How to Pack for Europe’s Budget Airlines

Destination Packing Lists

by alex | on February 12th, 2013 | 19 comments

Flying Carry-On with Europe’s Budget Airlines

Flying carry-on with Europe’s budget airlines is no ordinary experience. When they say 1 piece carryon only they mean ONE item – no handbag, no suitcase, nada – so figuring out how to pack for Europe can be quite challenging especially in the winter months.

I recently traveled with RyanAir from England to Spain and instead of getting a reminder email telling me about my flight, their email was to reemphasize the RyanAir baggage policy and their rigid airline travel rules.

Whatever you bring onto the plane, it must fit into a single bag fitting dimensions smaller than the average airline: 55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm. Unlike other airlines that allow you one carryon luggage and one personal item, they only allow a single bag including your purse, laptop or anything else you like to travel with.

Traveling carry on with other airlines is normally no big deal. With a good packing strategy and the aid of packing cubes you can easily fit all of your belongings in a carryon PLUS your one personal item – not with Ryan Air. It was challenging to squeeze everything in but I did it in a 35 liter backpack. I opted against my usual Osprey Farpoint Backpack in fear that it would be a few centimeters too long and with the 60GBP fee looming over my head, I didn’t want to take any chances.

However, there were two major factors that heavily affected my packing choices: 1) it’s COLD 2) I need business clothes. So how do you manage to pack a diverse set of winter plus business clothing into one carryon bag – I’ll show you!

how to pack for europe's budget airlines in the winter

Traveling Carryon in Europe

Activities: Business, Sightseeing, Nightlife, Dinners

Because my activities during this particular trip were going to be more diverse, I brought an assortment of basics that I could mix and match according to my mood and my destination.

I used my 3 piece eBags Slim Packing Cube set along with the 12 Piece Classic Packing List inspired by the travel outfits from the Business Trip Packing List. These proved to be quite generous, even with winter clothing! Most of my clothing was thin material and not specifically chosen for practicality – I packed 2 leather items plus jeans and still managed to fit all my clothing in just two cubes. I used the third cube for my undies, socks, tights, and scarves. You can really cram so much into these little cubes!

The thing with winter, if you want to diversify your travel wardrobe then it’s better to pack thinner clothing that you can layer instead of a few heavy bulky pieces – and layering I did! Admittedly, packing light with only a dozen or so items for Winter travel isn’t ideal, but it is possible for those looking for minimalist packing options.

How I Packed Winter Clothing into Three Slim Packing Cubes

Please note: all my clothing is black because of my personal color preference, not suggesting you do it

Business Outfit for Fitur Tradeshow

1st Packing Cube:

1 Leather Jacket

1 Short Sleeve Top

2 Sweaters

2 Long Sleeve Tops

2^nd Packing Cube:

1 Leather Skirt

1 Jeans

1 Button Up Shirt

1 Blazer

3^rd Packing Cube:

3 Socks

Outfit on Spanish Sabores food tour

6 Undies

1 Bathing Suit

1 Tights

1 Scarf

Travel Outfit:

1 Travel Pants

1 Leggings

1 Short Sleeve Top

1 Long Sleeve Top

1 Tunic Hoodie

1 Coat

Total Clothing: 8 Tops + 4 Bottoms + 3 Jackets = 15 Pieces of Clothing

I always pack a bathing suit because even if you don’t use it for swimming, you can always use it as a backup underwear/bra set. I opted against a dress and only brought one statement skirt I could dress up or down. I wore my combat boots on the plane and packed a pair of funky flats. With a little careful planning, how to pack for Europe’s budget airlines isn’t an impossible task! Take that RyanAir and your super strict baggage policy

You can find the eBags Packing Cubes on or Amazon.

MORE ABOUT WHAT TO PACK FOR EUROPE:

AND OTHER EUROPEAN TRAVEL POSTS:

SHARE YOUR EUROPE TRAVEL ESSENTIALS IN THE COMMENTS AND PLEASE SHARE THE LOVE ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND PINTEREST. THANKS FOR READING

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alex

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Comments (19)

