How to Pack the Perfect Carry-On for a Weekend Getaway

Luxury travel expert Paula Conway shares carry-on packing tips, capsule wardrobe strategies, and travel essentials for packing the perfect weekend getaway bag.

Keywords

•  Carry-On Packing 
•  Weekend Getaway 
•  Travel Tips 
•  Packing Tips 
•  Capsule Wardrobe 
•  Luxury Travel 
•  Travel Essentials 
•  Briggs & Riley 
•  Weekend Travel 
•  Smart Packing

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to the Caviar and Candy podcast. I'm your host, Paula Conway, and today I'm joined by my producer and colleague Maya Lubarov. And we're so excited because I think we're going to talk about really one of my top favorite subjects in uh travel or the very top, which is luggage.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Yeah, I mean, I love talking about luggage. I think it's super interesting, especially with the spring season. Today we're going to be diving into the art of packing the perfect carry-on for a spring weekend getaway. So to get started, can you name some travel must, as in like what you must always do when packing?

SPEAKER_00 0:51

This is number one. And most people don't do this. You must map out your itinerary. So you look at what you're doing each day, if you know, or what you want to do, and then you can correspond it with the outfit. And it is also really helpful if you look at the weather where you're going, because 50 degrees, for example, is different from the 60s, is different from the 70s. So for me personally, and I'm always cold, in 70 degree weather, 72, somewhere in there, I don't have to wear a jacket. But in the 60s, I do, but I don't have to wear a winter coat. I can just wear a jacket or a sweater. But in the 50s, I'm in a winter coat. Um, and that can vary. So if you're going somewhere, like I was just in Canada, and it was between 45 and 72, big variable. And it's Canada. So I traveled with all kinds of layers. I had my big coat, didn't need it every day, but I did on other days. So it can get really confusing and cumbersome. But check the weather, understand what you need, and understand what you're going to do. Are you walking most of the time? If it's for business, even if it's a weekend getaway and you know you have to dress a certain way, do you need a pair of pumps? You, these are the types of things. And then also always use both the carry-on and a travel bag. And a travel bag is like a tote, and it fits right into the spine of the carry-on, like the one that we, the one that you have behind you. You can see a little bit of it right in that corner there. Um, but that's that's oh, here, it's right here on mine. That's where you're going to pull that up, and then you're gonna slide the tote, you know, always, always bring those are those are definitely musts because now you have the carry-on, and if you have a nice big fat tote, you can actually wear a um um a um crossbody pocketbook if it's not too big, and usually they won't stop you. And if you leave just enough at the top of that tote and they say, Oh, you only get one carry-on and one pocketbook, you can take that pocketbook off and you can slip it into the top of that tote. And now you actually have two different bags, the tote and the crossbody, uh uh, to go out when you get to your destination.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

I feel like that's always something that I struggle with is packing really concisely, especially when maybe you're going from like two different climates. Um, I feel like it's always stressful to figure out how to do that. So it makes a lot of sense to pack and wear the layers accordingly. Um, so kind of speaking of, what are your absolute essentials as far as a spring weekend carry-on go?

