How I Avoid Packing Way Too Much for My Vacations

One of my least favorite parts of traveling is packing (and unpacking for that matter) so I do what I can to minimize this part of the travel experience. In fact, if I’m being all the way honest, my suitcase usually sits packed in my house after I return for at least a week (if not longer). So through the years, I have developed methods of reducing my packing/unpacking time to make sure that I seldom have a trip where I bring back unworn clothes. In this blog post, I will share the exact strategies I use to avoid overpacking.

SIDE NOTE: This is not intended to help you with the familial requests to deliver what amounts to a full-fledged barrel of items “back home” for distribution. LOL. I’ll have to save those instructions for another blog post.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS POST

STAYING ORGANIZED

Every trip I take starts with taking out my proposed travel itinerary and mapping it against my outfit planner. In other words, I identify the types of activities I plan on doing each day and the types of outfits that the activities may require. For more information on my stress-free trip planning process, read this blog post. For example, when I was in the Azores Islands last year, I knew we would likely do lots of hiking on days that we may also go out to dinner. So I made sure I had hiking outfits and dinner outfits for those types of days.

By doing this, I keep my outfit count to the bare minimum clothing that I require and avoid bringing things that I think I may want to wear (but never actually do). 🤷🏾‍♀️ I also avoid outfit shortages, which in my mind is equally as bad.

KEEPING MY TOILETRY MADNESS UNDER CONTROL

The next biggest hurdle that I have to surmount is the toiletry madness. Most of my toiletry drama can be traced directly back to my hair. I am natural, which means different weather and activities wreak havoc on my hair. It also means that in order to protect my hair my while traveling; many toiletries are required (If you are interested in reading more about the hair products and travel size containers I use to protect my hair while traveling, you can read my blog post on that topic here.).

My favorite way to keep my toiletries organized is with this TUMI toiletry case.

This compact case has 4 separate compartments and 2 additional pockets. Can I tell you that this toiletry case has been an absolute game-changer for me?!?

I am able to fit all of my curly and straightened hair products and tools in this pouch with no issues as well as all of my other (less important) toiletries lol. Now it is a bit pricey but given the amount of use I have gotten out of this thing, it is totally worth it in my opinion.

DOUBLE CHECKING I’M STILL NOT DOING WAY TOO MUCH

Packing cubes help me determine whether I am doing entirely too much. I have 2 sets of packing cubes. Each set comes with 1 large, 2 medium packing cubes and 1 small packing cube as well as a laundry bag.

Here’s how I use them:

Trips Less Than 5 Days: 1 Small (for underwear, PJs, socks and if applicable, swimsuits) & 1 Large (for all other clothes)
Trips Less Than 5-10 Days: 1-2 Small (for underwear, PJs, socks and if applicable, swimsuits), 1 Medium (pants, skirts, sarongs, and shorts) & 1 Large (for all other clothes)
Trips More Than 10 Days: All Cubes on Deck

Now, if I’m packing and the clothes I am carrying do not fit in the allotted amount of cubes, then I know I’m doing entirely too much and I need to re-evaluate what I’m bringing with me.

CARRY-ON AS FREQUENTLY AS POSSIBLE

The last thing I do is to try to only travel with carry-on luggage especially for trips that will last 7 days or less. I have a smaller international size carry-on.

This suitcase carries less but I never (and I mean never) get challenged on whether the bag will fit in the overhead for international flights. I also carry a tote with me because that’s where all of my compact electronics need to go lol. Check out my blog post here if you are interested in hearing about the compact travel photography tools I usually travel with.

RECAP

Use an Outfit Planner to reduce the likelihood of Overpacking or Underpacking. Interested in the outfit planner I use? E-mail me at [email protected] and I will send it to you.
Limit your toiletry luggage by using travel size containers and toiletry bags like the ones I recommend here and here.
Use packing cubes like this one to gauge if you are overpacking.
Try to Travel Using Only A Carry-On (like this one) plus a Tote.