Pack Like A Pro

Who doesn’t love a good vacay?  A wise man named Zac Brown once said, “I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand, life is good today.” And he was right.

Once the initial stress of requesting paid time off from work, making sure Skip secures a spot in the best kennel in town and saving up for months has subsided, it is time to kick those sandals off and dive head first into a dreamy vacation.

However there is one last step before relaxation: packing. I just returned from a 2-week trip to Europe and I truly tested myself by only traveling with a carry on and a backpack. So pull out your Louis Vuittons, Vera Bradleys or Samsonites and follow along with my tips on packing like a pro.

1. Do all your laundry before packing. This is a critical step in the success of outfit planning. How will you be able to properly assess your wardrobe situation without all members present?

2. Do not pack clothes that need ironing. I can only hope no one is actually whipping out the hotel ironing board to give their blouse a quick press. If you do this you are wasting your vacation. Plus, are people really still wearing clothes that need ironing?

3. If you hate wearing it here, you’ll hate wearing it there. Nothing you own is going to look better on you in a foreign country. On the other hand, do not pack things you have never worn before (or at least haven’t tried on in front of a reliable friend). Especially new shoes. A vacation is not the time for experimentation. 

4. Look at the clothes you’ve packed, and then unpack half of them. Over packing is a sickness that can be cured with will power. Trust me, you don’t need two fancy dresses when you probably won’t even wear one.

5. Have an idea of everything you are going to wear each day of the trip. I realize this sounds incredibly neurotic and my husband laughed at me the entire trip, but it really worked! I wrote down what I was wearing each day of the trip so that I was never flustered picking out an outfit. This is especially important going to Europe when you are always on the go. It was also important when packing so light, I brought 3 pairs of jeans and if I wore black skinnies on day 1, I had it on my schedule to not wear them again until day 4, so even when I was an outfit repeater it went unnoticed.

6. Neutrals, layers and fanny packs are key. Since I rotated and re wore a lot of the pieces I brought for the trip, I made sure everything was a neutral color. I brought a couple pops of color for one time wears, but generally stuck to black, white, brown and gray. I brought 3 different jackets so I could switch up my style that way, and wasn’t stuck wearing the same one the entire time, and I relied heavily on layering with cardigans and scarfs. Also, the best thing I bought for the trip was my Lo & Sons fanny pack. It comes with multiple straps so it can be a fanny pack, cross body or clutch.

7. My new best friends are packing cubes. You can find them on Amazon and they are a lifesaver. I bought a pack of five and I used one per country for everything I was wearing in each place. That way I only had to pull out that specific cube and not rummage through my entire bag. This saves room for foreign alcohol, souvenirs for your mom and, um, new clothes. 

8. Always pack snacks in your backpack. Sure you can’t bring your Starbucks latte through security, but you can bring yogurt-covered pretzels and save yourself the $8 they cost on the plane. A full traveller is a happy traveller.

9. Never check your toothbrush. If your bag is “misplaced” and you are stranded, you will not care about anything besides getting that horrendous post flight taste out of your mouth.

10. When you’ve finally made it on to the airplane limit yourself to one drink.  No one needs a real life enactment of Kristen Wiig’s airplane scene from Bridesmaids.

An even wiser man, Mark Twain, once said “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” So my last tip is to only take the good people with you. Traveling is more fun with them.