If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that I am a self-diagnosed over-packer, and yet hubby and I somehow traveled for 3 weeks in Europe with just carry-on backpacks a few years ago. Well, I decided that the next time we did it we’d use rolling suitcases instead. While the backpacks were great, I found that carrying it on my back got a bit annoying, and, especially for hubs, unpacking and re-packing constantly was a pain with the way his backpack opened and closed.

I’m a sucker for anything that photographs nicely, but I also really like functionality. I kept seeing suitcases by Away, and a handful of friends even started getting them and loving them, so I decided to give them a try. They’ve got a great return policy (100 days, no questions asked), and some really cute colors. While I love millennial pink, I felt like everyone has it (for good reason), but they had this gorgeous violet color (no longer available) and I was instantly smitten. Plus, I figured the darker color wouldn’t show scuffs quite as easily. They’ve got two carry-on sizes, but TRAGEDY, the violet was only available in the smaller one. I decided to go for it anyway. It’ll fit on more airlines (at least without as much hassle), and I still have time to figure my sh*t out and swap it out for a bigger pink one instead if need be. I got hubs a matching one in a dark grey. While he doesn’t have the same sort of overpacking tendencies I do, he does like to take his camera gear with him when we travel, and I figured this would allow him to have a carry on for the overhead bin and then his camera bag as a personal item for under the seat, rather than just the one backpack like last time.

We are planning a 2.5 week trip to Europe again soon, but a good test of the size of this bag was our recent trip to Disney World! While it was only a 6 day trip, you KNOW I meticulously planned out all my unique outfits, PLUS I ran two races while we were there, so I needed my running gear, too.

Did all of this fit into one carry on and one backpack? Surprisingly, it did! (and I even shoved a couple extra things in for my sister the night before). I did check the suitcase on the way back and carried a (not stuffed) duffel on the plane, which I had planned to do anyway - with souvenirs, race shirts and medals, I knew I was coming back with more than I packed.

This gives me hope for using this suitcase for 2+ weeks in Europe. I won’t be bringing as much clothing, shoes, bags/purses, jewelry or toiletries, plus we’ll be doing laundry along the way. And I don’t think I’ll bring my running gear, as our vacations are typically full of walking and it’s time spent away from the actual vacation with hubby. Of course other space challenges will emerge for a different type of trip - for example, I decided I want to bring back fabric from each place we visit. I’m debating if I should start utilizing packing cubes (anyone with personal experience, feel free to let me know!), but luckily I’ve got a little time to figure that one out.