SPEAKER_00 3:50

So, number one is no matter where you're going, no matter what the weather is, for me, it's layers. And the reason is because when you fly, airplanes are cold. You're at 30,000, 35,000 feet. So unless it's the dead of winter and they have the heat on, and even then it's cold, it's always going to be cold. And in the summer, it's gonna be cold because they have the air conditioning blasting. So I always wear layers on the plane regardless, but I'm bringing layers with me. And so for me, that means the the first layer is a t-shirt. The next one is a long sleeve tee, which is part of, should be part of your capsule collection because long sleeve tees are versatile and you can mix and match them with anything. And then the next one, if it's cold, like when I just I just went to Canada, um, to the Charlois region, uh, which is Quebec and the surrounding areas, I had a cashmere sweater on. So I had the t-shirt, I had the long sleeve tee, I had the cashmere sweater. Then I had my my whoop my winter coat because of where it was going. And the key is all your heaviest stuff should be on you, physically on you, so that you can bring everything in a carry-on. So the more you layer, the more it affords you the ability to take off, take off, take off. You get into Miami and it's 80 degrees. Well, you you go into the ladies' room, you take all the layers off, and now you have your t-shirt and you can go about your day. It's fantastic. And then I think the next thing is understanding what a capsule collection is. So a capsule wardrobe or a capsule collection, by definition, is a wardrobe where you can really mix and match timeless pieces, and it makes it easier no matter where you go. So you choose your palette. The one that I recommend the most is cans, whites, blacks, navy blues, and maybe one pop of color like red in your capsule collection. You will decide what your capsule looks like. But if you stick to a palette, it really kind of reigns you in, like, okay, I'm only going to buy or pull from my closet tan, white, black, navy. And I've done this a million times as a travel writer. I can tell you that that particular capsule wardrobe works. It just works universally, and you always look sharp, whether it's black and navy, navy and white, tan and jeans, black top and jeans, you will always look chic and clean and stylish. So let's get into what that looks like in a carry-on. So for me, you want three pairs of pants, including the pair that you're wearing. Not necessarily in your luggage, although for the carry-on that we're talking about today, which is the Briggs and Riley, you can absolutely um, you can absolutely have four. So a black pair of pants or slacks, a tan pair. Those could be jeans, those could be a khaki, um, but a tan pair, depending on where you're going, a navy or a black, navy or a black. So that's three if you do that. And then you might be wearing your jeans. And I suggest that you on the plane, you wear your jeans. If you don't want to wear your jeans for some reason, then that's fine. Then you pack your jeans. And then you have four pairs of pants, really. Now you have far more than you're gonna need for a long weekend. You have you have a week's worth right there. Then you add six tops, and so for me, this is a mix of short sleeve and long sleeve. So I always have the long sleeve tees. It's part of my personal uniform, but it is also what I would travel in no matter what, because again, they're universal. They always look chic, they always look clean instead of trying to, you know, show lots of personality and get colored shirts with, you know, uh pink ribbons and polka dots on it. You can do that when you're at home, but when you're traveling, everything should be interchangeable. So what you can fit, particularly in the Briggs and Riley luggage, is really a week's worth of clothes, if not more, with what I'm giving you right here, much less a weekend. So maybe I have, for example, one short sleeve or two, black white, and then long sleeve. And I might have navy black, I might have white black. White black is always good. I might bring, in addition to that, I I I prefer pants, a skirt or a dress. And a simple black dress is always the best one to travel with. It always works no matter where you're going, no matter what the weather is, it will always look good. It'll always be chic. If I don't bring the dress, I'm fine because but among the pants and these different tops, I have six outfits. Um, I always travel with a duster, which is a long sweater, basically, a long open in the front, um, you know, like a thin light. I have a naked cashmere, cashmere gray. Unless I'm headed to like Florida or Miami or Texas, I almost always carry that duster because you can also just put on a pair of pants, one of your long sleeve tees, and or short sleeves, and put the duster over it, and it's automatically stylish without you having to work at it. You can either layer it when you get on the plane and have it under your big jacket, your heavy coat, nobody cares, or you can just stick it in your carry-on. It'll fit beautifully. Any questions?

SPEAKER_01 9:29

That makes a lot of sense. I also feel like having a thin jacket is so important when it comes to going anywhere. And even for me, like even if I am going um to LA where I'm originally from, it's very easy to assume that it's going to be warm all the time, but it gets cold at night and it gets cold in the morning. So you need a piece that's just very easy. We'll instantly style it. So it makes a lot of sense that that duster is super important.

