We spent the last extended weekend in Wrocław and just before leaving, we set ourselves a challenge: to pack to one small suitcase (the size of hand luggage). It was not obvious to me if it would work, especially since we used to travel packed in two suitcases that could barely close. But we made it! Therefore, today I want to share with you proven tricks for packing 2 adults in hand luggage.

All the advice will also be useful when you have to pack your own for a trip longer than 4 days or pack your wardrobe “ from summer to winter ”because you are not sure about the weather. The advice is universal and complements the entry that appeared a year ago – I used each of them when packing together.

Is it worth it? This is a basic question that can only really be answered after the trip. I do not regret it for several reasons:

  • one suitcase means less carrying – okey i don’t lift or carry up the stairs but i had to drag my own which is not comfortable. One is more handy, especially when you are not driving your own car. We decided to travel by Polski Bus due to the limited number of free parking spaces in the center of Wrocław. And with one suitcase we were much more comfortable than with two.
  • Limited space in the suitcase means that we focus on quality not quantity – Thanks to this, I know that I packed wisely and took with me only those things that I really needed. We lacked nothing.
  • I had no problems digging through my husband’s things, and he through mine – we always unpack when we arrive . It takes a maximum of 10 minutes, and things do not stick to the bag, do not crumple and we have order.

10 rules thanks to which we packed into one suitcase the size of hand luggage :

  1. list of needed things – mine has been divided into two parts: things I have to take and things I would like to take, if they fit. For example, the second camera did not fit 😀
  2. dryer and towels provided – when we go on vacation, we look for places where a dryer and even towels are included. This way, we save quite a lot of space. It is also worth investing in a microfiber towel that can be folded to a small size.
  3. planned sets clothes – both mine and my husband (he had it easier, you know :)). I could freely combine all the things I took with me, creating various outfits. The 10-piece wardrobe experiment is ideal for such short trips. And necessarily at least one dress.
  4. rolling – about this I’ve already written, but I have the impression that rolling clothes is underrated and saves quite a lot of space. It is easier to arrange the clothes, filling every free space. I also never take clothes that love to wrinkle with me, because I don’t feel like ironing on vacation. However, if something crumpled, I recommend hanging your clothes in a bathroom that is steamy from the heat. Under the influence of steam, small creases will straighten.
  5. heavy and thick on the body – we put the thickest clothes on, you never know what the weather will be a few hundred kilometers away, and it is known that the forecasts are not perfect. But on the way back it was so hot that we packed the jackets in the suitcase and they fit too!
  6. small instead of a large, , especially when it comes to cosmetics – shampoo, shower gels I poured into Rossmann travel containers, I took cream samples and a hair mask in a sachet (instead of a conditioner). I packed the necessary amount of cosmetic pads into a transparent cosmetic bag, after all, the entire packaging is not needed. Instead of a large hairbrush , I took a small, folded (which also lifted my fringe), and from styling products I limited myself to a miniature hairspray. Thanks to this, my cosmetic bag decreased by about 2/3!
  7. minimalism – which manifests itself through one thing of a kind, especially when it comes to makeup, shoes, handbags, jewelry. I always took a backpack when I traveled, and the purse was packed into the bag. This time I only took a small purse , which I used both when traveling and walking around Wrocław. I don’t have a big problem with make-up cosmetics , because I also have one item of a given type on a daily basis and I took this daily set with me. When it comes to shoes , I always limit myself to 3 pairs (what I take with me depends on the place and season). This time they were ballerinas (I put them on), sandals and flip-flops that will be suitable for showering and replacing slippers. Husband limited himself to one pair of shoes (men have it easier;)). With jewelry I also decided not to go crazy, recently I have a phase for everything delicate. I put on all the jewelry and it suited every set of clothes.
  8. little electronics – I loved the iPad only during this trip and I already know that it will be a worthy replacement for a laptop during all our trips. Instead of Kindle books, especially for longer trips. This time we took 2 books from our wedding stack – curiosity won and there was plenty of space 🙂
  9. using even the smallest space in a suitcase – stacking in a suitcase must be treated as closely as possible adding bricks and filling every free space. Heaviest on the bottom, glass and delicate placed between clothes or wrapped in them, socks in shoes, etc. No slack!
  10. for a company – it can be hard to take a lot of things for a company with a man, but we can share shampoo or toothpaste. If you are going in a larger group, it is worth getting along and dividing things among themselves, without taking 3 curlers for 3 women 🙂

That’s probably all, and using the advice from the previous post, packing should no longer be a problem . If I forgot something, please let me know in the comments. And share your thoughts on packing together into one suitcase!

And finally, I have some shots of my favorite places in Wrocław for you.

The reason why we ended up in Wrocław at all, i.e. the Linkin Park concert.

I do not know if it was the fear of heights increasing with age or aging, but despite the elevator ride to the lookout tower, I was as scared as ever! Jelly legs!

The Lovers‘ Bridge – ours is also already hanging.

Two beloved places in Wrocław: Pergola and Japanese Garden. We still regret a little that we chose accommodation in the center, not closer to these places, because that’s where we charged the batteries best.