I traveled abroad for 2 weeks with only a carry-on and a personal item. Here's what worked — and what I wish I'd left behind.

I traveled abroad for 2 weeks with only a carry-on and a personal item. Here's what worked — and what I wish I'd left behind. I traveled to Ireland, the UK, and Iceland with just a carry-on suitcase and a personal item. Rachel Bernstein When I set out on my first solo international trip — a two-week journey through Ireland, the UK, and Iceland, along with pit stops in New York and Chicago — I was plagued by one question: What should I pack?Since I was only bringing a carry-on suitcase and a backpack, every item had to earn its place. By the time I got home, I made plenty of memories — and came to a much clearer sense of what I'd pack again, and what I'd leave behind.Here are four items I was glad I brought, and three I could've gone without. I'm glad I packed a light jacket that worked in so many different climates. This rain-resistant jacket kept me warm in Iceland, but also wasn't too thick to wear in New York. Rachel Bernstein Even though I went on this trip in the summer, I knew several places I was visiting would be rainy. But because of the different climates I was going to, I quibbled over how warm I wanted a jacket to be.I settled on an older, rain-resistant jacket that had lost some of its fluff rather than a light windbreaker. The jacket kept me warm in the Icelandic mist and didn't overwhelm me in New York during evening showers. Bringing local currency was a last-minute decision I don't regret. Having paper cash was great for purchasing souvenirs at small shops. Rachel Bernstein Right before my trip, I decided to get Icelandic krónur, British pounds, and some euros.I spent a long time deciding whether to bite the bullet and get paper cash, wondering if that would even be useful. Since I was traveling alone, I erred on the side of caution and picked up some bills.Even though I didn't use it every day — except at the airport and to buy some souvenirs at small shops — bringing local currency gave me peace of mind, and I would certainly pack it again. An all-in-one worldwide adapter was crucial. Since I was visiting different countries, an all-in-one worldwide adapter was so useful and a great space-saver. Rachel Bernstein If I had to pick one item as most essential, it would be my all-in-one travel adapter.Since space in my bag was scarce, this all-in-one version was perfect, as it preserved room in my suitcase for other items and prevented me from bringing multiple adapters. Bringing wired headphones was a lifesaver on flights. My wired headphones came in handy for watching in-flight entertainment. Rachel Bernstein I always keep a pair of wired headphones in my bag with all my chargers. A few times on my flights, when a TV show wouldn't download in time, or my AirPods ran out of battery, my wired headphones were there for me to use for in-flight entertainment.Not only were they a lifesaver, but they also meant I didn't have to buy a pair on the plane. I wish I had left my stylish shoes at home in favor of a more functional alternative. I love my white sneakers, but I had to swap those out for a more comfortable pair on the third day of my trip. Rachel Bernstein On day three of my trip, before even leaving the US, I was in New York and had found myself in a Foot Locker because my feet were already hurting.Even though I love walking, the sneakers that I thought were reliable — not perfect, but reliable — were failing me, and I was in pain.So, I ended up purchasing a more functional pair suitable for lots of activity. After this purchase, I came to an important conclusion that I think will stick with me: it doesn't matter if the shoes are cute if they're not walkable. I packed more shirts than I needed. Looking back, I don't think I needed to pack seven different shirts. Rachel Bernstein In the wee hours of packing, I started thinking about every what-if moment that could happen. For example, what if I went somewhere nice or spilled food on a shirt? So, I ended up bringing seven different tops, and now looking back, I definitely could've left one behind.After all, by the time I visited Iceland, I was layering so much that my base shirt didn't really matter. A fancy dress took up way too much space, and I didn't even wear it. I already didn't have a lot of space in my carry-on, so I regret packing a dress that I didn't even end up wearing. Rachel Bernstein Forgetting that my trip was mostly sightseeing and pounding the pavement, I packed a dress just in case.However, when I actually needed something borderline dressy, I reached for one of my versatile shirts instead.Next time, unless I have an explicitly fancy occasion, I'll leave the dress at home and save room in my suitcase for other essentials. Read next Rachel Bernstein is Insider's Editorial Partnerships and Awards fellow where she works on elevating work across all verticals. Prior to Insider, she was a student at the University of Southern California where she studied history and storytelling. She also worked at USC's legendary Daily Trojan and Annenberg Media where she created a column on entertainment news and literature and interviewed LA mayoral candidates. She is a born-and-bred Angeleno who loves history, literature, television, and scoping out the best food that LA has to offer. Travel