My Essential Packing List: The Basics

My favorite travel bags and smart organizers—plus the cozy travel essential I never fly without.

I travel a lot and can confidently say I’m not an over-packer. A big part of that is thanks to my dad, who never let our family check bags when I was growing up (he was a stickler for efficiency), so I had to learn to pack smart from an early age. Later, as a fashion editor, I refined these skills by observing how the best stylists were the ones who could achieve a lot with very little.

But this post isn’t about fashion—there are plenty of Substacks out there telling you what to buy and how to dress, and that’s not why you’re here. This post is about investing in the smart travel accessories that will help you become a more organized and efficient traveler, tackling common problems we all face while traveling but never get around to solving—like tangled necklaces, spilled toiletries, or resorting to a checked bag just to fit all six sweaters you bought for the trip. What if I told you I have a hack to fit them all into a single carry-on?

Finding the stuff that combines comfort, style and function has been a process of trial and error for me, but this is where I’ve landed. Below, my shortlist featuring my favorite travel bags, smart organizers, and the one cozy extra I never board a plane without…

Paravel makes the best travel bag ever. This has been my go-to weekender for about seven years now. You may have caught me raving about it in various places on the internet, like on Coveteur, Who What Wear & New York Magazine, to name a few. But it really is the best out there (and I’ve tried many). It does style and function to the highest standard. It’s spacious (fits my lap top, cosmetic bag, and so much more) and I love that it has a zipper (I never understand how people can travel with an open bag!?) The best part for me is the sleek smart strap that blends in with the design and slides seamlessly over the handles of your suitcase so you can run through the airport or train station without the risk of everything toppling over.
IMPORTANT EDITOR’S NOTE: As of May 2025, Paravel is no longer in business and I’m heartbroken!!! I’ll work on finding you guys a good replacement, but sad!!!!

This might just be a “me” thing, but I’m old school and prefer to physically write things down; it helps me stay organized. Every year, I restock on the pocket-sized Smythson Panama diary (with a fancy pencil) because it’s so easy to carry around and fits into all my tiny bags. It’s especially useful when I’m traveling because I can never keep track of what day it is on a trip (can you?). Since I’m always working while I’m away, I have calls at odd hours with clients and editors across different time zones—a fact my phone calendar simply can’t keep up with (it’s messed me up more times than I’d like to admit).

I mean, really, how chic is this pill case? It’s the size of a small glasses case and helps me stay on schedule with my daily vitamins when I’m traveling. If you don’t take vitamins, you can use it to organize any medications you like to have on hand while traveling, such as ibuprofen, sleeping pills, etc.

Compression cubes are really useful when packing for a longer trip or a winter getaway, especially for destinations that require heavy sweaters and other bulky knitwear. I’ve fit up to six sweaters in these bad boys and still had plenty of space in my carry-on for everything else—even a couple of pairs of clunky boots!

I’m partial to clear bags for my toiletries because the visibility makes it a lot easier to find what I’m looking for. This cosmetics case / dopp kit is great. You can get the Duo and use one for toiletries and skincare and then one for makeup. (Some people also use this for charging cables, external chargers, and other tech accessories). It has a magnetic design so it remains sealed closed without a zipper and fits a ton without the risk of spills. I also like that when open it functions as a tray so you can keep everything organized inside. Though honestly, I’d love to find a transparent, foldable cosmetics bag that hangs on the back of doors or bathroom hooks (one that doesn’t take up any surface space) but haven’t found a good one yet. Do you guys have any suggestions? Tell meeee!

Full disclosure: I bought this little pouch on a whim at the airport while waiting to board a flight, but in a rare twist, it’s an impulse buy that I can honestly say turned out to be very useful. I bring it with me on every trip now and either stuff it with charging cables or loose beauty items that I like to grab on the go, like my fav eyelash curler, flush bomb blush (in cheeky), 2oz hand sanitizer, a flat lay hair clip (a must for the plane), and chapstick.

I like to switch up my jewelry when I’m traveling, which I store in this pretty jewelry case and leave it in the safe at my hotel.

I don’t typically use packing cubes, but when I do, it’s for a very specific reason. I’ll use them when I have a trip that’s split between two different climates (beachwear vs. city clothes) or two events, like a weekend in Rome followed by a formal wedding in Tuscany. In these situations, packing cubes help me keep everything separate and organized. I’ll store the items for the second part of the trip in the packing cubes and only unpack the loose items I’ll be using for the current leg I’m on. Pro tip: packing cubes are also a great way to store away your dirty clothes while traveling.

Okay, this doesn’t exactly fit into the theme of organization, but comfort is important to me while traveling. I am always freezing on planes. This cashmere travel wrap has been my go-to plane essential for over 10 years, and I’ve since collected it in various colors. It’s so soft and cozy and big enough to double as a blanket on the plane. The cashmere scarf is slightly smaller but just as effective in providing ample coziness and warmth and is an especially strong layering piece to bring with you everywhere.

I am almost always a carry-on only kind of girl— the only exception is for a week-long ski trip when fitting everything into a carry-on is simply not possible, otherwise I’ll go a month with a carry-on. I love Away luggage– it’s durable, spacious, lightweight and affordable. I also love Rimowa’s polycarbonate essential line which is sleeker, just as functional but substantially pricier. I own Away’s ‘bigger carry-on’ which is my go-to when I’m in the US and the dimensions for a carry-on suitcase are slightly bigger than in Europe. For regional flights around Europe, I use Rimowa’s ‘Essential Cabin S’, and there’s even a slightly smaller one, the ‘Essential Lite Cabin’, for the budget airlines that are a real pain in the ass. (Also check out Away’s standard ‘carry-on’ which has similar dimensions to Rimowa’s Essential Cabin S.)

Did you find this helpful? Join the chat and let me know if you want to see more packing lists or if you prefer I keep it strictly travel. Remember my Substack is for YOU! I only want to share what you want to know :)