Since I tend to take fairly long trips—many lasting two weeks or more and often with varying climates—I often have no choice but to pack a checked bag. But then that leaves me with lugging a heavy duffle or backpack through airports, which isn’t ideal even when it’s from one of the best luggage brands. As such, over the last year, I’ve been experimenting with bringing a second rolling carry-on bag to help make my travels less physically demanding.

A small roller, like the July Carry-On Pro, provides extra space, which is helpful considering that I often use it to hold a couple of outfits on the way to my destination in case of travel delays and then to hold souvenirs or anything too heavy for my checked bag on the way home. It also provides a place to put my personal items, so I don’t have to carry them around on my shoulder or back (my backpack and weekender bag have trolley sleeves so they can balance right on top).

I recently spent 18 days on back-to-back MSC cruises to Spain, Italy, France and Malta, and think I finally found my dream setup: my July Carry-On Pro, Béis Medium Check-in Roller and this inexpensive Amazon backpack that’s literally been all over the world with me.

What did I pack?

I packed the following: two dresses, four shirts, three pairs of pants, a sun hat, a swimsuit, two pairs of shoes, my favorite travel purse from the Offero Collection (because it has an anti-theft feature yet totally looks like a YSL dupe!), some undergarments, a makeup bag and a toiletries bag. I had to pair it with a weekender bag to fit the rest of my necessities (such as electronics, my favorite Amazon travel accessories, a pair of sandals, a denim jacket, a beach bag, a cover-up and my curler), as I ran out of room—so perhaps its best as part of a luggage set when used in conjunction with the July Carry All Weekender.