The carry-on conundrum comes for us all, whether you’re a chronic over-packer or a last-minute minimalist. That’s why CULTURED tapped some of our most well-traveled friends for their smartest strategies. Creative producer Ariella Starkman stages a full pre-trip fitting; author Coco Mellors brings a Longchamp Le Pliage for souvenirs she hasn’t bought yet; writer Osman Ahmed packs silk, SPF, and enough sauces to rescue even the saddest vacation salad; chef Pierce Abernathy stuffs a pill box of supplements (or his new book out next week?) into his luggage.
Below, you’ll find 78 tips, tricks, and hard-earned lessons for getting out the door with less baggage and less stress.
Daniel Humm, chef
What are your best vacation packing hacks?
- Pack everything. Or nothing. No in between.
- Don’t pack something you’ve never worn.
- I use a backpack on every trip and always keep all my things in the exact same place—passport, sunglasses, Advil, headphones, chargers, etc.
You know you’re about to be stuck on a desert island. What are your five essential packing items?
- A compass
- Greek novels and poetry
- Juggling balls
- A spear to catch fish
- Watercolors and paper
Osman Ahmed, writer and Substacker, Private Parts
What are your best vacation packing hacks?
- Pack light on the clothes, heavy on the accessories, and even heavier on the product.
- A pack of cards or a really fun game is always a good idea. So is a beach pillow and a hand-held fan. And industrial-grade antihistamines, just in case.
- Blondes have more fun, until we’re stranded on a Greek island without a hair salon. I get my colorist to mix me up an emergency rescue mixture, which I can use to remedy any sun damage.
- Pack clothes that feel good against inevitably sunburnt skin: silk, cotton, a cashmere scarf. SPFs are essential. I find sprays so much more ergonomic than a lotion.
- I go on holiday in Europe, but I am Asian to my core. I like to pack a few sauces and spices that can bring a bit of flavor to the inevitable menus of salad or grilled fish.
- Think carefully about all the times you overpacked and what you didn’t use. Don’t make the same mistakes, at least make new ones. I always like to leave a little room for holiday purchases, too.
You know you’re about to be stuck on a desert island. What are your five essential packing items?
- Yves Delorme Croisière Beach Pillow Menthe
- Fara Homidi bronzer
- Alterna Caviar Shampoo & Conditioner
- Tom Ford for YSL SS02 leopard caftan
- Astier de Villatte incense sticks
- Cadillac Reformer machine
- A lifetime supply of Camel Blues and an antique Cartier lighter
Owen Thiele, actor
What are your best vacation packing hacks?
- Put a toothbrush in every bag. You never know when you’re gonna eat a huge bag of Gardetto’s.
- Easily accessible whitening strips are an excuse to go mute for 30 minutes. i.e. “Oops, I wish I could talk to you on this ride up to Big Bear but I have strips in…!”
- Portable chargers: I’m addicted to reels and my phone dies a lot. Big whoop.
You know you’re about to be stuck on a desert island. What are your five essential packing items?
- Havaianas flip flops: They’re multipurpose if you think about it. Water shoes! They’re also so cute for pics when you’re sending your family and friends help signals because you’re stranded on a desert island!
- Rhode Glazing Mist: It’s the only thing that matters.
- BjornQorn (Spicy) popcorn: Sorry I’m snacking on the desert island…
- Beis Weekender Bag: I can fit my whole life in this bag! I swear! Even Jared fits!
- Uniqlo AIRism Seamless Boxer Briefs: Bury me in these. We all know I won’t make it off the island!
Ariella Starkman, executive producer, Starkman Associates
What are your best vacation packing hacks?
- Pull out all of the items in your closet you’ve been excited to wear out of the house. Anything that feels outside of your usual uniform. Pull them into a pile a week before your trip and add to it every time you feel the urge.
- Two to three days before your trip, you do a fitting. This can be with a friend or solo. Put on a good playlist and lock in. What are you wearing to dinner, climbing up all those cobblestone stairs? To the beach where it’s 100 degrees? On a night out, dancing to a song you’ve never heard of? I categorize the looks by day and by night, and try to make sure that everything feels cohesive so there’s opportunity to mix and match. Then you add your strongest looks into an album for quick reference on your trip. Despite my strongly-held belief in pre-vacation fittings (thank you to my friend Paloma for putting me on), I also know that the best outfits come from spontaneous decisions and the pressure to be ready on time.
- Packing Cubes. End of sentence.
You know you’re about to be stuck on a desert island. What are your five essential packing items?
- An endless supply of Grapefruit Perrier at the correct temperature.
- A golf cart to get back to my room after being at the beach all day. Sue me!
- The game Taboo. You need this on any group trip.
- Multiple books I actually want to finish. Not the ones you force yourself to read because you packed them.
- Your people!!!! Hopefully, someone on the trip can take a good outfit pic.
Brianna Lance, artist
What are your best vacation packing hacks?
- Bring vacuum seal bags so that you can fit a lot into a carry on. I hate waiting for my luggage at the airport after international flights. It gives me anxiety but you have to look good on your trip, so I vacuum-seal all my clothes to fit a lot in there.
- Pre-take photos of your outfits so you remember why you packed stuff. I find when I have time and do this I have a lot more clarity on my trip. When I don’t take the time to do this, I have totally forgotten what I was going for when I packed.
- Pack your good vibes. I always pack incense, or crystals, or protection oils so that if I end up somewhere with a bad vibe, or unwanted spirits, I can change it super fast and relax.
