I’ve helped you with the bags, now I’m helping you with how to organize inside of them…
Spring Break Packing Help
How to Avoid Packing Nightmares
The next 8 days are going to be busy ones, so I’m finding ways to make life easier on myself little by little. Bringing you a blog from last summer that I don’t have to write, edit and post is one of those ways. So enjoy this post about packing – hopefully you have a fabulous summer trip on the horizon :)
Want to know my reoccurring nightmare? I dream of showing up someplace and not having the outfit I want.
I spend the entire dream trying desperately to get back to my house so I can get myself ready and look the way I want. Showing up somewhere not prepared or in the proper clothes is what makes me sweat. So when packing for a trip I do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen.
After several nightmare trips, I’ve learned lots of packing lessons that I want to share so you don’t make the same mistakes!
Nightmare: You get there and the outfit you thought was going to be fabulous doesn’t fit right.
So you have your list of where you’re going and you have outfits in mind. Lay them out and try EVERYTHING on.
I used to just piece together what I thought would work, then I’d end up getting to my destination and something wouldn’t fit right. Or the outfit would need one small tweak to make it amazing…but I left whatever it was at home.
Trying on will help you have peace of mind and will point out holes in your style plan that you can fix before you leave.
Nightmare: You have an event to get to as soon as you arrive, but your clothes come out all wrinkled.
Avoid a majority of wrinkles by wrapping clothes in tissue paper. The paper helps prevent some of the friction between the clothes that causes wrinkles and you’re saved or at least, not as much of a wrinkly mess. It’s not fool-proof, but it helps!
Nightmare: No jeans.
On a trip to Vegas a couple years ago, I packed nothing but maxi dresses and skirts to beat the heat, but by the end of the week really missed my jeans. Always, always pack your favorite jeans. I don’t have to sell you on jeans as a whole, so just learn from my mistake and pack them!
Nightmare: You have too much to pack and not enough room.
First of all, after you lay everything out, edit down to reality. Every single time I lay out what I think I need for a trip, I then walk through the trip in my head and realize several pieces are overkill. Once you’ve done that and you still have too many things, use compression bags. Put everything in a giant Ziploc compression bag, suck the air out of it and enjoy a well styled trip!
Nightmare: You get cold easily but don’t have room for a jacket.
Pack scarves! They’re not only super light weight and easy to get down to a tiny ball, but they’ll also be a great addition to any outfit you’ve already worn on the trip, giving you a fresh look (not to mention the warmth one would bring on a cool summer night)!
Want more from this packing genius? Perfect! I’ve got tips that improved my packing, what to pack for a quick summer getaway, and packing for people with brain farts (that’s an extra special post, as I announce my first segment on WBIR, which was six years ago!)
Packing Your Kids: Tips that Will Make it All Easier
This week is all about how to pack.
I understand what a daunting task it can be BELIEVE YOU ME. But once you get in a rhythm and have a few well-packed trips under your belt, it becomes less of a mountain.
Watch as I give some helpful packing tips for getting your little ones ready to go out of town!
Need help packing yourself? I tried to eliminate your every packing nightmare.
Quick Trip Packing Essentials
Want to know my craziest spring break story?
It’s actually my fondest memory of the cherished week off in college…I was a student at UT and the day my classes finished up for the whole week, I took a book and sat outside Panera in the sunshine and read my book. The whole thing. I won’t mention it was a Winnie the Pooh book (the novel version – not a barely worded picture book, ok?)
It was so relaxing. And since the spring breaks before it always had me laid out sick (it was tradition there for a while) that nice little afternoon spent with Christopher Robin, was truly something to be thankful for.
I’m easy to please.
Whether your week is filled with simple pleasures or exotic vay cay’s, I’ve put together an easy packing list that will help you maintain your style on a quick jaunt out of town. All of which can be found at Rue21 in West Town Mall (right outside of Sears).
Starting from the left…
The first outfit can be the easy breezy shorts and sweater you travel down in. It can also be easily dressed up with some wedges and a clutch if you’re going from car to dinner out somewhere on the beach. Chambray tennis shoes are the…well, the chambray shirt of your closet – they’ll go with anything!
