Ok, raise your hand if you’re an over-packer 🙋🏻. I mean yeah…I tend to over pack ok? It’s something I am actively working on. With that being said, I have tried a few different tips and tricks that I have found to be very helpful. I decided to condense these for you into one post!
Number 1:
Research the climate. This is probably something you already do, but when you’re packing for vacation, you should definitely research what the weather will be like, temperature, humidity, that sort of thing.
I am going Holden Beach soon and it looks like the weather is going to be in the 80s with humidity at about 45%. Now, this is in NC and it is HOT. In my suitcase, I have packed three pair of pants. This is because I typically find myself getting chilly when going out to eat or going in to stores. If you do not get chilly easily, your suitcase may look a little different. Also, if I am on the beach, I won’t be wearing anything but a bathing suit and sunscreen 😎.
Number 2:
Make a list. What? Make a list? Are you kidding? Nope, it actually REALLY helps me to make a list. Now, you may be thinking what a time consuming thing to do when packing for vacation. But I decided that if I made a realistic list of items I wanted to pack, it would save me time in the long run.
I literally used to just grab stuff off of hangers and throw it in my suitcase…big mistake. I rarely wore ANY of it and ended up washing it all when I got home and taking up too much time to unpack.
Ok, with that being said here was my list:
- Basic tops (tee shirt, button downs, tanks)
- Shorts
- Pants
- Bathing suits
- Shoes (limit 5 pair-this was a personal preference, you can limit this even more if you want)
- Accessories (a good rule to follow with accessories is to pick some that will go with MULTIPLE outfits. I also limit myself to two purse options)
I am a visual person so I layed out all the pieces I wanted to bring:
P.S. I packed two other swim suits, but wasn’t able to find a picture of them! The leopard swim suit can be found here. My other swimsuit is by Kortni Jeane!
The pink and green earrings are by Jules Co.
(FYI, you can find the linkable items here)
Number 3:
Make sure you select items that can be mixed and matched. I treated this like a capsule. Making sure my pants worked with multiple tops and vice versa. With that being said I came up with, drumroll please,
44 outfit options!
I know…probably overkill, but hey, I told you this gal likes options! See below all the outfits I put together!
Everlane Jeans styled 8 ways!
Madewell Overalls styled 6 ways!
Madewell Shorts styled 8 ways!
Abercrombie Pants styled 8 ways!
Madewell Slim Wide Leg Jeans styled 8 ways!
Madewell Midi Dress styled 6 ways (this exact dress is sold out, but here are some similar options: Cami Tier Midi Dress, Silk Cross-Back Midi Dress, Lanhtropy Linen Cactus Button-Front Dress)!
Number 4:
Have “fold awareness” (I just made that up). Be sure that you are folding your clothes in the most efficient way. For example, Marie Kondo folds like a champ. Now, her whole angle is to love your clothes and it isn’t about making your clothing more compact, but for me it is 😂. I want to fit AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE in my suitcase that I share with my husband 😳.
Bonus tip: Make sure your cover the bottoms of your shoes as well, a good trick is to use shower caps or plastic bags. Shoes are germ-y (haha). You could pack your shoes in a completely different bag as well, which I have done before, but I try to limit packing to three bags.
- Clothes
- Toiletries (including makeup)
- Towels (for the beach and bathing)
I hope this somewhat helped you! If you want to see the final product of my suitcase, let me know and I will post some photos! Be sure and share any tips and tricks you have with me, I would love to hear them!
Budget & Brunch 