The ultimate men's carry-on packing list for a weekend break in Europe. A guide on what to take and where to pack it for your next European weekend break.
Planning a Weekend Break in Europe?
It's never been easier to take a weekend break in Europe. A dozen or more budget airlines operate in every country, connecting hundreds of destinations.
With the furthest points being around four hours away, you can easily fly from Berlin to Barcelona, Paris to Bratislava, or London to Athens for 2 days.
Leave on a Friday evening, and be back at work for Monday morning tanned, cultured, or hungover – whichever you prefer!
See the Megalithic Temples of Malta, or choose what to see in Pristina. What should you take though? Here's my ultimate men's carry-on packing list for a weekend break in Europe.
Carry-On / Hand Luggage
You might call it hand luggage. You might call it carry-on. Whatever you call it, you can fit everything you need for a weekend break in the bag you take on the plane with you.
Packing everything you need in a carry-on bag for a weekend break means you avoid paying extra checked baggage fees. It also means you get through the airport quicker when you land, giving you more time to throw yourself into enjoying the weekend!
Pro Tip: Use a rucksack style bag for your carry-on. The reason, is that budget airlines are increasingly asking people with more solid, suitcase style cabin baggage to ‘volunteer' to have their bags stowed under the plane.
This means you have the hassle of waiting at the airport baggage claim when you arrive, and also the risk of your bag becoming lost.
People with smaller, soft rucksacks are rarely asked to volunteer their bags. If you are, just say you have a laptop in there, and they will leave you alone.
Related: How to choose the best digital nomad backpack for you
Men's Carry-On Packing List
Have you got your passport? Got your wallet? Ok, you're set!
Admittedly this is too minimal for most people, so here's my ultimate men's carry-on packing list for a weekend break in Europe. Choose which items apply to you, and pack them in your bag. You might as well make the most of your free baggage allowance after all!
Clothes
This list possibly includes clothes that you will also wear on the plane such as a jacket and footwear. It also includes seasonal clothes depending on where and when you are travelling.
- Main footwear (I prefer boots as they are versatile and look good in most situations)
- Secondary footwear (Nice shoes/ sandals / flip-flops)
- Jeans/Chinos – Whatever your main choice of trousers are. Jeans are an obvious choice.
- Neat trousers – Whatever you wear for an evening out. They can also back up as your spare pair in case someone drops a pint on you during the weekend!
- Shorts – If you are heading to a sunny climate.
- Swimming shorts – take a dip during your weekend break! A great selection of swimming shorts to choose from here.
- 3 x T-Shirts ( I use Wicking T-shirts, also know as activity T-shirts)
- 2 x Neat shirts for the nights
- 3 x Underwear
- 3 x Socks
- 1 x Fleece
- 1 x Jacket suitable for time of year at destination. Wear on plane.
- Sunhat
- Winter hat
- Winter gloves
Pro-Tip: Pack as much of the above as you can into a packing cube. These are a great way to keep your clothes together, tidy, and to reduce space in your carry-on bag.
Toiletries
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste (travel size)
- Deodorant (roll on, travel size)
- Aftershave (small travel size)
- Sunblock (travel size)
- Hairbrush (If you have hair. Read here to find out why being bald when you travel is awesome)
- Hair care products like shampoo etc (Not really an issue for me personally. See above)
- Shower gel (travel size)
- Travel towel – It doesn't hurt to have one. Cheap digs might not have one, and you can use it on the beach).
- Condoms – Because you never know…
(The above quote is from Red Dwarf.
Pro-Tip: Keep your toiletries in a transparent toiletry wash bag to make getting through airport security easier.
Try these via Amazon.co.uk – 3pcs Clear PVC Toiletry Makeup Wash Bag Travel Set Waterproof
Everything Else
Here's a few other things for your men's carry-on packing list, some of which might seem blindingly obvious, some of which people tend to forget anyway.
- Tickets
- Passport
- Wallet
- Money
- ATM cards
- Driving licence
- Sunglasses
- Phone
- Charger
- Universal Travel Adapter
- USB power cable for phone
- Camera
- Tecknet Iep1500 Power Bank for emergency power charging
- Prescription Medicine
Tips on what to take and how to pack for a short trip
Here's some tips that might come in useful when it comes to choosing what to take and how to pack it:
1. Check the weather forecast and pack accordingly.
2. Roll your clothing instead of folding them to save space.
3. Use packing cubes to keep everything organised and together.
4. Take a travel towel – they take up less space than a regular towel.
5. If you're taking prescription medication, make sure you have enough for the trip and that it's in your hand luggage.
And that is pretty much the ultimate men's carry-on packing list for a weekend break in Europe. If you can think of anything else I should add, please leave a comment below!
You might also want to read: Best time to visit Europe
Packing for a weekend break in Europe can be hard. That's why we've created this ultimate men's carry-on packing list to help you pack more efficiently and make the most of your free baggage allowance. To save time, check out our pro tips on what to take and how best to pack it. If all that wasn't enough, here are some extra items worth adding to your men's carry-on packing list – plane tickets, passport, wallet with money in it, ATM cards etc. It is also important when checking weather conditions at destination so you don’t get caught off guard by extreme temperatures or rain showers! Remember: where there’s a will…there’s always a way!
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