For many of us, the holidays are synonymous with travel. Whether your holiday feast is a short road trip away, or you’re jet-setting to another state or country, packing smart can make or break your trip.
For me, I’m lucky to have family just an hour or so away, but there are so many things I just have to bring with me; my laptop, all the stuff my dog needs, a few books for when I get bored…it just starts adding up. Here’s how I pare down for the holidays.
Less Gadgets
I know, a couple days away from all of our excessive technology seems like a lifetime, but I promise, you really won’t miss it. Outside of a cell phone (which let’s be honest, none of us can live without) try to bring one item that you’ll use the most, and one other item if absolutely necessary.
For me, I try to stick to my camera and my laptop. I’ll mostly use my camera for taking family pictures, OOTD’s and any little moments that rarely get caught on film, but I’ll need my laptop for homework or any blogging I plan to do over the break.
Less Shoes
Shoes are some of the bulkiest items to travel with. They are dirty, awkwardly shaped and often, we don’t end up using as many as we bring. My method is to wear the heaviest, largest shoe I’m planning to bring with me, whether I’m traveling by car or plane, and I bring one additional “indoor friendly” shoe like a ballet flat or sneaker.
I’m sure everyone has very unique traditions. We usually trudge out of the house at 6am to watch the athletically inclined members of the family compete in a football convention known as the Turkey Bowl. And that means that I need a water/mud resistant pair of shoes, but I’ll likely want to change into something more comfortable for quick errands or moseying around the house and yard. I like to bring a calf-length boot to keep out the chill. It goes great with most autumn outfits and cleans up quickly. This allows me to save space and design my outfits around my shoe selections instead of the other way around.
Pack Separates
This might seem counterintuitive because separates usually mean more items taking up bag space, but not necessarily. Separates are easy to mix and match, and only a few are needed for a 2-4 day trip. I try to base my outfit for the day around one main item, like a sweater dress or favorite pair of jeans, and add from there with light layers that add style and warmth.
Tops:
-Cotton Sweater
-Turtleneck
-Duster
-Cardigan
-Vest
-Pullover
Bottoms:
-Leggings (a couple pair)
-Jeans
-Skirt/Dress
Accessories:
-Scarf
-Hat
-Gloves
-Tights/Long Socks
I turn to separates when I have a general idea of what the weather will be like, but not an exact itinerary of what I’ll be doing. I expect to be indoors for the bulk of my trip, but it is always nice to be able to add items and stay cozy. The last thing anyone ever wants is to be too cold out of town.
Pro Tip: if you’re traveling out of town by plane, stack your beauty items and jewelry into a backpack along with a smaller, walk-friendly purse. You can ditch the backpack at your hotel and bring your wallet, key, phone and lip balm in the handbag.
*whatever you pack to wear, make sure it has stretch!
Beauty Time
Much like fashion sense, a beauty routine is a very personal thing. It can definitely be hard to pare down when going on a short trip. My best advice in this situation would be to pack the items you have time to apply. If you have a lot of morning activities planned, it is probably better to stick to a simple routine with concealer, brows and blush or a soft pop of color on the lips.
For me, I’m just going to be honest and say I bring pretty much everything with me. I would say I bring my “daily basis” going to work makeup items which consist of the following:
-(1) eyeshadow palette containing a highlight & bronzer color
-concealer
-foundation
-brow pencil
-mascara
-setting powder
-travel sized setting spray
I hope my tips serve as a quick packing guide for those of us about the spend the next few days in a holiday whirlwind. Stay tuned for my next post: how to slim down between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Happy holidays!
Leave a Reply