How to Pack Light for a 7-Day Cruise

I only have a carry-on piece of luggage, so I’m forced to pack light. But now I kind of like it that way! It’s easier to cart around, and if it’s going to cost extra to check baggage, I can just carry it on. Here’s how I packed light and squeezed everything in to one carry-on bag for our 7-day cruise.

How to Pack Light: Shoes

I packed what felt like the bare minimum, and I still ended up with four pairs!

• Running shoes: I had every intention to exercise every day on the cruise, which I did not. I stuffed exercise socks into the shoes to save space. These shoes ended up being unnecessary!
• Comfy sandals: I wore these sandals to travel on the airplane, ride bikes around Key West, visit my university, go out to dinner, etc.
• Flip flops: I wore these around the pool, on the snorkeling excursion, etc.
• Chaco water sandals: These were for the excursions that required more than flip flops (for example, hiking through the forest and cave tubing in Belize). I love these when I’m going to be walking through water.

How to Pack Light: Shirts

• I had a long-sleeve shirt (white with black stripes) for the airplane and any cooler nights on the cruise.
• There’s a light blue rash guard (which I acquired on the trip from my step-dad), two t-shirts, and a flowery short-sleeved shirt. I only brought one bra (which I was wearing!).

How to Pack Light: Pants

• There’s a single pair of jeans that I wore on the airplane and some nights to dinner.
• In the stack of shirts, there’s a pair of black leggings. I like wearing those when I don’t feel like wearing jeans and yet I’m wanting to warm myself up a little.
• The light blue pair of pants are pajamas.

How to Pack Light: Dresses

Dresses are my go-to, so I packed several!

• There are three rolled up dresses along the bottom: a navy wrap around dress, a butterfly dress, and a black dress with polka-dots. I originally had a more formal dress packed for dinners, but I decided that the polka dot dress was going to have to suffice because it was thinner and easier to roll up. I was running out of room!
• The navy blue dress with white stripes is so simple yet versatile. I can dress it up with sandals or wear it as a beach cover-up with flip flops.
• I forgot to include one more dress in my photo at the top. It’s navy blue with white flowers.

Miscellaneous

• My five-year notebook travels with me wherever I go.
• I brought a kelly green hoodie to keep warm when needed.
• I had a toiletry bag.
• The black stack includes 8 pairs of underwear.
• I only brought one bathing suit, which worked out fine.
• You can barely see it in the photo, but I brought a tiny silver necklace. I used it to dress-up for the fancy dinner, and I also wear it with my flower shirt because it has a v-neck.

Technology

• I typically pack my computer and phone cords in my suitcase.
• There’s also a noise machine (a huge necessity for us when we are all sleeping in one room!).

Missing Items

• I wish I had brought a hat! I need some kind of floppy hat that packs up small, doesn’t come down over your ears and make you feel like you are in a cave while wearing it, but also provides total coverage for your face. Tall order! Do you have any recommendations?