Laura over at Organizing Junkie just got back from a month in Canada, and upon returning, she wrote a blog post about unpacking and how she just hates it. I can sympathize. I don't think anyone enjoys it, but it's a necessity. One of my personal policies is to unpack the minute I get home. I may be tired, but I simply force myself to do it, because it's sooo demotivating to wake up to a full suitcase the next morning. Laura referenced a post I had written for the Stacks and Stacks blog about packing light. She said she *almost* didn't believe it was possible to pack as little as I had for an entire week out of town. Laura, I swear (and all Laura's readers), that besides the clothes I was wearing when I took the picture (a t-shirt and jeans) everything I brought for a week was in that photograph. Here are my secrets...
1. Plan EVERY outfit in advance for each day of your trip, as much as humanly possible.
2. Coordinate around ONE neutral color pair of pants or skirt. Choose EITHER black or brown. Not both. This allows you to mix and match everything which means you can build more outfits with fewer pieces of clothing.
3. Sticking to one neutral to build your wardrobe around also allows you to bring fewer pairs of shoes. Shoes are bulky, so I try to bring only ONE casual pair and ONE business pair. You can suck it up and make do for a week if you bring the RIGHT pair of business shoes.
4. Wear your bulkiest shoes if possible instead of packing them. Stuff the other pair with socks, underwear or other small items to make the most of your suitcase space.
5. Leave the hair dryer home. Most hotels these days have hair dryers built into the bathroom, so that's one bulky thing you can leave behind. Yay!
6. For longer trips that you think you'll need more clothes for, remember you can usually launder or dry clean at your destination.
What are your favorite tips for packing light?
