Every single time I have a vacation coming up, I panic. Partially, I think it’s because not only am I packing for myself, but also my son and any of the items that are needed for the family. In addition, I need to do everything around the house that needs to be prepared for us to be away, including things for the pet sitter. And then there is the laundry. Laundry always must be done before a trip. My husband always frustrates me because he waits to pack for himself many times until the day OF the trip and his attitude is “It’s not that hard.”. If only we could switch roles so he would understand!
Typically I try and remind myself that I’m not going to a foreign country (unless I am) and that should I actually forget anything, I can find a store! This last trip was not quite so easy to do so because we were heading on a cruise, so you kind of need to have what you need with you!
When it comes to packing, I have found that there are a few VERY helpful tips that can make the experience less stressful all the while making sure you don’t forget anything for your travel wardrobe AND still “making weight”.
Make a Plan
One of the most important things that you can do to successfully pack your travel wardrobe is to plan it out.
When I am talking about planning it out, I’m talking about taking a deep dive into what you plan to do each day of your trip AND what they weather will be like on each day. I know that weather is a science that is definitely not a guarantee, and you should understand that, too, but a general idea of what to expect is extremely helpful.
How do I do this? I get a piece of paper and make a “grid” with 6 spots on it (this could equate to 6 days). From there, I list the Day/Date at the top and then I list the activities that we will be doing on that day. From there, I will look at the weather report and write down the high and low temperatures and if it will be rainy, sunny, cloudy, etc. I just did this for our Alaska cruise and am sharing the picture below. Keep in mind that I had 2 grid spots per day because I needed to plan different outfits for daytime and for evening since we had dinners and shows on the cruise.
Inside of each grid section, I will write down everything I plan to wear from tops, bottoms, jackets, sweaters, shoes, and even jewelry.
Not only does this keep me from overpacking, but it makes it REALLY easy each day when I am getting dressed to know exactly what I had planned for that day.
Sometimes you may not be sure if you will be going out early in the day or later in the day, so the high and low temperature will come into play with what you choose to wear, I would list both options.
Keeping track of what you plan to wear is a great, organized way to also have a simple checklist to make sure you aren’t forgetting anything as you pack.
It is very smart to pack clothes that can easily mix and match. Maybe choose one base neutral or neutrals that easily mix and match with each other and then pop colors that play nicely together for a versatile wardrobe that plays nicely together.
To Launder or not to Launder?
Another really key thing to know when you are traveling is if you will have access to do laundry or if you plan to do laundry while you are away. Likely, if you are gone for a long trip, you will want to do some laundry and that will save you on how much you need to pack.
On my cruise, I would have been able to send out laundry, but I knew that I would not. If you are traveling somewhere where laundry cannot be sent out, plan to pack laundry supplies, too. Many hotels offer laundry service if you are staying with them for awhile, you can take advantage of that.
Consider your footwear
Shoes are really important to consider when traveling. Every shoe you take adds a good bit of weight to your luggage, so it’s important to only bring the necessities. This is why including your footwear in your grid is important. Try to pack shoes that are versatile.
If you are traveling somewhere and you plan to do lots of walking (which is typical of vacations), you have to consider comfort first. If you are purchasing new shoes, don’t let the first time you wear them be on your trip! Break them in first and always carry bandages or moleskin in case you get any hot spots or blisters on your feet.
When it comes to dressy shoes, typically these will not be worn often on vacation, only to dinners and such, so pack just one pair that goes with everything. This is where a great nude shoe that matches your skin tone comes into play. It will pair seamlessly with all of your dinner looks. I like a pointed toe nude pump.
Another tip is to wear your heaviest shoes on the plane and to wear a heavier layer that you can shed on the plane. This will save valuable space and weight in your suitcase.
Accessories for the win
When you pack powerful accessories, this is how you change up your looks and what gives your outfits impact. In most cases, the personality that comes with the accessories you choose can be more impactful than the outfit itself!
Choose your jewelry, hats, scarves, and belts wisely. They are lightweight and don’t need to take much space, but can make an otherwise dull outfit have a bit of pizzaz. Roll your belts and put them inside your hats and you can also stuff your hats with your unmentionables to help them keep their shape and not get squished in travel.
