I was originally going to title this “My Packing Tips” but I realized it’s actually bigger than that. It’s a school of thought or an approach versus a list of tips – a philosophy if you will! There may be nothing ground-breaking here, but sometimes things that seem obvious to one person aren’t so obvious to another and I figure someone may find it interesting! This is mostly focused on airplane travel but many of it can be applied to other types of travel too.
First things first – a packing list of the items you’ll need is always a good place to start! When you book your vacation with an Unlocking The Magic Travel agent such as myself, you will get access to our amazing packing list template! You can customize it as needed, make copies or save it electronically and use time and time again!
I like to think “capsule wardrobe” when packing outfits. An approach to fashion that I have started to adopt that really isn’t travel specific but does make packing for travel easier, is that I try to keep my clothing neutral but choose shoes and bags in bright colors when possible (usually pink – my favorite!). This keeps things interesting but still allows me to maintain a capsule wardrobe where most things go together.
When it comes to outfits, I like to think about what I realistically like to wear day to day at home. If I never wear something at home, I’m probably not going to wear it on vacation no matter how cute I think it might be. I like to pack separates in neutral colors and patterns that could be mixed and matched depending on what the day calls for as far as what we’ll be doing and possible weather variations. I also love dresses that can be dressed up or down! I’m thinking of those dresses that I could wear over my bathing suit with flip flops, to dinner with cute sandals, or on the plane ride home with sneakers. It’s just a single item so it takes up less room in your suitcase plus it’s versatile!
Again, I think capsule when it comes to shoes and accessories! At home, I tend to wear the same, very simple jewelry every day. I used to think vacation was a time to mix it up and wear something more fun and festive but when it comes down to it, I really find myself reaching for the usual! It’s easy, comfortable and goes with everything. No need to change it up just because I’m on vacation! Usually, I don’t bring any jewelry other than what I’m wearing and maybe one extra pair of earrings.
Same with shoes – I keep it simple! I like to wear the most bulky pair of shoes I intend to bring on travel day (usually sneakers but could be boots if I’m going to a cooler climate). Then I pack my smaller shoes that will take up less room in my suitcase, such as sandals and flip flops. I try to bring shoes that can do double duty when possible, like my Adidas Court sneakers, which are cute and look great with jeans or a dress but are also totally fine if I want to get my steps in with some time on the hotel treadmill.
Now let’s talk about bags. I have become a fan of the personal item that’s small enough to bring on an airplane and fit underneath the seat, yet big enough to store my everyday purse plus whatever items I want for the plane such as my book and snacks. This way, since I’m normally also carrying on my overhead luggage, I have just those two items and I don’t have to switch from my purse to my personal item and use up valuable space in my carry-on storing my purse that I will want to use once I arrive at my destination. I love my current tote bag that has a trolley sleeve so I easily can carry it over my shoulder or on top of my luggage. I also love to have a personal item that’s casual and functional enough to be used as my beach or pool bag if the vacation calls for it! Again, I’m all about the double duty.
Speaking of carrying on, one of the turning points for me in being able to do this for longer vacations is that now that my kids are big enough to manage their own suitcases, they also carry on! When my kids were smaller, I used to pack them together in one larger, checked bag. Since we had to check one bag, we may as well check them all so there was no point or reason to try to fit my stuff into a carry-on. Now that they can handle wheeling their own carry-on through the airport, it makes sense for us to all do so and save a little time waiting at the luggage carousel. Lastly, since kid clothing takes up less space, my husband and I can use the extra space in their carry-ons for any overflow if needed. As much as I try to pack light, when you’re going away for a week plus or to some place like Disney where you may need multiple changes of clothes each day or to pack for different weather conditions, sometimes you need just that little extra space!
My last travel tip, and I guess this really is a tip, is TSA Pre-Check! I love it so much. I feel like I should not shout it from the rooftops because I don’t want it to get too busy but at the same time, I probably only have a few people reading this so I should be probably safe. I know they have recently made improvements to the regular security line to make it easier for families, but I still just love my TSA Pre-Check. It’s so much easier with kids and it just seems friendlier for some reason, and I normally travel through Boston Logan so that’s saying something 😊
I hope you enjoyed reading about my packing philosophy! If you have any questions or helpful tips to share, I’d love to hear from you!