Leah Sunday - 14 / 04 / 2013 Reply

I haven't encountered that kind of policy yet (although Air Asia and Asian budget airlines have the one-bag rule), but this is why I wear a huge amount of clothes to the airport... my tank, short-sleeved shirt and sweater/long-sleeved shirt, two pairs of socks, two scarves, and of course all my winter gear if the weather requires! I sweat like crazy but it gives me more options in terms of what I can bring.
- alex Tuesday - 23 / 04 / 2013 Reply
  
  always a good plan t pile on the cold weather gear when you board the plane :-)
hj Friday - 01 / 03 / 2013 Reply

yay! this is so helpful!! I am going study abroad in the fall! I was wondering if you can something like what to take to study abroad in Europe during the fall!
- alex Wednesday - 06 / 03 / 2013 Reply
  
  Hi there thanks for your comment! An updated Europe packing list coming soon :-)
Tara Monday - 25 / 02 / 2013 Reply

Hi Alex, Thank you for some great outfit ideas that are stylish and practical! I have really been over thinking what to pack, and your outfits look awesome! What do you suggest for shoes for a month Europe? I am torn between running shoes (but hate the look) or taking my reliable suede boots ( I know they won't fare well in rain). Any ideas for me? Look forward to browsing more on your site! Tara
- alex Wednesday - 27 / 02 / 2013 Reply
  
  Hi Tara, thank you for reading! I'm glad you've found the posts helpful :-) Depending on the time of year you're traveling, rain might not be an issue. Instead of trainers, how about Toms or some cute Puma flats? You could also get some (p)leather boots - it's the perfect time of year for sales! Alternatively, Joanna swears by her stylish Crocs flats in Europe which are also kinda perfect for the rain: http://travelfashiongirl.com/travel-shoes-nothing-gets-between-me-and-my-crocs/ Let me know what you decide :-)
Lauren Tuesday - 19 / 02 / 2013 Reply

Thank you for posting this! I will be traveling around Europe for 6 weeks and have had such a hard time debating what to bring in one small suitcase.. this definitely helps me narrow it down!
- alex Tuesday - 19 / 02 / 2013 Reply
  
  That's great! I'm glad I could help :-)
Jenny Thursday - 14 / 02 / 2013 Reply

Hi! I nominated you for a Liebster Blog Award. Here are the questions: http://jenniferlachs.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/and-the-liebster-blog-award-goes-tooooo-jennyrtw/#more-984 Good luck with your future travels!
- alex Monday - 18 / 02 / 2013 Reply
  
  Thank you for the nomination! :-)
Mollie Tuesday - 12 / 02 / 2013 Reply

Thank you for your suggestion, Alex! I'm going away to Tenerife in October, do you think you could do a suggested packing list for there?
- alex Thursday - 14 / 02 / 2013 Reply
  
  Hi Mollie No problem. I'll see what I can find for Tenerife :-)
  - Mollie Sunday - 17 / 02 / 2013 Reply
    
    Thank you!
Alexandra Tuesday - 12 / 02 / 2013 Reply

Thanks, this was just perfect! Flying to Vienna from Helsinki via Riga on friday and I just started to think about what (and how) to pack in only one carry on bag.... yet 15 pieces feels a bit to much for only four days. I hope I manage with only 8-10 pieces.
- alex Thursday - 14 / 02 / 2013 Reply
  
  HI Alexandra thanks for your comment! I also have this 8 piece Travel Essentials Packing List: http://travelfashiongirl.com/travel-essentials-packing-list/ that might be helpful. You'll be fine with 8-10 pieces, just choose the right ones ;-) have fun!
Christine Tuesday - 12 / 02 / 2013 Reply

I love the format of this post! So helpful, especially because I'm taking easyJet on Thursday to go to Amsterdam and it's definitely going to be cold!
- alex Thursday - 14 / 02 / 2013 Reply
  
  Great! I'm glad it helped :-) Have a great time!
It's an EU thing Tuesday - 12 / 02 / 2013 Reply

Ahhh the perils of Ryanair... They always insist I put my suitcase into their little rack to see if it fits... which I swear is smaller than the dimensions they state! It always fits in, but getting it out is usually the problem ;) Thanks for this post! I will seriously consider these packing cubes as I often fly with Ryanair and my packing skills suck -_- I can't believe how much you managed to fit in! It's an EU thing recently posted..Europe drinks and smokes the most
- alex Thursday - 14 / 02 / 2013 Reply
  
  The signs and suitcase racks everywhere were ridiculous. I had no idea it was my first time! It is a very intimidating situation I almost wanted to buy their carry on to avoid any trouble... I stuff these poor little cubes like anything but this was the true test since I had "non'practical" travel items like my leather skirt and jacket. Mind you, their both items from H&M so kinda on the thin side but still. Incredible! Thanks for commenting :-)