Carry On Only - Disney

Something people find surprising about me is that I travel with only carry on luggage. My husband and I travel about once a month and it has been over 4 years since I have checked a bag! Even when we travel with the kids we are able to do it with only carry on. I have a strong fear of losing my luggage, and I hate waiting at the baggage claim. I understand why people prefer to be hands-free while walking through the airport, but I find it comforting to have all of my things with me. Usually, our trips are only 3-5 days so packing everything in a carry on is simple for me. Longer trips require a little more planning. Two years ago we went to Provence   for a friends wedding, and then spent some time in the south of France and Monaco. It was a 10 day trip and I only brought carry on! In order to do this, I choose all of my outfits in advance based on the weather and activities we will be doing, while using pieces I can mix and match. It takes some time, but it is worth it. I have often been asked how I do it, so I decided to share what I brought with me on a recent trip to Disney. 

What I brought:
4 dresses 
1 swim cover-up
​1 slip
2 shirts
2 pairs of pants (one pair was beach pants)
1 scarf
​1 belt
​2 pairs of sunglasses
3 purses
4 pairs of shoes
1 swim suit
1 pair of pajamas
undergarments
toiletries
hair tools
makeup & brushes

What I bought:

1 sun hat (I forgot to bring one)
1 sweater

What I brought and did not use:

1 slip
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I love sundresses! They are comfortable, flattering and versatile. At Disney, many people are dressed in shorts and sneakers because of the heat and amount of walking done in the park. I am not comfortable dressed like that and like to be a little more dolled up since it is the fairytale land of princesses! We spend most of our time at Epcot, often eating at a sit-down restaurant in the World Showcase, and while there is no real dress code for the restaurants, I prefer to dress up when going to dinner. Sundresses are perfect for the heat and can go from casual to dressy with simple accessories. I packed a different dress for each day in the park, plus one for a romantic dinner at the rooftop restaurant of our hotel. I packed an additional pair of heels and a clutch specific for that night too, but my other shoes were dressier flats that I could wear to the park and pool.

Luggage
I use the same two bags whenever I travel – my Longchamp carry-on suitcase and my Goyard tote. We bought our luggage 7 years ago during a trip to France after one of our old suitcases broke. Since then, they have been all over the world and are still in great condition. I am always amazed by the wear and tear this luggage can take as well as the amount of clothing I can fit into this carry-on!

Bags
I bought this Goyard bag three years ago and it has become my favorite travel bag. It fits a lot of  items, is lightweight, durable, and doubles as a beach bag! The Gucci waist bag was my big purchase of 2017. With Disney in mind, I had been looking for a fashionable fanny pack for a while. I fell in love with the style of this one and that it converts to a cross body bag. The chain belt is so chic and incredibly comfortable to wear. It is nice not to have a bag on your shoulder all day. 

Travel Outfit
I miss the days when people dressed up for travel. My travel outfit is something I think about days prior to leaving. I want to look nice, be comfortable, and dressed appropriately for the weather if going into a different climate. When flying I expect the unexpected, from flight cancelations and delays to running into familiar faces. I feel like it is better to always look my best then to chance being stranded in pajamas.

Shoes
My feet are small which works in my favor for packing several pairs of shoes. Even so, I am sure to bring shoes that can be worn with different outfits. Neutral colors make that simple. Nude can be worn in any season and goes with just about everything!

The Outfits

During our stay we enjoyed a magical dinner while watching the Epcot and Magic Kingdom fireworks from the rooftop restaurant at our hotel. This yellow silk Ralph Lauren dress was perfect for the evening and I cannot wait to wear it again! I purchased it online during their end-of-season sale this past September. I styled it with nude Alexandre Birman heels that I got on sale from Intermix, and my nude Saint Laurent clutch that I bought on Gilt years ago.

​For spending the day in Epcot, I chose this maxi dress that I bought on clearence at the Ralph Lauren store in Nantucket during our trip there last August. I wore this dress a lot over the summer so to change it up a bit I belted it with this suede wrap belt from Comptoirs des Cotoniers that I have had for years. Since we were going to be in the park all day, I carried my Goyard tote to bring my pashmina, and a jacket for my husband for when it cooled down in the evening. 

​This dress is also from Ralph Lauren. I purchased it on sale along with the yellow one pictured above. The fit in the shoulders was a little strange and it was cut too low in front so I had it tailored. The wrap detail and the side slit make it more interesting than the average maxi dress. Even with the additional cost of alterations, this dress was under $100!

​Towards the end of the evening, it got chilly and I did not have my pashmina with me. While there are plenty of Disney sweatshirts to buy, I wanted something that went with my outfit. If I am going to spend money on an item, I want it to be something I will wear again. The World Showcase has the best options for shopping and I bought this simple black cardigan in the Germany Pavilion. There are little Edelweiss on the buttons which are subtle, and I love because of my German heritage. I have worn this sweater a few times since this trip.

​A pashmina is perfect for Florida evenings. I bought this one in the Morocco pavillion at Epcot during a previous visit. It is very colorful and shimmery so it goes with most everything, whether dressed up or down. I almost always bring it with me when we go to Disney. This black maxi dress I bought on sale from Revolve a couple years ago.

​I love this swim coverup from Windsor. It has a beautiful chain lace up detail that makes it look more expensive than it actually was ($20)! The hem and straps needed to be tailored because it was too long and low cut. I have a both a navy and a black slip from other dresses that I can  wear under this cover up to turn it into a dress!

These pants are actually a swim cover up too. Knowing that we were going to go on the new Pandora ride, in which you have to sit as if on a motorcycle, I thought it would be better to wear pants instead of a maxi dress. I also thought the pattern was fun for Animal Kingdom. I love a theme!

When it comes to packing toiletries, sample size is key! Sephora sells many of their products in a travel size. I buy them from time to time, but the toiletries that I typically bring with me are all trial sizes of products. Samples are offered with purchase whenever buying something online from Sephora, or beauty products in general. I always choose samples of things I can use for travel. I also cash in my Sephora points for their deluxe trial size items when they are offering products I know I like.

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I hope that you have found this useful! I had not planned on writing this up before we left for the trip and therefore did not bring my camera. Let me know if you would like to see more posts like this and next time I will use my camera instead of my iphone to take the pictures so they are better quality.