Packing Tips for a Carry On

With the holiday trips back home coming up there is nothing worse than staring at your carry on – avoiding those airline bag fees – and trying to figure out how in the heck you’re going to fit the outfits you need for a trip. I’m one of those people that enjoys the “thrill” of tetrising my suitcase – just don’t ask me to unpack. I’d leave my suitcase to gather dust for a month if my husband wouldn’t evil eye me. However, you don’t have to sacrifice style in order to conform to the size of your suitcase.

The term capsule collection is somewhat of a normalized term now with Marie Kondo inspiring us to de-clutter our clothes until we have nothing but a closet full of black turtlenecks à la Steve Jobs – and an urge to shop again. But it’s also quite helpful in terms of figuring out how to structure your packing list, especially those 3-4 day weekend trips.

Here are a few tips that hopefully will help you in your process and keep you from pulling your hair out.

MAKE A LIST

I’ve been there. You’re on the way to the airport and your heart sinks because you forgot the one thing you wanted to wear. I’ve learned that no matter how organized I think I am, if I don’t take the time to make a packing list a day or two ahead of time I’ll forget something. Yes, you can most likely buy whatever it is at your destination but sometimes it’s important. The extra effort gives my brain time to think about what I want to wear and also remember things that pop into my head too. You can also use this time to lay out the clothes you bring prior to packing too. Once you do that, put half of it away – yes. It’s easy to overestimate what you need. I promise you won’t wear all 15 pairs of underwear, 7 jeans and 6 tops over 3 days.

KEEP YOUR COLOR PALETTE SIMPLE

Whether you’re a person who craves color or someone who only dresses in shades of beige, there’s an answer to wear what you want. Choose a couple of pieces that reflect your personal style and pair those with the coordinating pieces (pants, blouses, shoes) that are in blacks, greys or browns or vice versa. Doing this will allow you to cross wear a top and a bottom plus the coordinating accessories together in multiple ways and save your suitcase space.

TWO WORDS: PACKING CUBES

IDK if there will ever be a winner in the fold vs roll your clothes debate but what I do know is that using packing cubes will SAVE your sanity. Not only do I know which one holds my toiletries, shoes, and clothes but once you travel with a kid it makes sorting and keeping their items organized a breeze.

DON’T WASTE SPACE

Those shoes your packing? Stuff them with socks. Belts? Wrap around the perimeter of your suitcase. Bringing bulky items like a hair dryer? Place them in the corners of your suitcase and pack thinner pieces like camisoles or scarves within their shape. Every. Inch. Counts.

BE STRATEGIC EN ROUTE

This is basic but don’t pack your fluffiest and bulkiest items in your suitcase. Wear them while you travel, instead. You can always drape a heavy winter coat over the handle of your suitcase while you’re strutting through the airport. Or there are also great down puffer coats that fold and roll easily as well Wear your ankle booties so you can save room for other shoes you do want to bring. Same goes for sweaters.

TRAVEL DAY ESSENTIALS

In the end, less is more. Bring your tried and true favorites that you know will make you feel and look great and can mix with a multitude of pieces. This isn’t necessarily the time to try something new or trendy unless you know you’ll wear it specifically for an event. Hopefully these tips were helpful and if anyone wants to be hired to unpack my suitcase in the future LMK. It’ll still be sitting in the corner of my room until my next trip.