17 September 2024

What's in My Bag: Two Weeks in Sri Lanka (Carry-On Luggage)


Greetings from Sri Lanka, the 50th country I've visited! I flew into Bandaranaike International Airport on Saturday and I'm spending the next two weeks exploring the teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean. My holiday will include a mix of urban exploration, cultural and archaeological visits, hikes in Tea Country, safaris and beach time. Read on to find out what I brought with me and how I packed everything into a cabin-size suitcase and a personal item.


Trip info

Trip length: 2 weeks.
Trip type: urban, nature and beach.
Weather: mostly hot (30-33C) and humid, with some rain likely; cooler in Hill Country. September technically sits between Sri Lanka's two monsoon seasons, but we'll see!
Flights & transport: 2 international flights each way, with checked luggage included. Within the country, I'm mostly taking a mix of trains and taxis.
Main bag: cabin-size suitcase.


My luggage

As usual for a two-week holiday, my Away Carry-On Suitcase is my main bag for this trip. It's small, light, easy to roll and pick up and has lots of pockets and other thoughtfully designed features, including built-in compression and an integrated laundry bag. It has a capacity of about 40 litres, which is more than enough room for me to pack for a two-week trip. Get £40 off your first Away purchase if you use my referral code!

Although my suitcase is cabin-size, I checked it through to Sri Lanka. I also brought my Patagonia Women's Refugio 26L as my personal item for the plane. It's big enough to fit all the essentials I need for the flight, as well as my valuables (my cameras), a change of clothes and my bikini. NB: I bought mine in 2018 and there are small differences in the current version. 


I managed to book extra-legroom seats on both outward flights, which was great, but did mean having to pack my bag into the overhead locker for take-off and landing. So, I also brought my new Baggu Small Crescent Bag, which I used to keep my passport and other small essentials on hand while in the airports and on the planes. I'm trying — with some success — to be a small-handbag person!

Finally, I brought my medium Longchamp Le Pliage tote in aqua, which I folded up and packed into my suitcase for the flights, but which is my handbag/day bag for this trip. It is light and stylish (taking me from beach to city tour to nice dinner), has a zippered top and fits my daily holiday essentials: camera, water, sun cream, tech pouch, first-aid kit and wallet.


Clothes

I am spending 15 days in Sri Lanka but I plan to do laundry about halfway through My capsule wardrobe features lots of blues, turquoises, pinks and purples (as per) and pretty much everything coordinates well. (NB: about 80% of my full wardrobe — and many of the other things I own — is in the same colour palette!)
  • Rain jacket — Finisterre Rainbird in aqua. I'm expecting some rain during this trip and this jacket is super-lightweight and breathable but also offers good waterproofing (10,000MM).
  • Lululemon Define Jacket in indigo. It's going to be hot most of the time but this fitted jacket is great for when I need an extra layer. It has zippered pockets and thumbholes. I usually bring a slightly dressier light cardigan too on hot trips but then end up scarcely wearing it. I have a scarf if I need another layer.
  • 5 short-sleeved t-shirts — grey, indigo, turquoise, aqua and pink.
  • 1 long-sleeved Uniqlo HeatTech top — for Hill Country, where it's cooler, and for the journey home.
  • 2 casual vest tops — grey and indigo.
  • 2 sleeveless blouses — aqua and pink.
  • 2 dresses — 1 short-sleeved (Boden Amelie dress in blue) and 1 sleeveless (purple pattern, very old from H&M).
  • 1 skirt — aqua pattern from LOFT.
  • 3 pairs of shorts — 1 denim, 1 magenta linen, 1 charcoal cotton.
  • 2 pairs of trousers — black Lululemon leggings for plane journeys and Oysho linen trousers in blue-purple for covering up at religious sites and cooler days in Hill Country (I replaced my Thai elephant pants with these new trousers after I'd taken the photo).
  • Underwear for 10 days and 5 pairs of socks.
  • 2 scarves — 1 long, lightweight scarf (mainly for covering my shoulders/legs at religious sites) and 1 short, colourful silk scarf from Vietnam.


As for shoes and sport and beach wear, here's what I brought:

Post-trip update: I wore everything except the linen trousers (partly because I bought some lightweight cotton trousers while I was there), though I could have managed without a couple of tops and the skirt. I was particularly happy with my shoe selection: the perfect combo for Sri Lanka.

