Pack Light, Buy Local

The question we get asked more than any other — usually the moment someone hears we've been traveling full-time since March 2022 — is how we possibly do it with just carry-ons. The answer isn't discipline, and it isn't minimalism as a personality. It's one idea: packing should be simple. This is the whole system, numbers included.

First, the proof that it works: every day on the road since March 2022, more than 160 countries across all 7 continents, hundreds of flights and over half a million miles — with zero bags checked and zero bags lost. Two carry-on suitcases and two backpacks have covered every climate on Earth, hundreds of hotel check-ins, beach weeks and black-tie dinners alike. Skipping the bag drop and the carousel on every one of those flights has handed us back roughly ten full days of vacation, plus whatever the fees would have been.

The wardrobe is fifteen pieces, and it never really changes. Four basic blacks: black shorts, black pants, a black dress, black shoes. Four basic neutrals: the same lineup in warm neutrals. Three working shoes: an athletic shoe, a casual day sneaker, a dressy flat. Four extras: a black top, a neutral top, and two scarves — one black, one neutral. Keep it simple and neutral so everything mixes with everything; the big, bold patterns stay home and the jewelry and scarves do the talking. Run the combinations and fifteen pieces is roughly 150 different outfits — a new look every night for five months.

The second half of the idea is the reason it works: buy local. There's freedom in limited options, and you'll blend in far better wearing what your destination actually wears. Leave room in the bag and pick up a few pieces where you land — something from a little shop across the world that nobody back home will ever have. That becomes your favorite piece for life. Wouldn't you rather fly home with a beautiful new Fendi outfit, or a Kiton blazer he'll cherish forever, than with five shirts you never touched?

Keep the medicine kit small — most of what you need exists abroad, and foreign pharmacies are half the adventure — and pack toiletries like you're only mildly committed to skincare; your skin will survive the break and might even thank you. One carry-on holds the clothing, shoes, belts and scarves; one backpack holds the toiletries, makeup and jewelry. That's the entire fleet. Pack less. See more.