I know, I know, it’s really “trendy” for fashion bloggers to over-pack. But this fashion blogger? Nope. I don’t play that game. Luggage fees are ridiculously high, it’s a pain to move heavy luggage, and most of the time when I over-pack I end up not even wearing half the stuff I brought and always buy new stuff! It’s just not worth it. Since I’m heading to Istanbul this upcoming Monday, I thought this would be the perfect time to share with you some of my best tips for packing that I’ve learned over the years:
Start a Week Before
I hate leaving things for the last minute cause there’s always something that I forget to pack so start making a list and packing the week before a trip. This way you’ll have enough time to remember anything that you might’ve forgotten and maybe even change your mind about some things.
Don’t Pack Clothes, Pack Outfits
A great way to avoid packing things that you’re not going to wear is to pull out outfits from your closet instead of just random individual pieces. Lay them out on your bed and you’ll realize that you’ll have pieces such as neutrals that go with more than one outfit so get rid of all that extra stuff!
Pack Your Most Valuable Things In Your Carry On
Sadly, one of the risks of traveling international is lost luggage. If you’re going to be traveling for a while and bringing a checked in suitcase and carry on then I suggest packing a few outfits (your favorite and probably most expensive ones!), jewelry, pajamas, and beauty items in your carry on since you’ll have that with you at all times.
Don’t Bring High Heels
Unless you’re going to a wedding (in that case I would bring one pair of heels and nothing more!), don’t waste your time with uncomfortable shoes. Traveling to places like Europe always requires a lot of walking so bring your best broken-in pair of flats or slip on sneakers. If you really need to bring something with a little height, I suggest a pair of low wedges such as the ones that I’m bringing from Soludos. Of course, I’ll be carrying a pair of foldable flats in my bag just in case!
Don’t Go Overboard With the Handbags and Shoes
There’s two things that take up the most room in a suitcase and that’s bags and shoes which are two of my most favorite things 🙁 If you’re going to bring a big handbag make sure to wear it with you on the day of the flight instead of packing it. The same goes for your heaviest pair of shoes so for example ankle boots.
Roll Your Clothes
This is one of those life-changing tricks that I always wonder why I never thought of before. Roll your clothes the way I did in the picture and you’ll have a lot more room in your suitcase along with less wrinkles on your clothes! Brilliant.
Leave Some Room for Future Purchases
My biggest regret when I went on my Europe trip with just a carry-on is that I didn’t have a lot of room for the new things that I bought while I was there. I had to ask my roommate to sit on my suitcase in order to get it to close! There’s ALWAYS a chance that you’re going to buy something when you’re overseas so save yourself the trouble and leave a little space. I’ve heard some people put a shoebox in the middle of their suitcase and pack around it and then take the shoebox out once they’re done in order to ensure there’s space. Try that!
Hope these tips were helpful! Any others that you can think of?
-Ruya
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Great tips! I also roll my clothes while packing a suitcase!
https://www.Stylesprinter.com/
I'm studying abroad this summer and I definitely need to remember these tips! Great post, girl!
-Anna | http://www.fivefootandfabulous.com
Great tips!! I always try to pack full outfits and only a few pairs of shoes! Also, LOVING your shoes in the first pic!!
http://www.mollyonthemoveblog.com
Very rare to find such a marvelous blog, I feel lucky reading this.
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