Pack Rat

    I HATE PACKING. I was never one of those people who can pack lightly for a long weekend. I went to Chicago about two months ago for a short trip to visit my cousin. I arrived around dinnertime on a Thursday and I left on Sunday afternoon, which means I spent less than 72 hours in the Windy City, however I packed enough clothes for a 2-week stay. No joke, I brought 14 different tops with me for no reason whatsoever. I ended up only wearing 5 outfits during the course of 3 days but was still lugging around the heaviest bag in the world all over Midway airport, cursing myself.

    After that trip I vowed to make a change. I realized that my problem was I would jump into packing without pre-considering what I needed/wanted to bring. Then when I went to pack I just threw as many things in my closet I could rationalize possibly needing (Oh what if it snows in June, I should pack a winter coat…which by the way is the stupidest thought ever).

      So here are my top 5 tips for smart packing:

1.              MAKE A LIST- Write down everything you definitely want to bring and be specific, this will help organize your days. Purple dress for Thursday night dinner, black jeans for Friday night on the town, etc

2.             PACK REPEAT ESSENTIALS- Instead of packing 4 different sweaters/sweatshirts/jackets in case it gets cold, pack one cover-up that would go with all your outfits. I love a crisp white blazer for the summer; it’s been my go-to cover-up for those cool summer nights.

3.             PACK ACCESSORIES LAST- This helps reduce the amount of shoes and jewelry you pack because once you have your outfits laid out you can decide which accessories to wear for each day. Why pack a pair of shoes that don’t match anything you packed anyways??

4.             CHECK THE WEATHER- Double-check the weather the day before you are set to leave. This was you can almost guarantee what your forecast will be for your trip and can add or remove packed items you may or may not need.

5.             CHILL OUT- Most likely if you forgot something you can still go out and buy it when you finally arrive at your destination. Unplanned shopping trips can lead to hidden gems! Two weeks ago I went to visit a friend in Syracuse with some of my girlfriends and despite us packing outfits to wear out, we still ended up going shopping once we were up there!

Happy Travels!

xoxo