cube 5: Socks

• 1 pair Smartwool trouser socks
• 1 pair Smartwool short hikers, which I adore (as much as one can adore a pair of socks)
• 1 pair yellow socks with Portuguese roosters on them (from Portugal)
• 2 pairs of no-show socks that do nothing but fall down. No-show socks are dumb, but I’ve been too lazy to look for a good alternative.

The Outside Pocket: Unmentionables & A Bathing Suit

• Bra: Yes, I’m traveling with only one bra. It’s not difficult! How does this work? Well, first of all, the bra gets washed a lot — so much so that I can no longer read the label. Secondly, it’s supportive but super-thin, so it’s easy to pack and I don’t get tired of it. But most importantly, I don’t wear it every day. Sacrilege, I know, but I do just fine.
• ExOfficio Underwear (5 pairs): I will never travel with any other underwear again. It’s just that good.
• Swimsuit: the floral top is from Target, the bottom is something boring and black.

Shoes

• 1 pair Merrell Trail Glove Trainers: Wow, do I love these shoes. They have taken me on hikes up mountains in Maine and Iceland, they have been filled with sand in Egypt and Jordan, and they have worked as street shoes in Portugal and Turkey.
• 1 pair Cloud Aika Sneakers: This is my third pair of Cloud Aika shoes, and they make me happy every time. They’re a cute sneaker, and I’ve put miles on them. But the sole started to separate from the rest of the shoe after only three months of (admitted heavy) wear.
• 1 pair Aetrex Julian Sandals: These are comfy, though the insoles started to feel a bit strange over time.
• 1 pair Acorn travel slippers: They don’t make these anymore, which is a tragedy. I’ve been carrying these things around for years, and they’re fabulous.

The Bag

I happily carried all of this — and more (see below) — in an Osprey Farpoint Wheeled Carry-On.

What do I love about this bag? Most importantly, it works as a carry-on for almost every airline (where it didn’t work, the problem was the weight rather than the size). Secondly, it has both wheels and straps! So I can wheel it most places but throw it on as a backpack when necessary. And finally, it seems to behave like a Mary Poppins bag: just when I think there’s no more room, I find extra space for one more thing — I know, because I’ve tried, that I can just keep adding more dresses along the way.

What don’t I love? Well, it only has two wheels, so it doesn’t swivel in that neat and handy way that modern suitcases do (but I get it — wheels add weight). The other real problem is the handle, which isn’t super-comfortable for dragging a heavy bag through big airports. I also wish it had more than one internal pocket. Oh, and it’s too rounded to hold my shoulder bag on top — that’s a real pain in the neck.

Other Stuff in the Bag

Wondering how much else I can fit into a carry-on? This is all of the other stuff that I’ve somehow crammed inside (I have a whole post about it here if you want more details):

• A gallon-sized plastic bag that holds laundry sheets (about 20), a travel clothesline, and my Scrubba Wash Bag
• Sea to Summit toiletry bag — holds my hairbrush, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, floss, and glasses
• Cableinthebay bag — holds my shampoo, conditioner, sunblock, hair gel, antiseptic ointment, bug dope, and itch cream
• Cotopaxi hip bag — holds my Vortex Solo Monocular, amazing Sea to Summit teeny-tiny backpack, North Face Brimmer hat, PackTowl, and a small umbrella
• 3-4 extra plastic bags
• Two exercise bands
• Travelon anti-theft purse

After months of travel, here are some important lessons I learned on the road about packing light.

Important Notes

• I could only manage months like this in a carry-on because I mostly traveled to places where the temperature never dipped below freezing. For the coldest place that I traveled — Iceland — I relied on my husband to bring me warm clothing.
• In addition to my carry-on, I travel with a very large, very heavy shoulder bag. That bag contains my medications, cords, travel plugs, sunglasses, Kindle, iPad, tea bags, and everything I might want on a plane.
• Many people asked what I did about souvenirs, because my bag was packed to the max. The answer is that I relied on (1) the kindness of friends and relatives who met and carried things home and (2) the postal services of various countries.
• I’ve given links above for items that I can identify, but I’m not getting any sponsorships from any of these folks.
• I ditched two items: (1) a black scarf, because having three scarves seemed excessive, and (2) a pair of mid-height hiking socks, because I found I just wasn’t wearing them.
• Most of my packing cubes are from Eagle Creek, and I love them. It’s good to have packing cubes in different colors so that you can quickly figure out what’s where.

Dreaming of your own round-the-world trip? This post covers everything you need to know to plan an enjoyable and stress-free journey.

Wondering what long-term travel is really like? Read my 1-month and 2-month updates for insights and reflections.