I just returned from a fabulous three-week trip to Spain. The first ten days were part of a Spain sampler tour with Spain Adventures. The last week was spent in San Sabastian for a travel conference.
I had good intentions of traveling carry on only for this trip.
No, really, I did.
And I’m here to tell you (as I hang my head in shame) that I failed miserably.
I watched all the TikTok videos, and Rilee told me how. I bought a new set of compression packing cubes that you can unzip fully. With the utmost care, I selected my neutral travel wardrobe two weeks before my trip. I was proud of myself for being so selective. I had five shirts, three bottoms, three dresses, a black blazer, a trench coat, and a denim jacket. I bought laundry detergent sheets to do laundry at hotels. I even practiced packing and carefully folded my clothes to fit perfectly in the packing cube.
I was proud when I closed my rolling carry on suitcase during that trial run. This could be done. I just had to add my toiletries, makeup, and two pairs of shoes, and I was good to go.
Two things were coming between successfully traveling carry on only trip and failure.
One- I had to control my love of shopping.
Two- I hoped that the swag we got at the travel conference was compact, or it would have to stay behind.
I did plan on doing a bit of shopping. We were taking a one-day private tour up the French Basque coast, and I planned on hitting the French pharmacies along the way. I did have a list of skin care products to bring home. They were cheaper there, and I couldn’t get some in the U.S. I figured I’d have enough room for these purchases.
Four days before I was scheduled to leave for the first leg of my Spain trip, I reviewed the carry on requirements for Vueling Airlines. I was flying over to Madrid via American, so I knew I would be fine with my backpack as my personal item and my roller for the overhead bin. I needed a low-cost flight from Barcelona to San Sabastion and back again to catch my flight back to New York. As I reviewed the bag policy for Veuling, I selected a personal item under the seat and paid for a carry on to go in the overhead bin. The problem I noticed was that carry-on weight was restricted to under 10kg, which came to about 22 pounds.
This could be a problem.
I weighed my roller bag, and it weighed 24 pounds! I’m already overweight! So my first fail was that I HAD to check my roller carry on. I could not take anything out to stay within the 10kg. Ugh.
So I bit the bullet, paid for a checked bag, and selected the 20kg option, which gave me plenty of leeway, especially since I had already paid for a 10kg carry on for the bin.
The day I left for the trip, I was beginning to doubt I could pull this carry on only thing off. I was packed tight once I packed everything in my carry on and backpack.
My first stop was three days in New York City. I managed this well and bought nothing except for a few trinkets.
Then it was off to Spain with three days in Madrid.
Oh, the temptation was real! We stayed in the center of an abundance of shops. Every charming street and cobblestoned alley was full to the brim with temptation. I would dart in and out of the pharmacies in Madrid (and all of Spain). I did find many of the goodies I wanted in Spain.
My willpower was slipping…
A backstory.
I love shopping. There, I said it. Growing up, I never had the money for nice things, but I loved clothes and fashion. I looked for bargains and still do. I love thrifting to see what I can find. When I saw something—shoes, a handbag, a dress—that caught my eye and was reasonable, I indulged. Shopping is recreation for me. Even if I don’t buy anything, I love to look.
So, for me, to go to Europe and not shop was a lofty goal.
In Madrid, I succumbed and bought an adorable pair of comfy sandals. I love them. Then, in Cordoba, it was festival time, so I bought a skirt and two embroidered shawls, topping it off with a small crossbody phone holder. After all, I needed to look the part (as much as I could) of a Flamenco to fit in with our afternoon at the festival.
Yes, failing miserably!
After we left Cordoba, I knew I would not survive. I could stuff everything I had bought into my roller carry on, but I knew I would have to buy another suitcase. This meant I would need to add another checked bag for my Vueling flight from San Sabastian back to Barcelona before returning to the U.S.
Between Cordoba and Barcelona, we visited Sevilla, Valencia, and Granada and took a day trip to Ronda. I curbed my shopping impulses until I got to Barcelona, where I spent a fun afternoon shopping with Edi, the owner of Spain Adventures.
First, we went to a shop with some wonderful jewelry we had spotted the night before. Then, I spotted an adorable, vibrant shirtdress hanging on a rack in a shop we were passing by. I backtracked and walked in. I tried it on and showed Edi. I knew it was mine when I saw her expression. I loved it, too.
Then we stopped in one of her favorite shops. The prices were incredible! I walked out with a skirt, two tops, and a necklace.
Next, we ducked into a big pharmacy. I found some things I was looking for, and one of the women working there pointed out some products to help with my sun-damaged face.
Our final stop was to purchase another suitcase at Primark.
It was a wonderful afternoon. Edi scolded me for being a bad influence (somehow, I get that from everyone I shop with), and the day became one of my favorite memories of the trip.
I was to purchase a few more things during our one-day excursion into France, mostly in Biarritz. I added a few things from a pharmacy in San Sabastian during one of the last days of the trip. I left some of the conference swag behind so I could close my second suitcase.
I tried, I really, really tried.
I know I’ll have my carry on membership revoked.
Am I sorry?
Maybe a little bit. Honestly, I was trying to deny who I am. I won’t do that anymore.
In my world, there is a time and place for carry on only, like the four-day trip I took to NYC in 2023. But to kid myself that I can do it for three weeks in Europe is just denying who I am.
Did I fail miserably at the carry on only movement?
Yes, but the next time I put on that vibrant white linen shirtdress with the colorful flowers, I will be reminded of that wonderful afternoon in Barcelona.
And aren’t those wonderful memories the things we cherish the most about travel?
