Three Days One Backpack – the September City Break Edition

A September return to Lisbon wasn’t originally in our 2024 travel plans. So when we decided to try for a bit of Portuguese sunshine after the March washout, the aim was to keep our spending as low as possible. After begrudgingly giving money to Ryanair for our flights, we were determined not to give them a penny more in luggage fees. And so, I found myself planning for three nights in Lisbon, with whatever I can stuff into my free allowance under the seat backpack. And pockets. As many pockets as possible.

We’re used to packing carry-on luggage in the form of a 10kg cabin suitcase. But how would I cope with three days of clothing for a September city break, plus toiletries and accessories, in one under-seat bag?

Ryanair offer all passengers one free small cabin bag, with a maximum size of 40x20x25cm, which must fit underneath the seat in front. We saw a couple of passengers fall foul of the regulations on our way back, with one particularly angry bloke eventually having to check his bag in the hold and pay a €70 fine.

Why travel carry-on only?

• It’s faster. No waiting for check-in desks to open at the airport, you can just head straight to security. And when you land, there’s no waiting around for the luggage lottery – will your case arrive on the carousel first? Last? At all?
• It’s cheaper. Unless you’re booking a package holiday, most airlines assume that you don’t travel with any luggage. Hence those bargain sub £10 fares you occasionally see and get sucked into booking. With Ryanair, anything other than a single under-seat item, is chargeable. Airport duty free bags are weirdly an exception, so you might want to keep that in mind when thinking about getting those few additional items onboard.
• It’s easier to travel around with. If you’re catching onward transport such as a train, bus or metro it’s much easier to find a space for you and your luggage if you’re not wielding a huge suitcase. Hands-free options like a backpack are even more convenient. Especially if you’re visiting a city with lots of steps or cobbled streets. Like Lisbon for example.
• Luggage storage is cheaper. If you’ve had to check out of your accommodation early and have to use a luggage storage facility, you may only have to rent a small locker, or one locker instead of two.

What carry-on luggage to use?

I purchased the Travel Hack Backpack last year, prior to our week-long trip to Puglia. For that trip it was my second piece of hand luggage, having purchased priority tickets with Ryanair which allowed us to have one cabin case and one under-the-seat item each. It also turned into a handy pillow during my unexpected night spent on Bari Airport floor. It turns out it has just enough room to pack everything you need for a three day city break. At 40x20x25cm it meets the exact dimensions for a Ryanair flight, and also meets the requirements for most other airlines in terms of personal item size.

I’ve followed The Travel Hack travel blog for years, and if anyone knows the importance of good luggage, it’s founder Monica Stott. She has used her extensive travel experience to consider what female travellers really want from their carry-on luggage. And she’s managed to design them to be both functional and stylish. Not an ad but I highly recommend!

What I packed for three days in one backpack

• One pair of canvas pumps (stuffed with underwear and socks)
• One pair of trousers
• One skirt
• Five tops
• Three dresses
• Pyjama shorts and a vest top
• Travel outfit: White cropped jeans, black t-shirt, denim jacket, Allbirds Tree Runners and a light scarf. Also a small handbag, inconspicuously tucked underneath my jacket. Shhh, don’t tell Ryanair.

In terms of non-clothes, I also packed the following:

• Basic make-up items
• passport and physical copies of our boarding passes
• portable charger and multi cable
• purse containing euros, credit cards and ID
• Ibuprofen
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Small comb and brush
• Travel hair straighteners – which I didn’t use
• Ear buds
• Kindle
• Sunglasses
• Two belts

Top tips for packing light:

Don’t pack “just in case” items. Be confident that you’ll wear what you pack, you won’t drop food down yourself and the clothes you’ve selected are all suited to the climate and the activities.

Plan your outfits in advance. Preferably every item should go with at least two other items you’ve packed. It’s a good idea to select your footwear and outerwear first, and then choose outfits that go with them.

When it comes to footwear, try and make sure you pick a pair that is as versatile as possible. Comfy enough for daytime but chic enough for evening is perfect. A second pair takes up valuable room, even if you have tiny size 4 feet like me

Wash’ em as you go. Especially pants. The micro-fibre undies from good ol M&S are perfect to wash in the sink and they dry really quickly. I washed and wore just five pairs during our 2 week cruise earlier in the year, and it meant I didn’t have to waste space on keeping used underwear separate.

Pack well. Mr Fletche has become something of an expert in packing well, rolling and folding and fitting things in like a perfect Tetris game. I haven’t quite reached the same ability, so if you can’t pack well, marry someone that can. I may even start hiring him out…

Wear your bulkiest clothes to travel. Even those airlines that frown upon the smallest second bag don’t blink an eyelid at a jumper tied round the waist, two scarves around the neck and pockets full of underwear. By switching around the trousers I wore to travel – and risking not dropping food on my white jeans – I could fit an additional dress and two tops into my carry on bag.

Leave all but the most necessary toiletries behind. We travelled with toothpaste, a small suntan lotion and a small deodorant each, which Mr Fletche carried. I had a separate clear bag with a mascara, two lipsticks and an eyebrow gel. If you’re travelling to a major town or city then you’ll more than likely be able to pick up anything else you might need there, be it make-up or medication. To maximise space I used a ziploc food bag for my liquids rather than a rigid clear zipped case as usual. It made it easier to shove in the side pocket of my backpack, and easily accessible at security.

Reflecting on my three days one backpack city break

Being confident we would have good weather during our Lisbon break made it easier to pack lightweight clothes. The denim jacket and light scarf were unused, apart from the plane journey and return home from Stansted. One top was unworn, and I wore my black wide-legged trousers down to breakfast only. It was good to change into different shoes after pounding the Lisbon streets so I’m glad I squeezed in that pair of pumps.

Buying souvenirs was impossible, although I did pick up a bracelet at a craft market. If you’re travelling super light then only buy souvenirs you can wear on the journey home – or buy them at the airport if you must. Don’t forget about that duty-free bag rule – I popped my handbag in with my gin and ginjinha and no-one was any the wiser.

Could I do it again, travelling with just an under-the-seat backpack? As long as the weather is likely to be warm and dry, it’s definitely do-able. I’d struggle if I needed cold weather clothing like jumpers and jeans. Or likely to be caught in a rainstorm. On our previous Lisbon trip everything got soaked through so I was glad of the additional dry clothing and luggage space to keep damp clothes separate on the journey home.

In conclusion…

I quite enjoyed the freedom of not being encumbered with a suitcase. My backpack was easy to carry, and left my hands free to use my phone to navigate. Deciding what to wear is easier when you just have a handful of options. And we impressed the taxi driver and our B&B host with our minimalist approach to luggage.

If you’re thinking of ditching the checked luggage – or even the cabin case – I hope this shows that it can be done! Plan well, be ruthless with your packing and enjoy not having to wrestle with the overhead lockers on the plane.