I recently posted a photo of myself (on Instagram) with my luggage standing outside IAH airport and I received a lot of packing questions/comments. It seems there's a lot of us out there that are challenged when it comes to packing light. It's the same tango every trip. I've come to the conclusion that I will always feel that I never pack right. I will always get to my destination, open my bag and think I've packed too much/too little.
This last trip I took to Nashville was a 5-6 day stay and I felt that it was the closest I've come to successful packing, so with all those questions/comments in mind, I wanted to share my winning combination with you. Two bags. One duffle and one backpack.
IN MY DUFFLE (some of these items are what I wore to the airport)
Undies + Bras // 1 sports bra, 1 nude (for white), 1 cage back (for shirts the bra is exposed), 2 pairs of socks, swimsuit
Workout Gear // 2 pairs of stretchy pants + 1 pair of tennis shoes
Pants // 1 classic (waxed denim skinnies. Double as dress pants), 1 bold/trendy (high waisted floral skinnies), 1 short (short overalls)
Tops // 2 Tees (black/white), 1 graphic tee, 1 demin, 2 blouses, 2 sleep/workout shirts
Jackets // 1 Denim, 1 Knit, 1 Hoodie (for around the house or layer under denim for extra warmth)
Something dressy // 1 dress or nice romper
Toiletry + Make-up Bag // I usually stick to the basics here so I can combine everything in one bag.
Shoes // Tennis, Black shoe, Brown shoe. I love boots, so I packed my Talons (double as my dressy shoe/boot) and South Highlands.
Dryer Sheet // I keep one in the duffle so my clothes don't start smelling stale.
I like to roll my outfits together. I have a lot of items to mix and match once I get rolling, but for starters I usually like to have three set things I know I want to wear together and rolled up separate for an quick grab. Also, if I'm unsure about laundry options, I'll take a pillowcase or plastic grocery bag to keep my dirty clothes separate from my clean clothes. The dryer sheet comes into play once again.
IN MY BACKPACK//
Cheap Sunnies // I've lost too many favorites
Camera // I took my film camera because it's small and it would force me to print the photos from my trip.
Laptop
Reading material + Journal
Fanny pack (used as purse while traveling. With a camera, I like my hands free and no purse to lose)
Toothbrush + chapstick
I usually like to leave room in my backpack in case I end up buying something while traveling.
ON ME (AIRPORT)//
Tee Shirt // Black acid washed short sleeved tee
Hat + Sunnies + Accessories // Flip your hat upside down when going through security and put all your Accessories and phone in it.
Denim Jacket // Most versatile
Black waxed denim skinnies // Perfect incase I spill something on the plane
Zip up high tops // I wore these shoes because they are light, comfortable and have a zipper which is perfect for getting through security quickly... and they look rad :)
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any trips + tricks when it comes to packing light.