SPEAKER_00 9:59

Yes, the duster would come in handy for that. And I go to LA a lot too, and you're absolutely right. It's a completely different temperature. The layers come in handy. And in that case, I might fly with something like this, one of my favorite hoodies. I might wear a favorite hoodie. So this one, I don't know if you can see it, is an aviator nation. Oh, yes. It happens to be a crop waist, but I don't care because I have a long sleeve tee under this. Again, it's part of the poly uniform. Right. But I could have for cold, I could have a t-shirt, long sleeve tee, and this, and that's enough layer for me for LA for a morning or an evening. That would that would be that would be enough. So to answer your question, like what you're what you're talking about is so important because even though we hear it spoken or somebody can say, This is what I recommend, you literally have to take the idea and the instruction and do it, and you'll see that there is a reason why someone is saying, This is exactly what you need, because it is exactly what I know it is exactly what you need.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

It's also I really love Oh, yeah. Oh god. Sorry, I really love the whole idea of having like the capsule closet of the colors because I think it's very easy to get eclectic and to get a little bit in your head about like, well, I want to wear this t-shirt, but also this is like a bright purple and my pants are like pink, and I don't know what to do and how that's working. So to stick with one color palette in one collection, I feel like is so smart and intuitive. And I don't know why I've never thought of that before.

SPEAKER_00 11:38

Yeah, well, I never did until I did. So it it is. And your color palette, you know, along those lines, I think it's when we get too colorful or too patterny, is when we run into trouble because then we think, well, I I can't really wear that again. So therefore I'm gonna have to bring this. But that doesn't mean that your color palette can't be pink, red, black, white. Right. If you are somebody who loves color, that's fine, but just stay right there. Just stay right there. Maybe it's red jeans and maybe it's pink pants, and maybe it's blue jeans. Now you got three pairs of pants, and then you have a long-sleeve white tee, a long sleeve black tee, and then you might have a red t-shirt, for example, or red top. But make your capsule collection clear and crisp and stick to your four shades, for example.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Right. Amazing. Well, moving on, do you want to talk more about like accessorizing and pattern for the stuff?

SPEAKER_00 12:42

Shoes are a big one, you know. Um, the good news is that we are in the decade of the sneaker. Sneakers have never been so cool, they've never been so sharp. And they are um, there's something for everyone. If you're someone who likes a platform sneaker like I do, uh every Nike, everybody's making them. Nike's making them, whether it's if it's luxury, I like Sam Matan and they travel really well. Um, I have two pairs that are Nike. Um, I have Veronica Beards that are not platform. They're very chic, but they're low heel. So there's something for everybody out there at every single price point and on Amazon. But comfortable shoes, sneakers, black or neutral for evenings, and sandals. So I would say your two most important, particularly if it's warm weather, are the sneakers you're traveling in andor bringing with you and the sandal that you want to wear with your skirt, your dress, your jeans, your black slash, your tan sacks. That's really all you need. And in most cases, you probably only need two. You probably need just the sneaker and the sandal, possibly flip-flops for the pool, or if you're gonna go to the spa and you want to wear your own flip-flops. But that would be it. Those are your three pairs of shoes. Flip-flops will not take up a lot of space in a carry-on. You're gonna wear your sneakers. So you can, you're really only packing one substantial size shoe, which would be your sandal. Now, because I was in Canada, I wasn't gonna wear an open-toe sandal. I wasn't gonna wear a sandal where I was going, um, because I was out in the farmland. So I needed a boot, a booty, and I have the most delicious pair of Inez boots. Um, they are the Paz 70s, and they are so popular. It is a very expensive shoe. Like the Briggs and Riley is an expensive luggage, but it's worth it because you can wear those booties like sneakers. I can travel on in with them and cross airports if I need to.

