How to pack light
I’m in Sannnn Frannnnncisco!
It is still dark out, but I can’t wait for the sun to rise so I can enjoy this beautiful spring weather that appeared. I can’t wait for spring!
I’m here for a Babycenter/Momformation meeting. I’ve only been with the team for a few months but I am thrilled to meet my colleagues in person tonight. Here is my latest post.
One of my greatest passions in life is traveling, and I’ve visited lots of different places… off the top of my head I’ve been to Jordan, most major cities in Italy, Sardinia, Paris, London, Budapest, Prague, Viena, Jerusalem, Jamaica, Argentina, Ecuador, Tahiti, Croatia, Greece… the list goes on. In my years of adventures I have learned how to pack well and still have space for a few fun items. Let me teach you what I’ve learned!
Outfits:
It might seem crazy, but I actually plan what I will wear each day and evening on a trip. I might not follow my plan exactly, but I will know that I have enough options with me. No matter the length of a trip, I always repeat a few key items and possibly even outfits. I use accessories wisely since they don’t take a lot of room, and I minimize the number of shoes I need to bring.
Example:
For this trip to San Francisco, here is what I planned:
Tues day: Leggings/short sleeve shirt/striped boyfriend sweater/scarf
Tues night: Black pants/purple shirt/black sweater/flower earrings
Wed day: Leggings/purple sweaterdress pearl necklace & earrings
Wed night: black pants/grey tank/black sweater/nice necklace
Thurs day: leggings/black short sleeve/striped boyfriend sweater/funky necklace
Thursday same outfit as travel there: yoga pants, boots, etc
biancheria, pjs, socks, jewelry, toiletries, makeup, hair straightener, hair clip
I only brought two pairs of pants and only two sweaters, which will get mixed and matched. I also brought a pair of black heels and wore my boots underneath my yoga pants. My travel outfit wasn’t fabulous, but I saved a lot of room by wearing the boots.
My hair dryer didn’t come with me and usually doesn’t, since it’s not one of the best travel hair dryers due to its bulky size. I don’t straighten my hair at home typically, but when I travel I bring my straightener since it is smaller. I use the hair dryer offered at the hotel and follow it up with my straightener.
Electronics/Entertainment:
I am bad at this part! Aside from my carry on roll bag I bring another bag big enough to hold my electronics and snacks. On this trip I brought my cell phone, iPod, laptop, big camera, and my Kindle. That is a lot of electronics! I use twisty ties to tie together the cords, but aside from that I have no room saving tips.
Since this bag is usually a bit bigger than a normal handbag, I pack a handbag for my destination.
Snacks:
I pack a lot of snacks. My worst nightmare is getting stuck at the airport for hours with access to only airport food. I still remember clearly the one time I went to the airport in the summer without a sweater or a snack. I figured I’d be fine because I was going to Philly for 24 hours, and the flight is only 45 minutes. Well, the flight ended up being delayed for several hours and finally canceled, but that taught me a lesson. Never leave home without your snacks and sweater!
Example:
For this trip, a 6 hour flight, I brought the following:
- salad with grilled chicken from rybread
- a peeled orange
- a few kettle chips
- 2 Snackwell’s cookies (random childhood craving!)
From the airport I bought 2 huge bottles of water, one for the plane ride and one for my hotel room the first night.
Extras:
I need to feel comfortable when I am traveling and away from home, and a few special extras make that easier. I usually bring my TempurPedic all purpose pillow with me as it is perfect for the plane ride, and I always bring these big fluffly socks to use as slippers in the room. I also pack hand lotion no matter what season it is, and it is a nice indulgence to have with me.
I hope you enjoyed my lesson on packing, and it helps you the next time you travel!
what a practical and helpful post, especially as flying (clothes off, clothes on, pay bag fee, fight for overhead space, rinse, repeat) becomes so much more difficult!!
I have traveled all over the US, lived and traveled in Europe, and visited Northern Africa. I too plan out each day of outfits. Otherwise I find myself with random pieces that don’t go together! I always bring an extra pashmina and socks/slippers to stay cozy on the plane and in hotel rooms. And I never check my bag, too many lost luggage stories!
Traveling light is so important! Packing smart is a skill and it takes practice. I have managed to take many a trip without checking a bag- Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru, Rio, France, Spain, Egypt, Amsterdam!
i’m going to have to bookmark this…i’m such a bad packer! not only do i wait til the last minute, but i just throw stuff together so it’s not like i even know if i have outfits or not. help! ๐
These are such great tips! I travel a lot for work and have become a lot better at packing, but I definitely need to plan my outfits better – I always seem to forget something.
