Summer inevitably means vacations for many of us. Whether you are headed to the beach for a relaxing getaway or traveling for work, packing is always a source of contention. Did you remember to pack everything you need? Did you overpack to the point where you can’t close the suitcase? It can be tricky to find the right balance of what to bring with you when you travel and how much to ensure that you have options without going over the weight limit of your check bag.
The number one trick to getting your bags packed is to plan ahead. Even if that means sitting down the day before to sort through your wardrobe for options, take that time well before you need to be leaving for the airport to get everything together. I always have the best of intentions to do this two days beforehand but inevitably wait until the night before and am packing up to within a few minutes of needing to leave the house.
Similar to developing a common color story for you overall wardrobe, your travel options should have a common threads to tie pieces together. Ideally, each item you bring should be able to be incorporated 2-3 times into outfits while you are traveling. This creates options for you even when you’re far from your full closet! For example, on a recent trip, I used light gray, navy, and white as my baseline and built off of that. Dark navy jeans, blue and white striped tank, gray cardigan, gray dress, shorts, silk button down, and so on. For a three-day trip, everything I needed fit into one bag (clothes, toiletries, shoes, hair dryer, etc.) because each item worked in multiple ways. A girl always needs her options!
My biggest travel secret: a handheld steamer. This was by far the most useful gift I ever received and I use it every time I travel. No matter how cute your outfit is, credibility is lost when your clothes are covered in wrinkles. PS an iron can’t compete here! If you’ve never tried a steamer, do it. You’ll never look back.
There are a million life hacks out there for how to pack your suitcase, but these tips outweigh them all from my experience. Once you have these down, you’re on your way to a relaxing trip regardless of where you are headed or why.
