How_to_travel_light


Happy Monday friends!


All my life I've been known in my family as the over-packer. I could be going away on a trip for the weekend and manage to bring a full-size suitcase filled with enough clothes to last me a month. Last summer my family and I went on an Alaskan cruise and I was forced to fit week's worth of wardrobe in a tiny carry on suitcase. Since that trip, I have picked up on several packing tricks and have even come up with a few of my own on how to travel light and I'm here to share them with you all!


Today I'm spilling on how to travel light and still be able to have a ton of wardrobe options for a trip! I managed to fit a week's worth of clothing (including night time options!), pajamas, set of workout clothes, 3 pairs of shoes, all of my accessories, undergarments and still have room to spare in my bag! Want to know how I did it? Continue reading!


Weekender Bag (c/o)

Let's start off with the type of bag to use. Today I'm sharing how I pack up a week's worth of stay in this adorable weekender bag! This weekender bag is big enough to fit everything I need to take with me and still have room to spare. A little run down with this bag, it has one interior zipper pocket, a long shoulder strap and able to expand if you need a little more room to pack that dress you have to take with you. Now, to jump into the tips!


Similar Graphic Tee || Leggings || Nikes || Sunglasses


Tip: Wear your bulkiest shoes on your travel day to save room in your bag.


Here's what I would wear as my travel outfit. I am all for comfort on traveling days, especially if that means if I'm going to sit in a car or plane for more than 2 hours. Two of the bulkiest shoes in my bag were my wedges and Nikes... for comfort sake, I went with wearing my Nikes on my travel day. I also advise in the cooler months to wear your bulkiest pieces when traveling as well (ex: heavy coat, blanket scarf, boots, hat, etc.).


Tip: Take advantage of ALL empty spaces

When trying to pack everything in a carry on or small bag, try to take advantage of all the empty space. If I was going to pack my tennis shoes in my bag, I would stuff my shoes with socks. Packing a purse? Fill it with some jewelry. 


different_clothing_combinations

Tip: Plan out your outfits ahead of time

I've always done this whenever I travel and honestly I thought everyone did this too! It wasn't until a little while ago I found out my mom (and several other people) just throw pieces of clothing into their luggage they want to take without having an outfit planned out for it. By planning out your outfits ahead of time you are able to 
A. save time on your trip because you already know what goes with what
B. save room in your suitcase from pieces you know you're not going to wear because they don't go with anything. 

You could also take it a step further and take a photo of each item on or laid out so you know what goes with what. I personally haven't done this, but I have heard of several other people doing so and they love it!


Tip: Stick to a similar color scheme when picking out clothing pieces to easily mix and match with each other.

When planing out outfits I made sure to stick with the same color scheme so each piece can be easily be mixed and matched with each other to create multiple different looks. As you can see here my main colors was navy, black, white, light pink and light denim (is that a color?). Here I'm showing you nine day outfits I put together with 10 clothing items and I still could have mixed and match to make a few more outfit combinations! Also, going with picking out clothes with a similar color schemes, pack neutral shoes so they can go with a wide variety of outfits. 



Tip: Pack clothing pieces you are able to wear more than once and mix with other pieces

When I know I have to travel light I try to stick with the "two wear rule." Basically, if I can't find a way to wear a clothing piece twice, I don't take it with me. I use to be SO grossed out to wear the same clothing item twice, but unless you spill something on it or completely soaked it in sweat (ew, but it happens), then you should be fine. As you can see from the outfits I put together, pretty much all of the clothing pieces I picked out were able to mix into another outfit to be worn twice.


Tip: Use accessories to give your outfits a new look

Jewelry doesn't take up too much space and they can give an outfit a completely new look. When using the same pieces of clothing to mix and match, you can change up the look by pairing them with fun accessories. I love packing statement necklaces and bracelets to help give my outfits a little something, something when in reality I've worn the same shirt 3 days in a row (whoops). 




Tip: Check the weather beforehand

These tips are kind of a no brainer but can be overlooked sometimes (guilty!). Why waste space in your already small bag with a raincoat when it's supposed to be sunny and 85 all week? Check the weather while you pack to avoid bringing something you don't need and wasting precious space in your already too small bag!


Weekender Bag (c/o) || Similar Pineapple Pouch || Canvas Pouch (this one is super cute!) 

Tip: Uses pouches help keep you organized

I swear by pouches! They keep me so organized and I swear they help save space when you are packing. I usually use one pouch to put all of my jewelry in, one pouch for my undergarments and another pouch for toiletries. I have heard many good things about packing cubes and it's pretty much the same concept as using pouches if you want to gives those a try!

Those are my top tips on how to travel light and pack the most into your carry on! I hope you all found some helpful tips to use for your next trip!

What is your go-to packing tip? I'd love to know! I could always use new tips on how to pack more efficiently. I hope all of you have a wonderful Monday and be sure to come back on Wednesday for a new outfit post! 

*This post has been in partnership with United Monograms and all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Pastel N Pink! 

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