While I'm out of town, I asked a few other bloggers to step in for me. Jess from Messy Jess C graciously agreed and then wrote a really awesome post about how to pack for a trip. She sent this to me before I had started packing, and I definitely used some of these tips. Read her advice and then go check out her blog. She's got killer style, great recipes, and she runs marathons, which is pretty awesome.
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Hello Just Another Smith readers! My name is Jess and I blog
over at Messy Jess C. Andi is traveling, so as someone
who appreciates fashion and traveling as much as Andi, I am here to share some
of my traveling tips with you to help you have a stress-free trip AND look like
a million bucks.
First things first - before you
begin throwing clothes into a bag, make a list. When you go grocery shopping,
do you just go into the store and hope for the best? No, of course not, because
you would end up buying some things you didn't need and forget some things you
did need. Same goes for traveling. Making a list ensures that you are going to
pack everything you need without going overboard.
As far as what to pack, I tend to follow one of two
approaches to choosing clothing to pack. I either write out outfits for each
day I will be traveling on my list (see list below) and try to create outfits
that mix and match the maximum number of items as possible to reduce the amount
of clothes that get packed. For instance, you will see on the right-hand side
of the list below that I mixed and matched my black shorts, white t-shirt, and
wedges a couple of times for this trip.
The other approach to packing that helps reduce the amount
of clothing being packed, while still ensuring you don't look like
Punky Brewster is to pack using one color scheme to make it easier to mix and
match items. This time of year, blue and white tend to be my go-to colors.
The one exception to the color approach is if you have a red
dress ladies, pack it. It shows up lovely in photos.
Another trick is to pack just a few items of clothing along
with lots of fun accessories. This saves room and changes the look of your
items just by mixing up what accessories are worn with them.
Once you have your list, I recommend gathering everything on
your list and placing it in one location so nothing gets forgotten and if
anything on your list is missing or needs to be purchased, you will know prior
to skipping town, eliminating unwanted stress when you arrive at your
destination.
Once all of your stuff is gathered and any outstanding items
are washed, purchased, or crossed off the list, you are ready to start packing.
Now if you are like me, even with a list, I still seem to have a lot of stuff
to fit in small spaces, so to fit more into your suitcase, I recommend rolling
your clothes (see below).
As you can see, rolling saves room for toiletry bags, shoes,
and other misc. items. It also helps eliminate deep creases and wrinkles for
many items (depending on the fabric).
Now, you are almost ready to jet away, but there are just a
few more tips that can make your traveling experience more enjoyable.
First, make sure you carry all valuables or any items that
you could not imagine losing in your carry-on. I am a marathon runner,
which translates to a lot of traveling to marathons. On each of my
marathon trips, my shoes are always with me because, while most of my
other running items are replaceable, my shoes, perfectly broken in to run 26.2
miles, are not. Same goes for jewelry, identification, cash, etc.
Also, I highly recommend investing in a Brita water bottle,
especially for trips where you are flying somewhere. This fabulous invention
makes it easy to stay hydrated without shelling out lots of money on
over-priced bottles of water and no matter where you fill up,
the water tastes good because of the small filter inside.
Because airplane air can be pretty dry, staying hydrated is
key, with water, but I also recommend bringing along lip gloss and lotion that
isn't contained in a bottle or tube (unless you want a mid-flight mess) for dry
lips and hands.
Now my friends, you are ready to travel. Sit back, relax,
and once you reach cruising altitude, listen to your favorite song on your
untangled headphones using this nifty trick.
Thanks to Andi for allowing me to guest-post today and
thanks to you all for reading today's post. Hope to see you around at Just
Another Smith and Messy Jess C.
I like your mix of pink and coral with the shoes and top! Bold!
ReplyDelete-kw, ladiesinnavy
Thanks CP and KW for enjoying the outfit! I just signed up to follow you along at Ladies in Navy and I hope to see you over at Messy Jess C. for future styles. Thanks again!
DeleteJess
http://messyjessc.blogspot.com