It being holiday season, I find myself doing a lot of packing and unpacking. Jay and I have a lot of family and friends that we need to make sure we see. Our next stop is Atlanta for a few nights to see my extended family. Since I basically feel like a pro packer at this point, I decided to write down my top 5 packing tips.
- Bring just 1 pair of pajamas for every two nights
So for example, if you’re going on a trip for 4 nights, bring two pajama sets. I’ve always loathed how much room in my bag pajamas take up. All you need them for is when you get in bed anyway. There’s no point in bringing a separate pair for every single night. I also try to bring the smallest/thinest pajamas as appropriately possible. If I’m going somewhere with just Jay, I can get away with bringing my smallest sets. If I know I’m going to be wearing my pajamas while drinking coffee in the morning with my grandfather, I know I need to bring some that cover up a little more (haha).
- Bring double the underwear for the days you’ll be traveling
Now on the opposite side of the spectrum as the pajama tip, I bring lots of underwear. My mom has engrained this in me since I was little. Do I ever use all of it? No. But it’s nice to have. You never know if you’re going to want to work out in one pair, then shower and need a clean pair. Or if you get breakfast in the morning, then maybe go swimming in the afternoon and will want a new pair after that. Hygiene, ladies. - Pack in outfits
I feel like the easiest way to overpack is to just throw a bunch of random clothing items in your suitcase. Plus when you do that you run the risk of nothing actually looking good together. Try to figure out your itinerary as early as possible, then pack accordingly. - Pack two outfits per day
This is especially important if you’re not sure what you will be doing. I like to bring one casual and one dressy outfit per day. My go to for this method is to usually a thin top and leggings/jeans/jean shorts for casual and a dress for dressy. Dresses are so easy and take up less room than an entire outfit. You could also bring one outfit that can go from casual to dressy by switching just one article of clothing (ie jeans for the casual and nicer pants/skirt for dressy). - Try to minimize the extras
I try to bring as little jackets and shoes as possible. I will typical try to limit shoes to a black pair, a brown pair, and a fun pair, that way I know I’ll have a pair that’ll go with all outfits. I try really hard to just bring one jacket. Do I always? No, but I do try. I also try to just bring one MAYBE two pairs of jeans, because they are so bulky.
