Traveling somewhere just for the weekend is an exciting but daunting adventure. You have so much that you want to do or see and such a limited time to do it. Recently I took a weekend trip from Maine to New York City. I had my entire trip planned out from transportation to food to sightseeing. However, one thing I did not think about until the night before was how I was going to pack for my trip.
I would be staying with my cousin for the night, which I was so grateful for, but due to his work schedule I wouldn't be meeting up with him until the end of the night. Thus everything I brought with me to New York would have to stay with me all day long. I didn't want to be lugging a suitcase, or even a large bag, around New York City. Believe it or not, I found a way to fit all my clothes, toiletries, and camera equipment into a small backpack and a purse.
Here are my tips for when you need to pack lightly for a quick trip.
Only pack the essentials
I am pretty suer every girl feels the need to overpack clothes when they take a vacation. You just never know what outfit you will want to wear until the moment arrives! However when you are forced to pack lightly, you need to throw this mentality out the window. I only packed two full outfits, and had one extra shirt in case of an emergency.
I also originally had planned to bring a book and a bigger journal, since I wanted them help pass time on the train. However I realized they only were weighing my backpack down, and I wouldn't even be using them for the majority of my trip. So I found a much smaller journal to bring instead and downloaded an e-book on my phone.
Wear as many layers as you can
The more room you can save in your travel bag the better. I ended up wearing my jacket on my ride into the city that way I had a lot more room in my backpack for other essentials. Even when I got hot walking around in the jacket, I just tucked it onto my backpack strap so I could still have my hands free.
Pack clothes in ziplock bag to save space
I had seen this hack from a friend and I have to say it was very useful! I folded up the two other shirts I was bringing for the weekend, and put them into a large ziplock bag. This way the shirts would not end up crumpled in a ball in the bottom of my backpack; it also saved a lot of space! The shirts stayed flat and folded, which also helped them to stay wrinkle-free. I also had my extra socks and jewelry in this plastic bag as well. This is definitely a travel hack I will be using again.
Use smaller bags to keep things organized
I kept all loose items such as jewelry and camera batteries in their own smaller bags. I didn't want to have to be digging for loose items if I needed them in a hurry. This way I know where everything is and it is easily accessible when I need it!
Keep frequently used items in purse
I found a purse that would be big enough to act as my camera bag. I knew I would be taking a lot of pictures on my trip and I didn't want to have to take my backpack off, pull the camera out, take my picture, put the camera back in the backpack...you can see how this is a process. You also don't want to be doing this in the middle of the busy streets. My suggestion is to keep your phone, camera, sunglasses, and any other frequently used items handy in your purse. Since I knew I would be opening and closing the purse a lot during the day, I also made sure my wallet was zipped up and secure in an inside pocket.
Put Pants & Sleeping Clothes at Bottom of Your Bag
If these clothes get wrinkled, it doesn't matter! So pack your pajamas and jeans at the bottom of your bag and put other items closer to the top.
Bring Travel Size Toiletries
Toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, hair products, etc. Grabbing these trial size containers at your local drug store will save you so much room in your bag, plus you won't be carrying around extra products you don't need. You can also transfer your products into the three ounce reusable travel size containers if your brands don't make travel sized bottles.
Коментарі