Recently, our Marketing Expert, Bella, traded Seattle’s gray skies for a week in Florida—with a carry-on, a personal item, and one very specific goal: to see an alligator in the wild.

What followed was a week of early-morning flights, cross-state road trips, coastal towns, crystal-clear springs, sudden downpours, and a lot of time on the road. With limited luggage and plenty of ground to cover, she put a rotating lineup of TOM BIHN bags to work from takeoff to touchdown—and everywhere in between.

Here’s what she packed, what made the trip, what she’d do differently next time, and a few places she thinks are worth adding to your Florida itinerary.

From Takeoff to Touchdown 

5:00 am: wake up. 6:00 am: out the door. 7:00 am: arrive at the airport. 9:00 am: time for liftoff! 

The flight from Seattle to Orlando is roughly six hours, which, for me, is about my limit in terms of in-flight boredom and comfort. 

Figuring out what to pack in my carry-on and personal item was essential. The right setup meant not having to dig through my bag mid-flight, knowing exactly where my headphones and reading material were, and having enough small comforts within reach to make a cramped airplane seat at 30,000 feet feel slightly more humane. 

I quickly developed a system: A Techonaut 30 in the overhead bin (which had two Packing Cubes filled with my clothes). In my Pop Tote, I kept my Bantam, water bottle, book, and snacks, which sat perfectly under the seat in front of me.

Techonaut 30

4.9/5.0 (285 Reviews)

A spacious travel bag that’s always up for the trip — smart, compact, and ready to shoulder the load without breaking a sweat.

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Pop Tote

4.8/5.0 (323 Reviews)

A zip-top tote that pops open wide, snaps shut fast, and keeps everything right where you want it.

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Bantam

4.8/5.0 (238 Reviews)

A small, everyday WPK (Wallet-Phone-Keys) bag for a minimalist carry.

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Mid-afternoon Florida time, we landed! Let the adventure begin.

Reconnecting with Nature

Florida’s tropical climate is home to a lot of unique wildlife and landscapes. The Everglades, palm-lined beaches, treeless prairies, crystal-clear springs, and huge oak trees adorned in Spanish moss. 

We flew into Orlando, and the following day, we drove to St. Augustine, which was brimming with history and beautiful architecture. I highly recommend driving to the coast and checking out the beaches—Vilano Beach in particular is great for shelling. Everywhere you look along the shore, there are shells. I even found a few shark teeth to take home as a souvenir.

Halfway through our trip, we started heading north to visit my boyfriend’s family in Suwannee County. The landscapes changed from palm trees and sandy shores to towering oaks and Spanish moss. On this trip, I set my sights on one thing and one thing only: see an alligator in the wild. I thought this would be easy; however, it took me until the final day of my trip to finally see one. 

My dream was fulfilled on the final day of our trip at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park—a huge 21,000-acre park home to wild horses, bison, alligators, and much more. We took a pit stop here on our long drive back to Orlando from Suwannee County. Sadly, we weren’t able to spot any horses or bison, but we saw about twenty gators while walking on the elevated walking paths. 

For these short excursions in nature, I brought my Bantam or Pop Tote. The Bantam held my phone, wallet, and digital camera for the days I needed to carry just the essentials. For days when I needed more—an extra layer, a water bottle, a change of shoes—I brought the Pop Tote along. 

The Techonaut stayed in the trunk or at the Airbnb while I schlepped these bags everywhere else: down the brick roads in St. Augustine, along scenic beaches, and through every Buc-ee's and Busy Bee gas station pit stop along the way.

Bella’s Packing List

Usually when packing, I make a mental list. For this trip—and with my limited amount of luggage—I made a physical one.

I am a chronic over-packer, and this trip challenged me to pack just the essentials thanks to my carry-on-and-personal-item-only limit.

My packing list consisted of:

• Bags

  • 1x Techonaut 30
  • 1x Pop Tote
  • 1x Bantam
  • 2x Packing Cube Shoulder Bag
    
  • 2x Small Travel Tray
    

• Shirts

  • 3x T-Shirts

  • 3x Tank Tops

  • 1x Long-sleeve 

• Bottoms

  • 1x Pair of jeans (worn on the flight to save space)

  • 1x Pair of capris 

  • 1x Pair of shorts 

• Layers

  • 1x Rain jacket

  • 1x Crewneck sweater (worn on the flight to save space)

  • 1x Nice cardigan

  • 1x Casual dress

• Shoes

  • 1x Pair of rain boots (worn on the flight to save space)

  • 1x Pair of flip-flops

  • 1x Pair of flats 

• Miscellaneous

  • Socks

  • Undergarments

  • Swimsuit

• Electronics

  • Laptop

  • Phone

  • Charging cords and blocks

• Toiletries

  • Travel-size shampoo and conditioner

  • Deodorant

  • Toothpaste 

  • Toothbrush

  • Floss

  • Lotion

  • Face wash

  • Sunscreen

  • Makeup

  • Hairbrush 

• Entertainment

  • Book (I’m reading Pachinko by Min Jin Lee)

  • Headphones

Bella’s Travel Tips & Essentials 

Some helpful takeaways from my time in Florida:

• Pack shoes for multiple climates and occasions

• Florida can go from 80 degrees and sunny to still 80 degrees and torrential downpours within seconds. I maximized my space and wore my rain boots on the plane, and kept a pair of flip-flops in my bag for when the sun came out. 

• The right bag

• For this trip, I bought Saver tickets from my airline, which meant I was only allowed one carry-on and one personal item. I had to be very intentional about both what I packed and which bags I brought. I brought my Techonaut 30, filled with various organizers, and my Pop Tote to store under the seat.

• Bring layers

• The one week I was in Florida, it was hot, muggy, sweaty, and rainy. Thankfully, these rainstorms are usually brief. I packed a light raincoat and stored it in the end pocket of my Techonaut 30 the whole trip, which came in handy for when the sky decided to unleash gallons upon us.

• Try boiled peanuts 

• They’re at every gas station and every in-laws' house. Don’t knock ‘em till you try ‘em. 

• Bug spray

• Florida is very, very buggy. Mosquitoes, lovebugs, spiders, flies, you name it. Bug spray is essential.

• Visit Paynes Prairie

  • Florida is home to a lot of unique wildlife—Alligators, turtles, birds, manatees, oh my! On my trip, we were able to see alligators and lots of interesting birds at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.  It’s worth a trip if you want to see these animals in a non-zoo setting.

• Float the Ichetucknee Springs

  • My favorite activity from this trip by far! Crystal-clear water and more turtles than I could count. A great way to spend an afternoon.

Until Next Time, Florida

By the end of the trip, I was tired, a little sun-soaked, and very happy I’d managed to fit a week’s worth of stuff into a carry-on and personal item.

I came home with a camera roll full of beaches, backroads, Spanish moss, and more alligators and creepy crawlies than I could count. I also left with a new appreciation for packing light, especially when a trip can take you from a city sidewalk to a spring to a sudden thunderstorm in the same day.

The best part of traveling with a small, flexible setup was being able to leave the big bag behind and just grab what I needed for whatever came next. A Bantam for the essentials. The Pop Tote when I needed a little more. And a Techonaut 30 waiting back at the Airbnb or in the trunk for everything else.

One week, a few different bags, countless miles, and at least twenty gators later, I returned to Seattle, grateful for my week away. Until next time, Florida. I’ll be back!