How I Pack a Family of 4 in Carry-Ons

Packing for four people can get overwhelming really fast. Over the years, I’ve figured out a system that works for our family and keeps us from bringing a million bags everywhere we go.

Whenever possible, I pack our family of four in carry-ons. That doesn’t mean we barely bring anything. The kids still have plenty of clothes, I bring my makeup and hair stuff, and we even plan ahead for everything we somehow end up bringing home.

Here’s exactly how I do it.

I Start Packing Weeks Before We Leave

One of the biggest things that helps me is that I don’t wait until the week of our trip to start packing.

Once I know we have a trip coming up, I grab a bin or even a cardboard box. I’ll usually keep one near my closet and another near the kids’ closets.

As I come across things I know we’ll need specifically for that vacation, I throw them in.

If I bought one of the kids a sweater that I really want them to wear on the trip, it goes in the box. If we’ll need rain boots, hiking boots, certain hats or something else that we don’t normally use every day, that goes in too.

By the time I’m actually ready to pack, I already have a lot of our trip-specific things together. It keeps me from trying to remember everything at the last minute.

I Pack Both Kids in One Carry-On

Yes, both kids share one carry-on.

Packing cubes make this so much easier. I basically divide the suitcase between them. One side is for my son and the other is for my daughter.

Their clothes stay separated in their own packing cubes, so I’m not digging through one giant pile every time I need something.

It also makes unpacking easier once we get to our hotel because I already know whose stuff is whose.

For their actual luggage, I don’t spend a lot.

I found inexpensive rolling carry-ons on Amazon for around $30 and bought them for my husband and the kids. We’ve probably traveled with them around six times at this point, and they’ve actually held up really well.

They’re not expensive luggage, and that’s part of why I like them. I don’t have to worry as much about the kids being rough with them. And if we eventually need to replace one, it doesn’t hurt quite as much.

SHOP: Amazon rolling carry-ons + packing cubes

For Myself, I Use My BÉIS Roller and Weekender

My luggage is a little different.

I’ve had my BÉIS Roller and Weekender for around five or six years now, and they’re still my favorite setup for myself.

I use the roller mainly for my clothes and organize everything with packing cubes.

Then I use my Weekender for shoes and some of the things I want to keep separate.

One packing trick I’ve learned is to never waste the space inside my shoes or boots. If I’m packing boots, I fill the inside with socks, underwear or other small pieces of clothing.

For this trip, I was able to fit my boots into the bottom section of my Weekender. Then I use the other section for things like my sunglasses, makeup and hair tools.

It’s basically a game of using every little bit of space.

Our Travel Backpacks Are Another Amazon Find

We also use travel backpacks from Amazon, and these have become one of my favorite things for carry-on travel.

I prefer the ones that open more like a suitcase instead of a traditional backpack because you can fit so much more inside and actually organize everything.

The ones we use even have a separate bottom compartment for shoes.

I love being able to keep shoes away from everything else, especially when we’re moving around during a trip.

The backpacks give us extra space without having to bring another big suitcase, and they’re much easier to carry through the airport.

SHOP: Travel backpack with shoe compartment

We Wear Our Bulkiest Clothes on the Plane

Another thing I try to do is avoid packing anything bulky that we can just wear.

We usually wear black to the airport. It makes getting everyone dressed easy, and black is much more forgiving when you’re traveling with kids and someone spills something.

If we’re traveling somewhere cold, we wear our jackets onto the plane instead of putting them inside the suitcase. Jackets take up so much room, and airplanes are usually cold anyway.

Unless something happens to our clothes during the trip, we also usually wear the same airport outfits on the way home.

That’s one less full outfit per person that I have to think about.

I Don’t Pack Enough Clothes for Every Day

This is probably one of the biggest reasons we can travel with carry-ons.

We wash our clothes.

If we’re going somewhere for a longer trip, I don’t pack a completely different outfit for every person for every single day.

We’ll use a washer if we have access to one or find a local laundry or dry-cleaning service.

For this Mexico trip, we’re already planning on finding somewhere to have some of our clothes washed while we’re there.

I would much rather wash clothes once during vacation than drag several huge suitcases around for the entire trip.

I Always Pack an Extra Duffel Bag

This is probably one of my favorite travel tricks.

We buy an inexpensive extra-large duffel bag from Amazon. It costs less than $10 when I find it at a good price, and we don’t even need it on the way there.

I fold it up and pack it inside one of our bags.

Because somehow everything fits perfectly when we leave home, and then we buy souvenirs, the kids get something, I buy something, and suddenly nothing fits on the way back.

That’s when the extra duffel comes out.

I also pack a TSA lock and an AirTag with it. If we end up using the duffel for the flight home, I can lock it and keep track of it.

It takes up almost no room on the way there but gives us an entire extra bag when we need it.

SHOP: Extra-large foldable duffel + TSA lock + AirTag holder

The Little Things I Pack for Traveling With Kids

There are also a bunch of little things I’ve learned to bring after traveling with kids.

If there’s a chance of rain, I pack lightweight rain jackets that fold down really small. They can stay inside a backpack without taking up much room.

I bring a cup for my daughter that doesn’t easily spill and has a straw that slides away when we aren’t using it.

I also bring long-sleeve bibs for restaurants. They cover so much more than a regular bib and save me from having to change an entire outfit after a messy meal.

Then there are little activities and toys for restaurants and travel days. I don’t give the kids everything at once. I like pulling things out one at a time when we actually need them.

And for myself, I pack a small lighted travel mirror. It’s about the size of my phone, so I can actually see what I’m doing when I get ready without packing a huge mirror.

None of these things takes up much room on its own, but together they make traveling with our kids so much easier.

Shop What We Actually Use for Family Travel

Some of our luggage is from BÉIS, but a lot of the things that make our carry-on system work are inexpensive Amazon finds.

I put together the rolling carry-ons we use, our travel backpacks, packing cubes, extra duffel and some of the little things I pack for the kids in one place.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share products we use or genuinely recommend.

Carry-On Only Works for Our Family

I don’t think there’s one perfect way to pack a family of four. This is just the system that has started working really well for us.

I start putting things aside weeks before we leave. The kids share a carry-on. We use packing cubes and travel backpacks to keep everything organized. We wear our bulky clothes instead of packing them. We wash clothes during longer trips, and I always have an extra duffel waiting for everything we somehow bring home.

It means fewer suitcases to keep track of, less stuff to move from place to place and a much easier time getting everyone through the airport.

And for me, that is absolutely worth doing a load of laundry on vacation.