2025 is shaping up to be a big year for Australian outbound travel. Flight search data shows several clear trends in where Australians are heading — a mix of the classics and some surprising new favourites. Here's what's trending, and exactly what to pack for each destination (carry-on only).
1. Bali, Indonesia
Pack for: Heat, humidity, temples, and beach. Light linens, a sarong (required for temple entry), sandals, and a single pair of closed shoes. Bali is one of the easiest destinations to pack light for — laundry is cheap and fast.
2. Japan
Pack for: Walking (10,000+ steps daily), variable weather, conservative dress for shrines. Comfortable walking shoes are essential. Layer with a light jacket. Japan has convenience stores everywhere — you can buy almost anything you forget.
3. Thailand
Pack for: Heat, occasional downpours, beach and city switching. A light waterproof layer is useful. Like Bali, Thai laundry is so cheap that over-packing clothes is genuinely unnecessary.
4. Italy
Pack for: Cobblestones (skip stilettos), a mix of coastal and city, warm summers. Neutral clothes that mix and match cover almost every Italian setting. One slightly nicer outfit for dinners.
5. United Kingdom & Ireland
Pack for: Unpredictable weather — pack layers, not heavy coats. A quality mid-layer and a compact waterproof jacket are worth their weight. Wear your heaviest items on the plane.
6. USA (East or West Coast)
Pack for: Varies wildly by city and season. Research your specific cities. Generally: comfortable city wear, one evening outfit, walking shoes. Americans dress casually almost everywhere.
7. Vietnam
Pack for: Heat and humidity in the south, cooler in the north. Light, breathable clothes. Laundry is incredibly cheap and quality. Packing 7 days of clothes for a 14-day Vietnam trip is standard practice.
8. Greece
Pack for: Island hopping means moving frequently — a backpack beats a suitcase on cobblestone streets. Light summer clothes, swimwear, one nice outfit for dinner. Neutral colours for the whitewashed-wall photos.
9. New Zealand
Pack for: Activity-focused travel — hiking, adventure, stunning scenery. Good walking shoes, layers, and one casual city outfit. NZ travel lends itself naturally to one-bag packing.
10. Portugal
Pack for: Europe's most relaxed dress code. Comfortable shoes for the hills of Lisbon and Porto, swimwear for the Algarve, light layers. One of the best European destinations for carry-on travel.
The Common Thread
Every destination on this list is more than doable with a single carry-on. The key is a bag with smart organisation and genuine compression — not just a big bag. The Carvons Canvas Bag is designed for exactly this kind of varied, frequent travel. It holds 7–10 days of clothes, fits every airline overhead bin, and comes with a TSA-friendly layout for fast security.