SPEAKER_01 14:54

Oh, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 14:56

Walk through New York City. I didn't, I put them in the carry-on at the bottom, but I only had two pairs of shoes, and that was the um the sneaker shoe that I wore, a Sorel that I wore on the plane, and the booties. That was it.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

That's all I also feel like shoes are the thing that always takes up the most space in my carry-on. I feel like I can never travel with more than two pairs, even if there are different occasions of let's say that I'm going to some sort of like a formal event, but I want to bring my sneakers, I want to bring a pair of like high heels or boots, and then I also want to bring the like sandals or flip-flops. I feel like it's always very hard to put them all together, and I never know how to configure them in a way that's that will make them fit.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

So I think the the configuring is a good question. I mean, a good point to raise that how they're supposed to lie, you know. So if this is the shoe and this is a boot, and this is the boot or booty, and this is the the pipe part, and this is the other one needs to lie this way. That's that's how you pack them. And and really the same for sandals. So if this is the sandal, it's like this. So it's exactly the way it is in the shoebox. Um, but really, you don't need four pairs of shoes. That's that's really the thing. You need three if you need a flip-flop. If you're going somewhere warm, you just need three. Or some people travel with flip-flops. I didn't on this trip, but I often do just because I don't really want to barefoot on the hotel room floor. They're not clean. Doesn't matter how expensive the hotel room is, they're not clean. Don't kid yourself. A million people have tread there. They're not replacing those carpets all the time. They're not. So I didn't this past time, this past trip, but I often will do that just for that. So wear your sneaker, pack your flip-flops, and bring your sandal, and you're good. And your sandal could be your high heel for going out, but you don't need the boot or booty. And if you do need the boot or booty, it's not as likely that you need something for your dinner. But I would think about what you could wear on the plane then, so that you don't have more than three pairs of shoes.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

That's very smart. And then what about like purses or other accessories?

SPEAKER_00 17:33

So, this is where for me, like I think we all have our areas. Like you've just shared, Maya, that you're you like shoes and you want to bring all these shoes. And I get that I've I've done that many times. Um, I'm a bag person. So what I did and what I tend to do is I have a crossbody purse. Easier in the winter because when I go to get on the plane, I pull that big heavy jacket clothes and they don't even see it. So it could be larger than just the size, you know. There, I have plenty that just fit like my phone. Right. Um, in fact, if I have one here and I'll grab it, I don't see it. I don't see it behind me. So, um, but you get the size. So I I I either take that one or I took a larger one with me this time. Um, and it's my DeMelier. So Demelier is a London brand. It's a luxury brand, but it's not luxury like botanica vanetta, you're not paying $4,000 for a bag, you know, they're they're in the 400 to you know 1200 range, but the ones I'm talking about are four or five hundred. So yes, they are expensive. Um, but it's about this big, it's about that big, and the phone and some tissues and my passport. That's kind of it. But I have that here, you know, I have that cross-bodied, I cover it with the coat, and then um everything else is in my massive tote, and it's my Briggs and Riley tote. So the Briggs and Riley tote, along with the carry-on, is the perfect, perfect travel partner. The material is tough and rugged, it will last forever. There's the Briggs and Riley guarantee. So no matter what happens to your piece, you send it back, they fix it, and they send it back to you for free. For no extra cost. Nope, no extra cost, but that's fantastic. You're gonna pay a fortune for it, if I'm not mistaken. Expandable you and I are showing is like $700.

SPEAKER_01 19:33

Yes. This is very I believe it is assuming it's just like the carry-on. It says $729.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

There you go. That's a lot.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

Yeah. The $22 inch is $800.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

So I have the $800 one, but mine's expands, really. Mine's the expandable.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

It's the essential 22-inch front pocket carry-on expandable spinner for $799.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:02

