Packing for a weekend getaway.

Hey loves! How's your week going? It is an easy 90 degrees here and I love it. Seriously I adore the heat, the hotter the better. This past weekend I've been in the pool (current temp is 86 degrees) and reading in the shade. I've just finished Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and I'm currently reading Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. It's so lovely outside I never want to leave.

So early last month, I was sitting on my bed, travel bag open, trying to figure out what the heck to pack for my trip to the city. It was a week of packing, and planning, and re-packing and re-planning, and nearly pulling out my hair trying to get ready for a weekend trip. I vowed never to let anyone suffer like I had, so, to save you the heartache. Here are some handy dandy tips on how to pack for a weekend trip.


Plan Out Everything You'll be doing on the trip 
A good first step in packing is knowing what you'll be packing for.  I mean, how do you know what to wear if you don't know what you'll be doing? So, before you back, make a little schedule for yourself on what you'll be doing on the trip. Will you be at the beach at a lot? Will you be going out to dinner? Will you be hiking? Make a list of activities and plan your travel wardrobe.
Pick Out Your Travel Bag 
Next, pick out what bag to do you want to use. A suitcase? An overnight bag? A backpack? Think about what type of bag you're going to use because that will help you decided what things you can bring with you. If you're traveling on a plane, train, or bus, check their regulation to what type of bag they allow and how much can it weight. That will be a key factor in both your bag decision and what you're bringing. Personally, I perfect for a weekend trip to bring my overnight bag or my handy backpack. I like to have anything I can carry on my back or shoulder. But that's just me.

Pack Your Most Important Items First 
Pack the items that you absolutely cannot live without. They are your most important items so pack these first so you won't be scrambling later. These are underwear, medicines, hairbrush, passports (if needed), toothbrush, emergency money, Pj's, basically anything that would be super hard to replace later. I like to make a checklist of things I need and check them off as I pack.  If you still need to keep using stuff up until you actually leave, put it all in a plastic bag or makeup pouch. Then when it's time to leave, just put the baggie or pouch in your bag and off you go!

Color Coordinate Your Outfits 
Before you even start planning your outfits, figure out what colors you're going to be wearing throughout the trip. You want to get your whole travel wardrobe cohesive so you don't have to bring a lot of different things, like multiple shoes or pants or lipstick colors. If you packing a pair of shoes, they should go with almost all of your outfits, not just one. This will also cut down on how many items your packing. For example, if you're going away for just a weekend, you only need one pair of jeans. So make sure everything you pack can also go with those jeans, or a dress, or whatever. Don't pack a lot of extra's for just one outfit. Not only does it take up space, but the more you pack, the greater the risk of losing something. Make sure all your outfits work together.

Wear Your Heaviest Items Traveling 
This is Packing 101: where your heavy items first. I typically wear dresses and skirts, so when I'm traveling, I'll tend to pack those and wear my jeans, my jacket, and anything else that would be too bulky to throw in my bag. Travel smarter, not harder.

The Old Roll and Fold 
There's a key art to packing, it's like real life Tetris. Everyone has their favorite method of doing it, but my personal favorite is the Roll and Fold, something I learned from my mother, and expert traveler. The roll and fold is simple: first roll up your softer clothing, these are your underwear, your t-shirt, jeans, knitwear, and cotton pants. These will not wrinkle if rolled really tight. Put these items on the bottom of your bag. Next, fold your stiffer items: dresses, skirts, blazers, anything fancy really. Put these on top of your rolled up items. Fold these very carefully. Then place a dry cleaning on top of those, that will keep them from wrinkling. Boom! Packing done!

Pack a Backup Outfit (Just one!) 
Always be prepared, that's my motto. Traveling always bring the surprises, both welcomed and unwelcomed. I always recommend packing a least an extra pair of underwear, a t-shirt, and maybe an extra pair of pants. These are your samples and can blend seamlessly into your wardrobe. This doesn't mean to pack a whole other outfit. Just a backup. You'll thank me later.

Leave Room For Souvenirs
With both traveling and moving, it always seems like you leave with more stuff when you came in with. Traveling is the perfect time to pick up a few new things, but even if you don't plan on buying anything, save at least 25% of your suitcase storage space. Why? Because let's be honest, you're not going to be as a careful packing to go home as you did going away, so everything going to be bulkier and take up more room. So give yourself a little room to be lazy. And you do buy something, you'll have plenty of room.

That's it for me loves! What are some of your weekend packing advice? What can you never travel without? Let me know in the comments!
Stay Stylin'
Elle