We all love to travel but I hate to pack! For me, I get so stressed out trying to condense my whole closet into one suitcase either for a weekend or for a week. A lot of people use the plan out your days and outfits before you go trick but that doesn’t work for me at all. As someone who likes to base outfits off of what I’m feeling that day, it doesn’t always work for me. Here are my go to travel essentials and packing tips!

Pick 1 – 2 Types of Denim

I love wearing jeans in the summer when I go out to dinner but I realize that during the day, they can often make you hot and uncomfortable. I like to pack at least 1 pair of denim shorts and 1 pair of jeans but make sure that they’re different washes. This helps to plan outfits because I’ll have two denim washes and the two different types of pants that I would need to get me through the trip!

Don’t Overdo it On PJ’s

When you’re packing for a week, it can seem so daunting. Everyone always feels like they need at least 5 or 6 pairs of pajamas so that they’re set for each night. For me, I like to divide the number of days that I’m on vacation for by 2 and then pack half of that number with long pants and shirts and the other half with shorts. This helps to create more space in your suitcase while still having enough of variety of pajamas whether it be too hot or too cold.

Leave Bigger Items Out

I know how hard it is to make sure that you have all of your clothes and then also have a jacket or sweatpants for the occasional cold nights. I always like to make sure that I wear my heaviest jacket or sweatpants to the airport or car ride so that I can save as much suitcase space. If I’m wearing the sweatpants to the airport, I compensate for the heat with a smaller t-shirt on top in case I’m too hot.

Bring the Necessities.. and then Some

One area that I really don’t like to under pack on is my health and beauty products. For me, I would rather have all of my favorite face products then a million bathing suits. Staying consistent with the products you use is so crucial and, especially on vacation when you’ll be in the sun, maintaining your product use is so important. I love investing in really good beauty travel bags so that I know all of my products are properly protected. Nothing is worse then getting to you destination and having all of you products either exploded or broken.

Although these tips won’t work for everyone every time they travel, I hope that if you’re like me and love to over pack, you find something new to try! Making sure I have everything that I want or need for a vacation is a very daunting task especially with limited suitcase room depending on your vehicle for travel. I hope these tips help you with your adventures this summer!

C