I haven’t been on many weekend adventures but it is definitely something I need to do more of. I also haven’t travelled with just a hand luggage suitcase yet for a weekend city break. These are my tips on how top pack for a weekend city break in a hand luggage suitcase. With my weekend trip to Belgium, I thought it would be the perfect challenge to try it out.

Here is my guide on packing a hand luggage suitcase for a weekend city break. Weekend adventures are the perfect way to explore somewhere new without using up your annual holiday and getting out to see the world, even if it’s for a few days.

If you are based in Europe like me, then you’ve really hit a gold mine. With amazing destinations to visit that are only a couple of hours away.

Grab yourself some cheap flights, whether it’s during the summer or winter months and go out and explore somewhere new.

Only a hand luggage case? WHAT! I know, I thought the same thing but I managed to do it. I have a serious tendency to over pack sometimes but I set myself some strict rules. Even for my 5 day trip to Croatia, I decided against my hand luggage case because I knew everything wouldn’t fit. And I decided to pack my larger case instead, but not this time. I was not defeated by my hand luggage case and managed to pack everything for 4 days in one small suitcase.

Admittedly, packing for Europe when the weather can change at any point is hard. I decided to check the weather on the run up before I flew to Belgium, to get an idea of the weather. But it caught me out, it decided to change from 10 degrees and rain to 24 and gorgeous sunshine. Luckily I did manage to pack a few bits I could wear over the 4 days. Instead of my warmer clothes which I wore on the flight out.

The key to packing efficiently into a hand luggage case is knowing the essentials. Packing multi-purpose items and knowing how to pack them correctly. I’ve put together my favourite tips from what I’ve learnt over my years of travelling to help you out.

HOW TO PACK A HAND LUGGAGE SUITCASE:

SHOES

You want to take your comfiest shoes with you, especially if you’ll be walking a lot. If they are clumpy and will take up a lot of room, I’d recommend wearing them to and from the airport to save some much needed space in your case. I took a pair of high top converse and my Dr Martens as I love how comfy they are but they are so clumpy to fit in my case. I chose to wear my Dr Martens to the airport and squeeze my Converse into my case. Filling them with socks and underwear to save some space.

ROLL, ROLL, ROLL THE CLOTHES

A tip I’m so glad I picked up sooner rather than later. Rolling your clothes makes room for so much more than just folding and placing in the case. It also provides soft buffers for anything more delicate like toiletries or hairstyling items. I find that you can fit so much more and find things easier when they are rolled.

TRAVEL FRIENDLY LIQUIDS

I find it hard not to go overboard with my toiletries especially since my skin can be so bipolar. It is so demanding in terms of what products it needs, but I’ve managed to get that under control. I picked out my most essential skincare products and most importantly in travel friendly bottles for going through security.

My skincare routine can’t go without my trusted Liz Earle collection and even better they came in travel friendly 100ml bottles from their Try Me Kit. I then wittled my makeup products down to the minimum for my liquids bag for security. The rest of my makeup products aren’t liquids which is perfect so they went in a separate makeup bag.

FILLING EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY 

Make sure you make the most of every small space you have left in your hand luggage case. Even if it’s the smallest of holes I’m sure you can fit something you need to take in that space. I try to pack in the spaces at the bottom of my case where the handle is at the back to make the most of that space there before packing the rest around it. I always try to pack things like camera chargers or adapter plugs in the smallest of holes as they are essential and can fill those small spaces nicely.

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CLOTHING AND MULTI-PURPOSE

I try to pack clothes that are multi-purpose or ones that I can get more wears out of than most items. So I normally take a pair of dark jeans which I can wear quite a few times without washing or only wearing once and I can get quite a few outfits with them when paired with the right tops.

As it was quite hot in Belgium when I went, I also took my favourite dungaree dress which is dark denim. So the tops could be worn with it as well as it keeping me cool in the warm sunny weather. I wore my jeans for travelling but changed into my dungaree dress once I got to the apartment as it was so warm. Some of the tops I brought with me were also suitable for wearing out at night for a meal out too with my jeans.

PACKING FOR THE WEATHER 

Of course, sometimes harder than most times but still worth checking out the weather before you travel. I made the decision to still bring my winter coat with me even though I definitely didn’t need it with highs of 24 degrees and gorgeous sunshine. I couldn’t fit my puffy parka coat in my suitcase, so I had to carry it separately.

Now I wish I didn’t bring it with me, but I thought it was better to be safe rather than sorry if the weather changed at the last minute. When I packed my clothes, I packed for both colder and warmer weather just in case it changed on us. I also brought my sunglasses with me for the sunny weather which I definitely got my wear out of them.

IF YOU’RE TRAVELLING WITH A FRIEND

I was travelling with my lovely Amy who I met in Croatia on a WMGT’s trip. It was our reunion since the trip and we both wanted to explore Belgium and decided to travel together. We both flew from different airports and then met up on the other side. We decided to split some of the items between us to save some space in our cases.

I brought the shampoo and conditioner with me and Amy brought the shower gel. I also brought my hair straighteners and Amy brought her hairdryer. This is a great idea if you are travelling with a friend and you can both evenly split out the items between you to save some space for other things.

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How do you pack your hand luggage suitcase?  Let me know in the comments below.