Despite how restful and rejuvenating travel can be, packing
can be quite stressful. Though I am no packing expert, I have come a long way.
Here are some of my tips.
- The list. I keep a packing list in the notepad app on my phone. It’s also backed up in the cloud and in my email. I open the list three days before every trip and give it a once over. I tweak it based on weather—snow calls for an added parka, sun calls for several added bikinis and cover-ups, etc. But, all the basics are there. This has saved me so much time and energy. I check the list, I pack the list. It’s also helpful when I’m repacking to head back home. The list helps me to ensure that everything that went on the trip makes it back home.
- Samples and travel-sized products. Did you know that every time you buy cosmetics at Ulta, Macys, Sephora, and Nordstrom that you can get samples? Instead of trying new products, I just ask for samples of the ones I regularly use. I keep them in Ziploc baggies next to the extra toilet paper and Q-tips in one of our linen closets. I label the Ziplocs by category: face wash, eye cream, serums, hair products, etc. As I pack for each trip, I simply pull out as many products as I need per day/night and then buy travel sized versions of anything I’m out of. I care a lot about which kind of serum or sunscreen I wear on my face, but I will buy the absolute cheapest travel sized shaving cream or condition (which works just fine as shaving cream) and then just toss what I don’t use. Yes, it’s a bit wasteful, but having half-used travel sized products is something I just can’t deal with.
- Outfits. I actually set out specific outfits for any “special” events that I’ll have to dress for while we travel—a dinner out, a beach day, etc. This helps me to know exactly what I need for a particular event. I lay everything out for that outfit—shoes, handbag, and jewelry included. If I have more than one or two special events that I need to plan for, then I try to “share” items for different outfits. For example, I can use the same handbag for two outfits, or the same pair of shoes. This cuts down on the bulk of my bag.
- Mix and match. For everything else (i.e. all the non-special event days of travel), I pull some mix and match items. For Europe at Christmas, that meant cashmere sweaters, black pants, skinny jeans, and a variety of dressy shoes. For San Francisco, that meant a number of blouses, lightweight sweaters, and leggings. I pack one less item per day. So, for a 5 day trip, I will pack 3 or 4 different tops and bank on the fact that I won’t spill, will re-wear at least one top, and will shop while traveling. I also try to keep all my mix and match items in the same color palette—grays, whites, and blacks; navy, green, and white; or tan, brown, and beige. This way, all your shoes, pants, and sweaters will swap out for each look.
- Athleisure. I cannot stress enough how much I love this trend. I wear yoga pants and a nice sweater with dressy ballet flats on plane rides and I generally run about town in athleisure wear. We tend to always head back to the hotel early evening to dress for dinner, so at that time I change into something nicer. But for running about town and exploring a new city, I like to be comfortable and to dress in layers.
- Garment bags. For a longer trip, Ryan and I will each take a suitcase and we will share a garment bag. This allows us to bring our nicer items without the worry of having to do too much ironing or fussing over wrinkles when we arrive. We tend to just hang any slightly rumpled items up in the bathroom during a shower and they’ll be fine. The one upside to hotels NEVER having bathroom fans. What’s up with that? I mean seriously. For a shorter trip, I’ll just use one of those nice fabric garment bags that you get when you purchase a dress or a coat in-store from J.Crew, Nordstrom, or Kate Spade. If you don’t overfill it and fold it into quarters, it fits easily in your bag and you can keep everything on the hangers. That way when you arrive, you can just unzip the garment bag and hang everything up in one fell swoop.
- Accessories. The easiest way to make the same top or skirt look different for two evenings out is with accessories. I always bring at least two scarves, several necklaces, and statement earrings. You can take a plain black sweater and pair it with a statement jeweled necklace and earrings to make it look dressy, and then you can tone it down with a simple scarf and post earrings. Plus, accessories don’t take much space, so they’re an easy thing to add in. Just like with my mix and match items, I try to bring pieces in the same color scheme by paying attention to metals. If I’m bringing neutral clothes with nudes, caramels, and tans, I’ll bring mostly rose gold or gold jewelry. If I’m wearing bright colors for a tropical vacation, I will pair those with silver. One security tip—always carry your fine jewelry in your carry-on.
After I have laid everything out for a trip, which I do at
least 24 hours in advance, but the longer the trip, the earlier I start
packing, I try to stand back and after a few hours or a day, I go back to what
I’ve laid out and try to reduce everything by at least 20%. I usually do this
after I’ve checked the weather for my destination to make sure I don’t need to
add or takeaway layers. Two final tips—I keep dryer sheets in the bottom of my
suitcase to keep my bag and clothes from picking up odors while traveling, and
I always bring extra plastic bags. You never know when you’ll have a sandy pair
of flip flops or a damp workout top that needs to be packed for the way home
and you don’t want that mess all over you bag. Happy travels!
Do you have packing tips to share? Add to the comments
section!
Here are some of my travel basics for any trip: Gray AG skinny jeans, Nordstrom. Black Zella live in leggings, Nordstrom. Pixie skinny black pants, J.Crew. Black and white built in bra camis, Express. Minnie travel flats, Tory Burch.
These are the tops I laid out before our most recent trip. I ended up pulling two of the tops so that I only brought four tops and the sparkly skirt, along with the above basics. I had more than enough to wear for the whole week!
Here is one of my dinner/night out looks put all together!
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