MEXICO: WHAT I PACK, WHAT I BRING HOME AND WHY I NEVER TRAVEL WITH JUST A CARRY-ON
I’ve been to Mexico a few times, for both work and vacation, and there is plenty I could tell you about beautiful hotels, wonderful hospitality and memorable experiences. I could talk about the beaches, too, except I’m not really a beach person. So I’ll leave that to someone else.
What I remember most about Mexico is not everything around the traditional vacation experience: the art, the colour, the coffee, the shopping, the culture and, yes, the packing. Because for me, travelling well begins before I ever leave home.
First Things First: I Am Checking a Suitcase
I know travelling with only a carry-on has become something of a badge of honour. Not for me.
Why would I drag a heavy suitcase through an airport only to arrive at my destination with so little space that I cannot bring anything home? I want room: room for clothes that make sense for where I am going, room for the things that make travel more comfortable and, importantly, room to bring back something that reminds me of where I have been.
My husband Earl and I have a tradition of buying a piece of art when we travel. Over the years, those pieces have become more than decoration. They are markers of our life together, places we have explored, experiences we have shared and stories that still make us smile. Mexico certainly gave us plenty to choose from.
Packing for Mexico: My One-Week System
For a week away, I don’t simply throw seven outfits into a suitcase. I build a capsule wardrobe.
The idea is simple: pieces should work together. Bottoms should coordinate with multiple tops. Dresses should transition from daytime exploring to dinner. Accessories should change the look without taking up half the suitcase.
And although I am Jamaican and naturally gravitate towards lighter clothing, I almost always travel with a leather jacket. Airports are cold. Restaurants can be cold. Evenings can surprise you. A good leather jacket over lighter clothing gives me warmth without sacrificing the look.
Comfortable Shoes Are Non-Negotiable
At home in Jamaica, you’ll frequently find me in sandals. When I travel? One pair is usually enough.
You never quite know how much walking a day will involve, particularly when exploring a new city. Cobblestones, museums, markets, airport terminals and spontaneous detours have very little sympathy for beautiful but impractical shoes. Comfortable walking shoes earn their suitcase space.
Yes, I Like the Inside of My Suitcase to Look Good
There is something deeply satisfying about opening a suitcase and seeing everything organised. My luggage is divided into packing cubes and individual travel cases: clothing, underwear, nightwear, hair products and clips, medical essentials, gadgets and chargers all have their place.
I also travel with coordinating laundry bags, including separate bags for clothing and underwear. It is not just about aesthetics. It makes unpacking easier, keeps worn clothing separate and makes luggage inspections considerably less awkward. Sometimes the person opening your suitcase at security or Customs is a complete stranger. They do not need an intimate introduction to your underwear.
One little ritual makes the whole suitcase feel fresher: I place a small amount of Downy in securely sealed, clear travel bags and tuck one among my packing cubes. When I open my suitcase, everything still smells fresh rather than like it has spent hours trapped in an aircraft hold.
Travel Comfort Starts Before You Arrive
I also like the small things that reduce friction in transit. A passport holder keeps the document easy to find when I need it, while a lightweight travel blanket earns its place on colder flights. Neither is glamorous in the obvious sense, but this is exactly what I mean by lived luxury: comfort that is functional, beautiful and useful.
Mexico Made Me Buy Colour
Now, this surprised even me. I tend to gravitate towards black, brown and classic neutrals. But Mexico has a way of introducing colour into the conversation.
On one trip, I found excellent prices on luxury handbags through duty-free shopping and came home with several. Instead of playing completely safe, I bought colours I might not ordinarily have chosen, including a gorgeous lime green. And I loved it.
Perhaps that is another benefit of travel. Sometimes being somewhere different gives you permission to choose differently. I still believe in knowing what you are paying and buying because you genuinely love something, not simply because the word “duty-free” is attached to it.
The Dance of the Flyers: A Memory You Don’t Pack in a Suitcase
One of the experiences that stayed with me was seeing the Danza de los Voladores, often translated as the Dance of the Flyers. Watching the performers high above the ground is one of those moments when photographs do not quite capture the experience. There is history, ritual, movement and an extraordinary visual spectacle happening at once.
The ritual ceremony of the Voladores was inscribed by UNESCO in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, with especially strong roots among the Totonac people of Veracruz. Read UNESCO’s description of the ritual.
Those are the things I look for when I travel. Not simply, What can I see? but What tells me something about this place? Mexico gives you plenty of answers.
Three Things I Now Look for Wherever I Travel
Somewhere along the way, Earl and I developed our own little travel collection. The first is art. I do not need the most expensive piece in a gallery. I want something that speaks to us and will mean something when we see it at home years later.
The second is coffee. Anyone who knows me knows that finding good coffee is practically part of the itinerary. I love experiencing how another country drinks it, the preparation, the café culture, the flavours and the rituals surrounding it.
Chiapas, for example, has a strong coffee culture; the official Visit Mexico site describes its Coffee Museum as dedicated to coffee cultivation, processing and the producing communities behind it. Explore the Chiapas Coffee Museum.
And I’ve recently decided to add a third tradition: wine. Art for the home. Coffee for the mornings. Wine for an evening when we can remember where we found it. That sounds like a rather good travel collection to me.
Luxury Is Much More Than the Hotel
I have experienced Mexico in very privileged circumstances, including being the guest of a hotel owner. Naturally, that changes the experience. Exceptional hospitality has a way of making an already beautiful destination feel even more luxurious. But some of my favourite memories have nothing to do with the room category. They are buying that unexpectedly colourful handbag. Watching the flyers. Finding the coffee. Choosing the artwork Earl and I would bring home. Opening a beautifully organised suitcase and actually being able to find what I need.
Luxury, at least the way I see it, isn’t simply about spending more money. It is about removing unnecessary friction and creating experiences that feel good while you’re living them.
What Mexico Reminded Me About Travelling Well
Pack enough to enjoy the trip rather than prove how efficiently you can survive with one tiny suitcase. Take the comfortable shoes. Carry the jacket. Leave room for something you did not expect to buy. And create a ritual for bringing your travels home with you.
Years later, you probably will not remember how efficiently you packed seven outfits into a carry-on. But you may look across your home, see that piece of art you bought together in Mexico and remember exactly where you were when you found it. And that, for me, is the point.
If You’re Ready to Go Deeper
Travelling well is part of living intentionally: choosing systems that reduce friction, support comfort and leave more room for the experience itself. Explore the Intentional Living pillar and the For A Better Me™ philosophy for practical ways to build a life that works with you, not against you.
Living Well. By Design.
