Packing

Anytime I go on vacation, for as much as I love to travel, I hate (HATE) packing. I worry about forgetting things, not liking any of the outfits that I picked (I love all my clothes, but you know what I mean), ect. Packing is just the worst. It's 10:10 right now and the only thing that I've done to starting packing is make a list of what I need. I'm leaving at 6:30 tomorrow morning. Instead I'm blogging and watching Eat Pray Love. It will get done eventually. Now if you like me and procrastinate, it helps if you know how to pack. I'm not talking about folding and whatnot although I have figured out a pretty good system to that, but knowing what to pack. This will be highly more helpful for girls, because lets be honest, boys just don't have issues with packing. 

Sacrifice: When packing you always have to carefully considered what items you can sacrifice. For certain this trip I can get away without a backpack or laptop, without rain boots, and without a blowdryer (I'm going to be at the beach anyways). These are all bulky or heavy things that I can do without. I never even think about leaving behind my laptop, phone, and a couple of books. Sure they are heavy, but I would give up some space to bring the things that will keep me sane.

Less Bulky: Its good to pack a little bit of everything—shirts, shorts, pants, dresses, skirts. But I think the trick lies in packing less of some items and more of others. I'm skipping a light jacket because they are bulky (though in colder weather I would recommend a like jacket, but skip a coat), but I'm packing several light sweaters and cardigans because I could layer them in case of cooler weather and wear them alone shirts or dresses at night. I'm packing only one pair of jeans because pants take up so much room in a suitcase, and honestly I could wear the same pair of jeans for a week with different tops and nobody would notice. Plus most likely we won't have rain or cold weather. I'm packing a lot of dresses because they’re so light and easy to pack a bunch without taking up much room at all. They also work in warm and cool weather if you have tights/leggings and a sweater to throw on top. Not to mention dresses are just fab.

Versatile: I tried to pack items that could be dressed up or dressed down depending on the occasion. For example, a good thing to have is a top that will go well with a skirt and jewelry to go out on a date, but can also be worn with shorts and flip flops to the beach. I avoided taking anything that could only be casual (think a sporty Nike top) or that could only be dressy (think sequined, silky top). I took quite a few pairs of shoes, but made sure each pair could be worn with jeans and a dress (excluding my sneakers, which I wouldn't wear with a dress).

Neutrals: Don’t pack things that don’t match with a lot of pieces in your wardrobe. Yes, that means leaving your abstract 80s shirt and fuchsia heels at home. I packed a lot of neutral colors like black, brown, tan, and white for versatility (plus these colors just exist a lot in my wardrobe). This will help you create the greatest amount of different outfits with your limited wardrobe for an extended time. Neutral shoes, neutral tops, neutral belts, neutral accessories. 

Accessories: Accessories—don’t feel like you have to leave them at home because they’re extra baggage. They really help you jazz up an outfit that you feel like you’ve worn a dozen times too many. Just pack the thin chain necklace, not the chunky beads bigger than gumballs.

Luggage: If it's just a weekend, or a few days away, you can use a duffel, but for anything close to a week, I like a large, soft-sided suitcase so that you can bring everything you need and still lay your clothes flat. The key to great packing is to lay everything as flat as possible, with the heavier items-jeans, blazer, suits-at the bottom of the case, and shoes along the sides. (Invest in decent luggage, it makes all the difference).

A few other little tips that I've picked up over the years. People who travel a good deal tend to have doubles of make up and toiletries packed and ready to go whenever they have to hit the road. If you pack the night before, this gives everything time to settle, and the next morning you, you can put even more things into your bag. Also for toiletries, separate your larger bottles from non-liquid and put it in a plastic bag. Remember to open the lids and squeeze some of the air out before packing. It will keep them from exploding and ruining your clothing. And you life.

Hopefully if you ever need some travel packing tips this helps. It's not a perfect system, but it seems to do the job pretty well.

As for me, I am off to pack. Bon Voyage.