Tech

I always try to limit the technology I bring with me on my travels...but I somehow never do a very good job! I almost always bring a laptop, a Kindle and at least one of my cameras — these are the biggest items. Most of the rest are chargers, power banks and other gadgets.
  • eSIM — I got a free eSIM with my airport transfer but I would otherwise have used an Airalo eSIM on this trip. I've used eSIMs since 2022 — my phone no longer has a physical SIM card slot in any case! Airalo eSIMs are easy to set up in advance and they offer good rates for country and regional eSIMs, which I've used in various countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Sign up using my referral code, REBECC3024, to get $3 off.
  • iPhone 15 Pro.
  • AirTag (in my suitcase).
  • Kindle Paperwhite.
  • Cameras — Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III (and a spare battery), plus the 12–45 mm PRO lens, and my OM System Tough TG-7 waterproof camera.
  • Pocket tripod — this credit-card-sized tripod stays in my wallet at all times because the best tripod is the one you have with you. I have it in magenta, of course. On this trip, I also packed this mini tripod/selfie stick — to use with my cameras and also on the iconic Sri Lanka train rides I'm taking.
  • MacBook Air — this 13-inch laptop is 10 years old and a bit slow, but it's lighter (and less precious) than my MacBook Pro.
  • Cables and adapters: 
  • Power bank — I bought a new 20,000 mAH Anker power bank for this trip. It's a little heavier (350g) and bigger than my 10k version but charges my iPhone 15 Pro at least three times. I have a lot of long journeys within Sri Lanka and I've read that the electricity isn't always reliable so I figured this was a good time to upgrade my power bank to make sure my devices stay charged. 
  • Headphones — I brought my trusty Bose QuietComfort 35 over-ear noise cancelling headphones on this trip. I've had them over six years and they offer exactly what their name suggests — essential for plane and train journeys. I also brought my AirPods.
  • Multitasking fan / phone charger / torch — tiny handheld fan that can also charge my devices (about half an iPhone 15 Pro) and serve as a torch.


Post-trip update: The torch/fan/USB charger was the hero item: I used the torch several times when walking back to more secluded hotels at night and the fan was great for stuffy train rides. Although having the 20,000 mAH power bank was very useful on long travel days, I did wish I'd also brought my lighter 10,000 mAH charger for daily use.

Other essentials

I started my Sri Lanka trip in a small town and knew I might not be able to purchase missing items, so I erred on the side of packing everything I thought I might need. This is particularly important when you're a solo traveller and you don't have someone else's suitcase to borrow from. Here's what I packed:
  • Passport, cardholder from Officina N.11, coin purse and pouches from Fragonard.
  • Sri Lanka guidebook. I'm usually a Lonely Planet girl but their new Sri Lanka guidebook isn't out until next month, so I bought the Rough Guide, released in July instead. It came with a free digital version, which is on my iPhone but I always like to have a physical guidebook on long trips. I prefer flicking through a physical book and this means not having to have my iPhone on display in public.
  • Moleskine notepad and Caran D'ache neon pink pen.
  • Sunglasses — Sungod Sierras. I've worn these constantly over the past few years. The frames come with a lifetime guarantee, which I've just taken advantage of.
  • Small umbrella. Sadly.
  • Insulated water bottle from Chilly's and foldable bottle for when I need to carry more drinking water or a bottle that fits in my Crescent bag.
  • Lewis N. Clark Comfort Eye Mask. I never sleep without a mask, home or away, and although I've tried many others, I always come back to this one for its combination of comfort and light-blocking.
  • Small first aid kit — paracetamol, cold & flu meds, melatonin, stomach meds, insect bite cream, plasters, antiseptic wipes and tissues. Mozzies love my blood so I also have some repellent and citronella bracelets, which are in my toiletries bag.
  • The amazing Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Neck Pillow packs down into a tiny pouch but inflates into a comfortable, full-size neck pillow in just a couple of breaths. Deflating is just as easy.
  • Snacks (protein bars and nuts) and electrolyte powders to help me stay hydrated.
  • Coffee — I'm not expecting much in the way of specialty coffee (should be lots of good tea, of course!) so I brought my Aeropress Go, which I find is the most convenient way to brew coffee on the go. I left the cup/container and lid behind (they're too big) and brought my 8 oz KeepCup instead. I also brought some delicious Peruvian coffee roasted by Pharmacie in Lewis, which I ground at home to save having to bring a grinder with me.



Toiletries & makeup

For this trip, I kept my toiletries and makeup fairly minimal. I'm not too fussy about shampoo, conditioner and shower gel, so I tend to use whatever hotels provide, but also bring small tubes of each. I always make sure I have plenty of sun cream that I know won't cause my sensitive skin to react. 


Packing my bags

Here's what I packed in my Patagonia Refugio backpack to take as my personal item on the plane. These items include: things I needed in the airports or on the planes and things I wanted to keep in my hand baggage just in case (cameras, change of clothing, bikini, etc). In the bottom-left corner is my purple paisley Liberty wash bag, which I usually carry in my day bag so that I always have a few EDC essentials on hand: first aid pouch, power bank and cables, mini notebook and pen, hand sanitiser, lip balm, tissues and snacks.


On the plane, I wore my Lululemon jacket, a grey t-shirt, leggings and trainers, packing my rain jacket, longer scarf and a change of clothes in my backpack. Everything else, including my folded-up Le Pliage tote, went into my Away suitcase. I used three packing cubes, all from Eagle Creek: two small (one with  compression and one without) for my tops, dresses, sports and beach gear, and an extra-small cube for my underwear. I packed my clothes into the side with the zippered mesh (the packing cubes fit better on this side without the handle system) and everything else into the side with the compression panel. There's still some space for a few souvenirs or if I want to pack my trainers or plane clothes.


Post-trip update: I bought a *lot* of souvenirs and gifts, including a pouffe cover, two pairs of cotton trousers, a large bag of tea and a bag of coffee, plus many items from the lovely Barefoot. My suitcase and backpack were crammed full for the flight home and I used a new tote bag from Barefoot as my personal item on the plane.

Disclaimer: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that if you click through and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only ever recommend products that I use and love — this is particularly important when travelling light and every item must earn its space!

Looking for more of my tips for packing light? Check out my guide for recommendations of tried-and-tested products for travel.

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