Do you want to talk about the components? Because I see behind me it has all these like pockets.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Yes, it's this is the best. So here's what makes this really special. Can you see my little hand over here on this thing? You see what I'm circling here on my end? You probably don't then. Okay. I don't. You see the little orange tab that's on the inside of the luggage. It's right there in the picture. Yes, exactly. Yes, yes, yes, right there. Um, right where you were pointing. So there is one on each side of the bag, and basically what you do, yep, you can see it right there, and you see the little square apparat eep. So basically, what you're doing is you take your thumbs and you press it on each side, you're standing over it, and you pull up, and you get another, I don't even know how many inches it is. I want to say two to three inches. So it takes it from what looks like pretty small carry-on, really tight, to just a larger carry-on, but still a carry-on, nonetheless. So it's it's like a suitcase. It becomes a suitcase. And they it's patented technology, nobody else has it except Briggs and Riley. So if you look at the material that they use, that thick, thick, almost canvas-like material, and you look at the technology that they're using in the whole thing, including the um what you have there, the straps and the click components. Also, the top part where your above your head is, right there, that is actually a compartment for hanging a jacket. Wow. So I forgot I brought my blazer, just a plain black blazer, always worked, by the way, a blazer. And I hung it up in there and then zipped it around, just looked exactly like it is in the picture behind you, looked exactly like that. And it's brilliant. It's an extra storage space if you don't want to use it for that. But the the amount of storage, the compartment, the amount of compartments that the Briggs and Riley brand gives you in every single piece is unbelievable. They I they have basically cornered the market on how. How to make sure not only do you have this piece for a lifetime, but it's generational. Moms pass it down to their kids and so on. So, okay, think about it. It's an $800 carry-on. It's very expensive. But you go to Walmart and you buy a fairly generic carry-on and you travel a lot, you're gonna spend $800 and then some replacing it.

SPEAKER_01 22:43

Yes, that's very true. We recently we took this one piece of luggage on I believe we used it for maybe like two years. Um, we took one really big trip to Japan, had to replace it instantly afterwards because it just like the spine broke completely.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

That's that's the challenge. I get that it's expensive, and there are very good brands that aren't as expensive, but there is no brand that will last and take a beating like these. It just isn't. And this you see on my thing, this little square compartment right there. That's for you to add your initials. I actually have it, they mailed it to me. I can replace it myself. I could have got it with the order, but I didn't. And then afterwards, if you're like, oh, I meant to blub, they'll just send it to you. It's it's really just this little screw is just kind of screwed up.

SPEAKER_01 23:38

That's nice that it's built into as well.

SPEAKER_00 23:42

It is, yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yeah, it's it's so beautifully done. The Briggs and Riley brand. I I can't say enough about it, but and there is enough room there, by the way. Like, let's say I'm going to Miami and we were talking about the crossbodies, and I did one that's just a phone size, really small. That's fine. I could fit that in that carry tote easily that slides on top. Um, and I could also open the suitcase and stick it in. There would still be room for that. So in in and you you can always you can always build that in. So you can always we can always have the discussion of like, what is the right tote that I can either crossbody myself um and get past check-in or put it into the suitcase and I still have time for it because people do want another handbag when they get to their destination.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

Right. That's so smart. And speaking of like getting to your destination and this this bag and like the things that you're bringing for a short-term travel, do you have any products that you believe you can never travel without?

SPEAKER_00 24:52

I've learned the hard way. Always bring a pair of socks. So the pair of socks that I wear if I'm wearing my sneakers, which is typically what I do, that's one pair of socks. And then I always bring another pair of socks. And depending on the amount of time you're going away, I don't I don't overthink socks. Nobody, nobody realistically puts on a new pair of socks every day. It doesn't even make sense. If you're clean and your socks are clean, you're gonna wear them, but you're gonna wear them the next day and possibly the next day. So, but I always bring another pair, and the reason that I do is because if I want to play tennis, if I'm going somewhere warm, I want a short tennis sock. And then my long socks, I'm only really wearing on the plane if I'm going somewhere hot. So I can just wear them home. And I'm wearing a sandal the entire time. So that means you should have two pairs of socks. This is for a long weekend. If you're going away for a week, like Japan, you probably want three or four, but you don't need to overthink socks, and I think people really do. Um, I always have a pajama or a sleep set that I take with me that also goes in my luggage. I always have sunscreen. You always have to take your medications, particularly if you are traveling overseas. I cannot emphasize this enough. Always get an antibiotic, and uh, you can get those online. There are travel pharmacies everywhere. You can get that from your primary. They're used to prescribing for travel. They'll give you something like doxycycline, which is kind of a catch-all, covers lots of different things, because you never know when a new bacteria is going to be introduced, and it's better that you have it. And then my favorite is TeleRX. Telerx.com, you just go there and you just get travel antibiotics. They have it all categorized, what you might need, and you can you can pay out of pocket. And then the last thing is here, I do not leave home without my um Lysol packs.