These are great tips! I make frequent trips to LA for work and try to only bring a carry on for a week of work. What gets me is shoes, I usually have three pairs minimum (one of which I’m wearing) gym shoes, flats and heels.
My tip is to bring an empty reusable water bottle and fill it up after you go through security. I hate spending 3.00 on a water bottle at the airport.
I definitely do not pack well. I always end up bringing too much of the wrong stuff thinking “what if…”
Thanks for your great post! I’m going to London for 2 weeks this summer and I want to see if I can do it without checking a bag. Heh…I know it’ll be a challenge, to say the least.
I hate packing. My biggest challenge is limiting toiletries! I find that makeup, hair brushes, etc. take up the most space (especially for a short trip). I also can not go anywhere without snacks!
I’m leaving for a trip on Friday and the baggage rules are VERY strict for the airline. Your carry on has to be within 19″x15″x7″ and they measure. You also can’t carry a purse or any other carry on. It’s a European budget airline and you can pay to check your bags but for a 4 day trip it should be easy (hopefully) to stick to these guidelines for my carry on. They also charge almost double if you have to check it last minute so we are trying to avoid that. Thanks for the tips!
@Ashley, Which airline? I remember back in the day Ryan Air had really strict guidelines. An agent of theirs made me cry once when they tried to take away my handbag!!!! I dont even know if that airline exists anymore.
@RhodeyGirlTests, Yup! Ryan Air. THe prices are just so cheap it’s hard to not book with them for a quick weekend trip!
@Ashley, Yeahh!!! They still exist which means I’m not an oldie yet ha! Enjoy your trip!
Traveling light makes life SO much easier when you’re on the go! Last year I studied abroad and for a month I backpacked through Europe. I went to Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, and France. I had a backpack on the entire time and between running through airports and security lines to just making it on time to trains, I was so thankful I really limited what clothes I bought. It was an incredible trip but I had no “home base” for 4 1/2 weeks, but I think I did pretty good with my outfit rotations ๐
I love that you used the Italian word for underthings in this post. ๐
I try so hard to be organized and prepared when i travel as well. i just hate checking my bag and packing extra stuff that i don’t use. i’ve gotten better over the years but your tips will definitely improve my packing game, thanks!
Ooh, i hope you do a recap with a few of your outfits from the week! It’s fun to see how others pack and wear cute outfits while traveling. I’m always one for stuffing more than enough clothes in my bag and not using a good chunk of it.
I love these traveling tips. I’m going away on my honeymoon in about 7 months so I’m really going to have to pay attention to how I pack.
Have a great trip.
Hi there! So, I use a large makeup pouch to store all of my electric cords. I find that it makes it very compact, centralized and organized (esp after being twist-tied), OR, I just thought of this; if you “ball” your socks up,” you could put each twisted cord inside the balled up sock. Make sense? Dunno…just some options ๐
I don’t pack light but I try to! LOL I’ve been to Greece several times! I go every year!
hopefully the weather stays nice (and warm) for you this week! have fun in san fran meeting the new team!
and i’m taking some of your tips for my trip this weekend!
Ah! I know how much you love San Fran- hope you have so much fun. I am a terrible packer. I figure out my outfits…but I always want to pack more ๐ We are actually on travel now (on our way home today)- will have an update post up on Friday! Enjoy yourself!
Hope your having a blast!!
I’ve majorly improved on my packing abilities the past few years, I used to be awful and could fill any size suitcase easily no matter how big, but I’ve learned now especially for flights. Road trips, however, where I dont actually have to lug my bags around by hand, anything goes ๐ I usually fill a LARGE suitcase easily for 4 days on Martha’s Vineyard haha! I’m the queen of “needing options”! At least I can decrease the shoes…back in college I was worse and would need like 6 or 7 pairs of shoes.
Ok now I just want to go on a trip ๐
i’m an excellent packer! i can live for 1 month on one small suitcase. i’ve done it 2x, once in india and another time in new zealand. i’ve also been to nearly all of the Caribbean, mexico, canada, france, italy, bermuda, england. travel is one of life’s most exciting opportunities!
You are such a seasoned traveler! I would love to visit the places you have been! I am also a horrible over-packer. I am not opposed to re-wearing pieces, I just can’t ever seem to make up my mind while I am packing!