Hey y’all! Happy Friday and Happy Festivus. Is anyone going to watch that Seinfeld episode tonight? I know I am – it is hilarious.
I am so ready for a little time off – what about you? We are heading out on a week-long trip tomorrow, so we are finishing up some packing and work today.
While I started to pack for this trip, I thought I would put a little blog post together with my packing tips. I wouldn’t say I am a packing pro, but I have learned a thing or two after traveling for 4.5 years! The hardest part for me is trying not to over-pack. We all do it though, right?
I tried to gear these tips to longer trips, but these same tricks can be applied to any trip you take – even if it is just 2 days!
10 Packing Tips for Longer Trips:
- Re-wear your work-out clothes.
- Okay – I know what you are thinking, “Gross!!” Yep, it definitely is a little gross, but guess what? Your work-out clothes are just going to get gross again. So, suck it up and just re-wear them! I did this the last time I was in California for 2 weeks, and I survived.
- Wear your biggest pieces on the plane (or in the car).
- If you have a huge sweater or a big pair of boots, wear it on the plane! I always do this and it saves me a ton of room.
- Stick to smaller toiletries.
- Even though I might check my bag for longer trips, I still try to bring the smaller toiletries. Taking a trip for 7 days doesn’t mean you should bring your big shampoo bottle! Stick the smaller bottles – you should have enough to get you through about 10 days.
- Bring 1 outfit for the opposite weather.
- Weather is hard to predict 7 days out. If the forecast says it will be 80 and Sunny everyday, I would still pack 1 outfit for cooler weather (60s and cloudy). You never know what could happen!
- Stick to neutrals (especially with shoes!).
- There are times when I really want to bring a fun pair of heels, but they are only going to match 1 outfit. I used to bring things like this on trips, but now I have realized that it just isn’t worth the space it occupies. When packing shoes, I try to find pairs that I can wear with multiple outfits. Depending on what the occasion is, you may need to bring a special pair of shoes, but try really hard not to do this! It is not worth it.
- Pack items that you can re-wear multiple days.
- I am a believer that you can wear a pair of jeans multiple days in a row. Or even a pair of shorts! Or maybe even a dress for a couple of days. Get creative and try to wear outfits that you can easily re-wear without people noticing.
- If you are checking a bag, bring a few staple items in your carry-on.
- Just in case something happened to your bag, bring an outfit or 2 in your carry on and maybe a tooth-brush. You want to have SOMETHING if your bag gets lost.
- Bring your vitamins and ibuprofen.
- Going on a trip doesn’t mean you should slack off in the health department. Bring your vitamins! I just throw a few of mine in a plastic bag and put them in my purse. I also always have a small bottle of ibuprofen on me because you never know when you (or someone else) may need it.
- Leave a little bit of room for purchases.
- If you are going on a trip for pleasure, chances are you are going to buy something. Save some room. Your suitcase shouldn’t be overflowing when you pack it. Be smart about what you are bringing. Do you really need 20 dresses for 7 days? Probably not. (Also, I have packed 20 dresses for a 6-7 day trip before…..oops!).
- Buy a light suitcase.
- If you are in the market for a new suitcase, make sure it is light! It sounds silly, but it isn’t. You don’t want most of your weight to come from the suitcase itself. Alex and I have 2 suitcases that are almost the same in size (they fit the same amount of stuff), but his is probably at least 5-6 pounds lighter. It is crazy. I know several women out there who would love to get a few extra pounds of weight into their bags!
Those are my tips on packing. I hope some of you can put these tips and tricks to use!
What are some of your travel tips? Are you going on any vacations soon? Let me know in the comments down below!
Cheers!
-Catheryn
I agree about re wearing workout clothes. I’ll give mine a quick rinse in the sink after I workout and let them dry in the bathroom until my next workout. Saves room and they’re (at least sort of) clean for the next use!
That’s an even better idea, Christa! I should do that to make them a little bit less smelly.