The next outfit is perfect for shopping – I mean what’s more comfortable than a maxi skirt?! Barely tuck that top into the waistband at the front for a relaxed but purposeful look.
Then you’ve got distressed jeans and a pink zipper top. This top is great for two reasons: One – you don’t have to pack jewelry because the zipper is accent enough; Two – you can also throw it on over a bathing suit as a cover up, so it can pull double duty.
And finally, this beauty of a dress. Wear it day or night, shopping, dinning – whatever! It’s so cute I can’t even think of a joke for it. I paired it with some minty blue sandals just to do something fresh. But nude wedges would work too!
I hope this helps make even vacation days – spiffy days ;)
Pack Like a Pro
t-shirt // patterned top // black dress // white blazer // jean jacket // floral pumps // black flats // nike’s // dark skinnies // boyfriend jeans // patterned pants // pink piko top // blue top
Four and a half years ago I started a job that required some travel. In those 4 1/2 years I’ve been schooled on how to pack well.
Last week when packing for a business trip to Indianapolis, I thought it might be a challenge since I’m still learning how to dress with a baby bump. But by making and following these tried and true rules, everything I packed was precisely what I needed…
1. Check the freakin’ weather.
I am amazed by the number of people I go on trips with who don’t check the weather of the city they’re traveling to. You can’t assume they’re having the same weather you are, and it really makes a difference in your comfort level while there. I checked and saw that Indianapolis was going to be waaaay cooler than it was here, so I was sure to pack jackets and a sweater for night time activities. And boy did it pay off – between the cooler temps and the craaaazy wind it was freezing. Check the freakin’ weather.
2. Go through your itinerary to know what you’ll need.
On most trips (even vacation-centered one’s) you have an idea of what you’ll be doing. Business trips especially are pretty planned out. So go through each event and decide what it is you’ll need to wear. If you’re not sure what the level of dress will be, shoot for somewhere in the middle of dressy and casual. This means packing items like blazers and dark jeans. That combination goes well in almost any situation. Something that also goes well is a little black dress. Pack your most versatile LBD (like the one pictured) so that you can wear it with pumps at night, then change to flats and a jean jacket for some sight seeing.
3. Pack items that will pull double duty.
For my trip to Indianapolis I had to dress for a nice reception and meetings during the day. For this I packed one pair of heels (I wear a size 10 so my shoes take up a good bit of room). And sure, the safest bet is to go with your black pumps, but I decided to go with a little more flair and packed my patterned pumps. They really jazzed up my striped dress in the evening and added great personality to my black and white pants (like the ones pictured) for meetings during the day (plus they’re some of my most comfortable heels). All of the other shoes I packed were both nice looking and comfortable so I could easily switch them around to different outfits (and comfortably meander downtown).
4. Remember to pack for down time.
One thing I’ve been working on for the past couple of trips is packing for down time. Simple, casual outfits you can wear after hours that are comfortable and appropriate for public viewing really come in handy and are sometimes easily forgotten. A t-shirt like the one pictured (which ironically says, “Nothing to Wear”) is a great way to go. So is the snakeskin patterned shirt that can also pull double duty under the white blazer.
5. Stick with simple colors or patterns for easy mixing.
Notice the only animal print I have up there is in the black and white blouse from Express. Every other pattern is something different. This makes it so that everything can be easily mixed and matched. At a quick glance, I counted 11 outfits that could be made out of the items above. Keep this in mind when packing, and be sure to lay everything out on your bed before packing it. This will allow you to see the big picture and be certain that you can pull multiple outfits together.
Also, try everything on before you pack it away. I know this adds to your to-do list, but it’s better to know that everything fits and looks well while you can still change it instead of in the hotel room when you’re stuck with what you’ve brought.
I hope this helps you with all your spring/summer trips. Conveniently, everything pictured (except the Nike’s) can be found at West Town Mall!
If you need more packing advice, I’ve given plenty. Click here, here, here, here or here (oh and here).