When it comes to jewelry, don’t pack your priceless jewels and try to pack just a few impactful pieces. Many hotels have safes to keep your jewelry in, but you don’t want to bring anything that cannot be replaced because there are always bad actors out there who will take advantage of travelers.
As an important sidenote to this, never, NEVER put your jewelry in your checked bags. Always carry it with you on the plane in your carryon. I have heard far too many stories of women who have lost all of the jewelry they packed by putting it in their checked bags!
Getting it all in your luggage
After you have planned out all of your outfits, it’s time to start getting it into your suitcase! I have two recommendations for this. First is to use packing cubes. Packing cubes allow you to organize your clothing and make everything easy to find. In addition to this, it’s helpful to not have socks and underwear and clothing just sitting in your suitcase. On the off chance that your luggage is searched, it keeps it much safer and helps to keep your valuables from falling out of your luggage.
When I am organizing my packing cubes, I will keep like items with like items. For example, I will pack tops with tops, bottoms with bottoms, dresses with dresses, etc. I keep all of my loungewear together in one packing cube and I keep my bras, underwear, and socks in another packing cube together.
My next tip is to roll your clothes. This really condenses the amount of space that is taken up by the clothing. In addition, if you have any of those plastic dry cleaning bags, rolling those inside your clothing as you roll them helps keep wrinkles at bay. Here is a quick video showing how to roll your clothes created by EZ Packing.
Bonus Tips
Here are some of my favorite additional tips when it comes to packing for vacation.
First of all, avoid the “just in case” trap. When you have thoughtfully planned out your wardrobe, you are less likely to add extras just in case. Many times we can get bogged down with unlikely scenarios that will never happen and it can lead to overpacking. Just don’t do it!
Make sure you have a great organizing solution for all of your tech essentials. Have chargers and plugs, and headphones and any adaptors and sort them into an easy to pack pouch. It’s easy to slip in your carry on and you won’t have to scramble to find a charger when you need it.
Definitely pack travel-sized toiletries. You don’t need large containers of moisturizer, hair product or eye cream. You can purchase travel sizes of most things or even get a shampoo bar to take with you. One of the products that I LOVE and highly recommend are these Cadence capsules. They are magnetic and hold a good amount of product. They are a bit pricey, but well worth it, especially if you vacation a couple times a year!
Packing to layer is very important. You never know when you could get a bit chilly, so tossing in something that is versatile to go with many different outfits can be helpful. I love to bring a denim jacket or a wrap sweater which can double as a blanket or a pillow in a pinch (or on the airplane).
Bring along with you a Wrinkle Release Spray. This can be incredibly helpful for those items that easily wrinkle, just spray them as soon as you hang them up and wrinkles will disappear!
Invest in a luggage scale. Not only can you use it before your trip, but as you pack to head home too. I always recommend making sure you have some weight left over inside of your bags when you pack to go because typically you will find some treasures on your trip that you want to come back home with you. If you can’t leave weight in your bags, get a duffle that collapses into a little pack so you have the option to check an additional bag should you need to. This is the one I have and we use it often when we travel.
Another fantastic item to add into your luggage for the trip home are these vacuum compression bags. I brought along several of these on our cruise and we each used one to put our dirty clothes in for the trip home. While they say “vacuum” compression bags, you don’t actually need a vacuum to suck the air out. All you do is fill max up to the line, zipper seal it and roll the air out. I literally lay my entire body on the bag to apply weight to get air out. Then I will roll at the end with the zipper to get even more air out. It’s a lifesaver for space saving AND you also don’t need to worry about your dirty clothes touching anything that is still clean! Less laundry! Woo hoo!
My final bonus tip for you is have a travel outfit that you wear when you are leaving for your trip and coming home. It means one less outfit to pack and it also makes getting dressed on your final travel day a no-brainer. On the last day of vacation, we definitely need that!
I hope that you found this post helpful and that you will use some of the tips that I shared with you. I would love to know in the comments, which tip you think you will use for your next vacation!
Until then, stay stylish,
PS – Curious if you are making common style mistakes that many women make in their wardrobe? Want to know how to fix them? Grab my free guide here!