SPEAKER_01 26:48

Smart, especially because the airplanes are so uh I don't know if you can see there. If you hold them up like in front of you, then maybe yes.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

Oh, there they go. Yes, see, it's to go. I got these on Amazon. I always buy several, depending on how long I'm gonna be away. I always bring like two packs of these, and I wipe everything down. And I can't I can't emphasize it enough. And and the same with hotels, it doesn't matter how much you're paying for your hotel room. Don't assume it's clean because it should be.

SPEAKER_01 27:20

Right. And also it's almost never as clean as you think it is.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

Right. So wipe down the counters, the lavatory area next to the bed where you're gonna put your water and your watch and whatever. Like it's just smart, it's just really good travel etiquette.

SPEAKER_01 27:39

100% lovely. And then I know there is one other suitcase that you wanted to quickly talk about um in addition to the Briggs and Riley.

SPEAKER_00 27:48

So I did an episode on the flip side luggage. I did a video on it, and it's on my Instagram, Paula Comway NYC. And there will be a Briggs and Riley one coming very soon. I'm almost done with it, where I actually packed for a weekend. Um, and I used that to go to Canada, and it's perfect. I actually I had a week's worth of clothes, honestly. And it just impressed me about the Briggs and Riley. But here's what's cool about Flipside Flipside has designed this bag, they have engineered it almost in reverse. So they've engineered it so that when you there is a top layer when you open it up, and you're kind of like, what is this little compartment for? But the whole thing expands down into the suitcase. But you so you don't use that right away. You pack your suitcase like you normally would, your carry-on like you normally would. And as you go through your trip, you move your dirty clothes to this top layer because this top layer will drop into the entire cavity of the suitcase, but will still keep dirty laundry separate from your shoes that might be in there, your laptop might be in there if it's not in the side pocket. It's just the way they've done it, they've really thought about the life cycle of travel. It's a brilliant, it also has a ton of compartments. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

I also feel like that is another huge struggle of mine is I don't want to throw my dirty laundry into the same compartment where I put my clean laundry, especially if it's something I've never worn, or like if I haven't worn it on the trip, it doesn't make sense. So that is so smart.

SPEAKER_00 29:26

It was smart, and you're also, I like how they're marketing themselves. They're like a luxury for less. So where the Briggs and Riley is an $800 carry-on, right? The flip side is three something, and there's a big difference in their price, obviously. Now I think both are good. I think both are a great solution. They just are for maybe a different customer and they maybe fill a different need or a different area. Um, I will tell you the Briggs and Riley is larger. So the difference here that I can see so far is that you could use a flip side for that weekend getaway, and you might be able to pack enough clothes in it for a week, but my guess is not. But um, but I I know you can with the Briggs and Riley. I know you can.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

So you would recommend the flip side for more short-term travel, and then you would recommend the Briggs and Riley for if you're doing any longer um travel, anything longer than like a weekend. Yes. Amazing. Well, thank you so much for sharing with us. That was everything that I wanted to cover today.

SPEAKER_00 30:37

Thank you for joining me, Maya, and thank you for joining us on today's episode of the Caviar and Candy Podcast, discussing the essentials of packing the perfect carry-on for a spring, summer, winter, or fall weekend getaway. Join right here for more episodes on luxury travel and lifestyle. And follow me, Paula Conway, on Instagram at Paula Conway NYC and on Tik Tac at TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, at Polyconway NYC. Thank you.