A Stylish Jet-Setter's Guide to Packing Light
Do you struggle with packing for travel while maintaining your style?
For me this was a major issue for years - it resulted in me being a serious over-packer and carrying an embarrassingly large bag (or two) full of stuff and I’d only end up wearing a small portion of what I’d packed!
Unnecessary shopping for the trip was another huge problem. It was out of control - I’d order so much, stress about it arriving in time, and be EVEN MORE stressed if it arrived and didn’t look the way I’d imagined…not to mention to $$$$ I wasted.
This year my goal is to simplify and reduce stress in my life, including travel. I came up with a formula for packing for an upcoming trip that I think will help you too if you’re anything like me. It’s a step-by-step system for “Shopping Your Closet” - a term that’s thrown around a lot, but if you’re like me and appreciate a solid how-to, I’m sharing my method with you today:
Step 1: What’s the vibe of your trip?
Is it a vacation, work trip, family visit? Write out three adjectives that describe the overall look and style you want to project. If necessary, list out all the events you’re attending, and what kind of outfit will work for each.
Step 2: Armed with this info, make a pinterest board (set a timer for 30 mins so you don’t go crazy!) and pin outfits inspired by the mood of your trip.
Step 3: Create your outfit formulas. List each day (including travel days) and choose the outfits from your pinterest board that match up. List the individual pieces that make up each outfit.
An example: For travel days, I want a elevated but still comfortable feel with layers so I found an outfit like this and listed out the elements:
-tank top
-knit cropped cardigan
-knit trousers
-travel wrap/scarf
-24/7 sneaker
Step 4: Head to your closet and pull out these items and create the outfits from what you already have. Trying to use the same pieces to create different outfit combinations when you can to save on space. (It’s okay to repeat entire outfits when you can)!
Additional tips:
Plan shoes first - they are the heaviest items so if you can build outfits around the shoes, you’ll lighten your load!
Check the weather - this is an obvious one, but also super-important to your packing so I couldn’t leave it out!
Do this a couple of weeks before your travels so you do have time to order something if you’ve determined you need it, and you’ve got time to make sure everything is clean/dry cleaned, and ready to go!