How to Pack for Traveling

When my husband was taking his finals, I headed to my parent's house with Little Miss Stella in tow.  When they picked me up at the airport, my mom's response was, "One suitcase for two weeks?  Is there any room in there to take goodies home?"  I had only brought one *big* suitcase with everything I needed for both of us.  And yes, there was extra room, or so I thought.  I ended up coming back with an extra bag, but that's another story.

This story is about packing light and packing for travel.  Today we headed off to Chicago for a nice, quick vacation.  We are taking Amtrak right into downtown and will be walking everywhere we go.  The necessities for husband, Little Miss S, and myself will be carried with us the entire time since we don't want to mess with having to stop by the hotel several times. 

In honor of our trip, here are some quick tips on how to pack light and efficiently:

1.  Pack coordinated clothing.  Pick clothing that can easily be intermixed with the rest of your suitcase.  Don't pack 'outfits.'  Coordinated clothing allows you to readily adjust what to wear according to your mood and according to the occasion.  A red skirt can be dressed up with a nicer blouse or dressed down with a t-shirt on top.  Don't want to wear the red skirt?  Pair either top with a pair of jeans.

2.  Do not pack more than three pairs of shoes.  No matter how long you're going somewhere, three is the limit.  Since you're clothing is already coordinated, you will only need three.  The first - pick a fancy high heel in the same color scheme that allows you to dress up any outfit.  The second - pick a great flat or slip-on for casual wear and to get through airport security lines quickly.  The third - your choice, since I'm sure you think three is stringent.  This also saves you room to buy a pair of shoes wherever you're vacationing!  If you're worried about blisters, take the friction block stick with you.

3.  Bring the basics of makeup.  Will you really wear all the makeup you own on one trip?  Get a travel bag and bring the basics:  foundation, blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick/lipgloss.  Your clothes and shoes have already been coordinated, so bring only the makeup that will go with that particular color scheme.  Don't forget my favorite brushes.

Mix'n'Match Travel by ImageEnvy on Polyvore.com

Happy *travel* shopping!
 
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