Packing for Miami: For a week with a carry-on only
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With the constant increase in luggage fees and more and more airlines now charging for checked-in luggage, being able to pack in carry-on luggage only becomes a skill you need to master.
In this post, I will share with you what I packed for a week-long trip to Miami Beach and how I fit all of it in one carry-on luggage and a backpack (personal item).
Also, I will throw in there a bunch of packing tips that are useful regardless of destination.
Packing for Miami
So first of all, let me show you my carry-on luggage.
It’s really old and the wheels are super loud but it still works.
It is spacious but it does fit in the overhead bins.
For my personal item, I had my black JanSport backpack which I used as a beach bag as well so I can carry the towels.
Tops
I packed 5 crop top tank tops as we were visiting Miami Beach in March and the temperature was between 25 -30 degrees Celsius.
I ended up wearing all of them except the one to the right.
Also, I packed 3 crop top T-shirts, which was good because my shoulders did burn a little bit.
I ended up wearing a lot of the above tops because I bought a bunch of them right after the summer ended and haven’t had the chance to wear them too much.
I also packed two just regular T-shirts, only ended up wearing the yellow one.
Tip: When choosing tops when packing for Miami (or anywhere warm), take ones that you are comfortable wearing as you will be walking about all day and you dont want to feel all sweaty and gross.
Beachwear
For bathing suits, I packed the below 3 sets, however, I ended up wearing only the shorts as I got my period on the trip and the other bottoms were white (not a good combo).
I actually packed an extra pair of shorts (identical to the pink ones but black) last minute as I was suspecting that will happen.
Good thing I did because I was right. I find the shorts way more comfortable when it’s that time of the month.
Also, included 2 beach coverups. I would have packed just one but my sister didn’t have any so I wore mostly the white one and she wore the black one.
Dresses
I am not much of a dress/skirt person so I packed two dresses only – one long and one shorter.
My sister wore the pink one because she burnt a lot and the dress is shier and easy on the skin. I wore the black one twice for dinner.
If you like dresses/skirts then definitely pack more (especially if you are going clubbing, which we didn’t). I didn’t because I knew I won’t wear them.
Pants
In terms of pants, I packed three types of jean shorts.
Two of them were a bit longer and the third was shorter and ripped. I ended up wearing mostly one of these three options as like I mentioned I got my period on the trip.
And with the biker shorts that I packed (below), you could see the underwear line which I don’t like.
Tip: Denim is good for traveling because it is easy to match with anything
I also packed three types of biker shorts, I ended up wearing two of them at the end of the trip as by then I could wear them with the appropriate underwear.
Shoes
The shoes that I packed were a pair of flip-flops, cute sandals, and an extra pair of running shoes.
Tip: when you pack shoes, try and choose a good variety of styles as well as colors that go with the clothes you are bringing.
The shoes I wore on the plane were chunkier brown running shoes, then I packed the thinner white running shoes.
Also, a pair of sandals that are easy to fold and that would go with a lot of the dresses as well as a pair of basic flip flops for the beach.
I ended up wearing all of the shoes that I packed.
Tip: only pack shoes that you know will be comfortable and won’t give you blisters (I am looking at my sister right now)
Socks and underwear
I got this wear/wash bag from my Travelista Subscription Box. The bag is not available for purchase anywhere else.
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Use code TAUVIP (affiliate code) to save $10 from your first order.
Can watch my full review on my YouTube Channel.
In the wear section of the bag, I have packed a bunch of underwear and socks.
Once I wore them, I would put them in the wash section so that I knew when I came back what was clean and what was not.
Other items I added when packing for Miami
I also packed a pair of black tights as well as a plain grey long-sleeve t-shirt that I could wear to bed. I get very cold when I sleep which is why the long sleeve situation.
Since we were staying at an Airbnb, we packed our own beach towels.
Again, I have an extra one which is why I packed two – one for me and one for my sister.
One of the towels was orange with papayas (bigger and thicker). The second one (light blue) was a towel we got with our Travelista Subscription Box which was really soft.
All the clothing items were rolled in order to save space. I prefer rolling the clothes instead of using packing cubes.
Eventually, the carry-on luggage looked like this.
I didn’t bring any jewelry and for makeup only had eyeliner and foundation.
My sister brought a few lip glosses and we shared stuff. She also packed any basic skincare products in her liquids bag.
Backpack
In the black backpack, I packed my passport and all documents including insurance papers, itineraries, and covid tests/vaccine stuff inside of the pink folder.
Also, I had my wallet, sleeping mask, wet naps, earphones, extra face masks.
Another thing I included was a black fanny pack that I was going to use as a day pack as well as a black thin sweater (easy to match).
I had a lot of space in the black backpack so I included the second beach towel in it.
Tip: since you’re going to carry the backpack on your shoulders do not put any heavy items in it.
I also packed my toiletries in the backpack. That is just in case the staff at the airport security needed to inspect them for some reason (I will include a closer image of the liquids bag below).
Lastly, I packed a few napkins, deodorant (I sweat like a pig on flights), a phone charger (added it last min), and my sunglasses. Once all of this was inside, the backpack was halfway full.
If you like the passport cover that I have (top left corner), I do sell them in my merch shop in case you wanted to twin with me.
It says ‘’I’m a travel blogger’’ on the front and on the back it says ‘’what is your superpower’’.
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Liquids Bag
Here is what I had in my liquids bag. My sister and I each had different items inside of our liquids bag and we shared them.
In mine, I had shaving cream, aloe gel, toothpaste, shampoo body wash, hand sanitizer, foundation, and sunscreen.
If you want a comprehensive list of things that you should pack in your carry-on and in your checked-in luggage you should grab my FREE Ultimate Beginner’s Travel Checklist where I have an extensive list of items that go in each place.
When I weighed the luggage, it was about 7.5 kg (usually the limit is 10 kilos but check with your airline just in case).
So, this is what I ended up traveling with. I had plenty of space both in the luggage (it can be extended too) as well as in my backpack.
Overall, I think my packing for Miami was done pretty well now that I’m back. I didn’t over or under pack.
The only thing we ended up having to buy was toothpaste because the one I had finished.
On the way back, I did not buy too many things just a couple of cheesy souvenirs which didn’t take up a lot of space.
What you saw above was enough to survive a whole week with no problem.
Depending on your situation, you might need to swap a few things but packing similar to what I did would be perfect.
Thank you for reading “Packing for Miami: For a week with a carry-on only”. I hope you found it useful!