You know you’re about to be stuck on a desert island. What are your five essential packing items?
- A really good book: I love anything by Mikhail Bulgakov or Thomas Mann, but also if you want fun reads you can go for Madeline Miller; she’s fun.
- Painting supplies: If I’m stranded on a desert island, I would have to have a way to paint. I could do a downsized set up, but at least would need brushes, paper, and paints.
- A nature guide: How desert island are we talking? I am very good with plants but I am a vegetarian, and grew up playing on the outskirts of a golf course in Texas, so my survival skills are really lacking. If I didn’t have a guide I would probably eat a poisonous plant in like a day. Honestly I don’t think I would last long anyway, my descent into madness seems just barely at bay.
- Lots of sarongs: You could get really experimental with clothing if you just brought a lot of sarongs, but also they work as curtains for your hut you build, blankets, you can make it into a bag for foraging. They are really versatile.
- My dog and my boyfriend: I would need my boyfriend for carrying things, maintaining my whimsy, cooking, and entertaining me. I am my dog’s personal assistant, so she would replace me if I didn’t bring her as well.
Coco Mellors, author
What are your best vacation packing hacks?
- I always pack a Longchamp Le Pliage nylon tote. They fold to the size of an envelope but fit a surprisingly large amount, and are sturdy enough to check if you don’t want to carry an extra bag back on the plane. Last summer, I ended up using one to bring back a large sculpture of a golden crab from Puglia that now sits on my mantelpiece. Every time I see it I think, Worth it!
- I resisted packing cubes for a long time because they’re objectively ugly, but it turns out nothing makes me feel safer or more organized in this world than lots of little pouches within pouches.
- This sounds obvious, but write a list of the things you really can’t forget as soon as they pop into your head (like medications, etc.) and make sure to check the list before you leave. I once went to Paris for a month without my glasses or contact lenses and ended up spending a day at the optician getting a new prescription, which is how I learned that lentilles means both contact lens and lentil in French. Huh!
You know you’re about to be stuck on a desert island. What are your five essential packing items?
- A freezer full of white chocolate Magnums.
- Some kind of fancy, 10-step skincare regime. Now that I have a newborn and a toddler at home, I’m lucky if I can get sunscreen on all three of us before leaving the house, so I’d like to take advantage of my newfound free time to finally learn why double-cleansing is a thing.
- A beach bonnet to protect my freshly cleansed face (that could also double as a fruit bowl!).
- A pen and paper to write my fourth book, which will NOT be set on a desert island as I hear auto-fiction is OUT.
- All my loved ones? Is that allowed? If not, a Tempur-Pedic pillow.
Coco Baudelle, actress and filmmaker
What are your best vacation packing hacks?
- I found this 1960s floral cosmetic toiletry set online, and it’s been the best! Three cushiony pouches that all fit into one. I use the biggest one for my makeup, the medium one for my cameras and film, and the small one for my bras and underwear.
- I always bring a lightweight camera and a camcorder that I attach to my trusty little handbag.
- This little Yves Durif hairbrush fits into anything! It’s a great emotional support detangler. I also have a separate one for my dogs because their hair is so delicate and human-like.
You know you’re about to be stuck on a desert island. What are your five essential packing items?
- A piña colada maker
- Santa Maria Novella olio abbronzante (which can’t be sold in the U.S.)
- A projector
- A heated eyelash curler
- Ian Fleming’s 1964 edition of his James Bond novel, You Only Live Twice
Kaitlin Phillips, publicist
What are your best vacation packing hacks?
- I always bring my Gallery Dept. striped bathrobe.
- My husband (I can’t physically move anything).
- A snap-shut Samsonite carry-on, which is so much better than Rimowa.
- Burberry makes the best waterproof tote bags.
You know you’re about to be stuck on a desert island. What are your five essential packing items?
- Probably a dance to the music of time
- Christine Chin face cream
- Jacques Marie Mage prescription glasses
Pierce Abernathy, chef
What are your best vacation packing hacks?
- You’re never too young for the weekly pill box. They’re perfect for supplements, vitamins, or for recovering from a rabid rat bite with antibiotics. These actually save you a ton of space, versus bringing multiple big containers of pills.
- Start packing more than a day before you leave. The reason why I always overpack is because I am rushing to stuff everything I own into a suitcase as the Uber is arriving, and I am already 30 minutes late to the airport. Every time I actually take a day or two to pack, I always end up with far less in my suitcase.
- Always pack a deck of cards. I’ve played cards on top of mountains in the Dolomites, 35,000 feet in the air over the Atlantic, on a ferry through the Greek islands, and on top of a cooler camping in West Virginia. Endless games, endless opportunity to not look at your phone.
You know you’re about to be stuck on a desert island. What are your five essential packing items?
- A deck of cards
- Lovely Bunch sparkling apple juice
- Easy Bake Oven
- Beyblade
- My gecko named Waffles
More of our favorite stories from CULTURED
Audacious Ghosts and Sunbaked Villas: How to Make the Most of 36 Hours in the Veneto
Is ‘I Want Your Sex’ Actually Gregg Araki’s Tamest Film to Date?
What One Angeleno Learned From a Six-Week Bender With the Downtown NY Art Scene
McNally Jackson’s Sarah McNally Breaks Down the Modern Bestseller
The Best Parks and Pools in New York, According to Luke Evans, Sohla El-Waylly, Bowen Yang, and More
Sign up for our newsletter here to get these stories direct to your inbox.
in your life?
