Welcome back to Blush & Camo! I’m so happy you stopped by the blog because today I’m sharing how I packed for a one week vacation in ONE suitcase. Yes, that’s right.
And, if I’m being totally honest with y’all, a week long trip for a fashion blogger might as well be a three week trip because I literally packed about 15 different looks- no joke- in my one suitcase.
And if you’re thinking, well I must have biggest suitcase ever the answer is I totally don’t. The cover photo of today’s blog post is what my suitcase looked like that we packed! It’s large, but it’s not do a “double take in the airport” big (ya know what I’m saying?!).
Why is packing only one suitcase important? Packing only one suitcase saves you a TON of money for checked baggage, and it also makes traveling so much less stress because you’re not worrying about having to lug around a ton of bags which.
So this is what inspired today’s blog post!
PLAN AHEAD
The first tip I will give to you is plan ahead. I knew back in November that I would be traveling to Key West and Miami in January. This gave me plenty of time to plan my outfits to maximize space in my suitcase.
When planning ahead think about how many bathing suits, shoes, rompers, dresses, hygiene items, etc.. you think you need. Then, think about if some of these items can mix and match with one another to create different looks.
What I have noticed over the past few years as a fashion blogger is that I can wear the same outfit so long as the backdrop of my pictures is different! This allows me to get more mileage out of my looks and start scouting for locations.
So, not only am I planning the outfits to take, but I am also planning out locations to take pictures at!
BRING A GARMENT BAG
I didn’t use this tip during this trip, but I did use this tip when going on our three week honeymoon back in 2016!
One of Chuck’s carry-on’s was a garment bag. This was a HUGE help in allowing us to only check one bag. I put my wedding dress in the garment bag and Chuck hung up his button downs and bulkier items such as coats and a sweatshirt, that would take up a ton of space in our suitcase.
This garment bag could easily fold into an overhead bin and won’t cost us anything at the airport. The garment bag also hangs perfectly overtop of the suitcase so when we wheel the suitcase around we don’t have to carry the garment bag (I totally clung onto that garment bag for dear life on the way to Colorado since my wedding dress was in there. Someone was going to have to fight me before I let anyone touch that bag!).
THE SEASONS MATTER
Since my trip was to warmer weather I knew I wouldn’t need as many layers!
When traveling somewhere warm, or during the summer, you don’t need as many layers and clothes are made of lighter, less thick material. This makes a HUGE difference when trying to pack all your things into one suitcase.
Since going to Key West was for fun, but also to take amazing content for y’all I did not try and pack lightly.
If you are traveling somewhere cooler or during the winter my biggest tip is to try and select one-two pairs of shoes you can wear with almost every outfit and wear one coat on the plane and carry one coat with you (or use my garment bag tip!). This will significantly cut down on space in your one suitcase you’re trying to stick to!
ROLL YOUR CLOTHES BEFORE YOU PACK THEM
You might be wondering what that is, but it’s VERY simple and SUPER effective! (my mom taught me this!)
To roll your clothes all you do is take your clothes that are already folded how you would put them into your drawers and simply roll them so they are more compact. Rolling your clothes allows you to double, and even triple the amount of clothes you are packing into one suitcase since the items are taking up wayyyyy less space!
By rolling my clothes I was able to pack:
PACKING LIST
- 3 x dresses
- 3 x rompers
- 2 x pair of pants
- 2 x jean shorts
- 1 x jean jacket
- 1 x sweater
- 2 x handbags
- 2 x totes
- 6 x shoes
- 4 x swimsuits
- 1 x beach coverup
- 2 x makeup bags
- 1 x DSLR tripod
- 1 x hairdryer
- 1 x hair wand
- 1 x hygiene kit
- 1 x bag filled with hair products
- 5 x tops
- a week’s worth of undergarments
By rolling our clothes we tripled the amount of space we had in our checked luggage bag!
WEAR YOUR BULKY ITEMS ON THE PLANE
You know those few items that take up ALL the space in your bag? The quick fix to this deliemma is to simply wear those items onto the plane with you!
I wore one of my sweaters (I brought two!) and this freed up a TON of space in my suitcase to pack more of what I actually wanted to wear to Florida!
I honestly thought packing was going to be a significant emotional event with this overwhelming feeling of having to carry too many bags through the airport. The reality was that packing only took about an hour and I couldn’t believe how much stuff I brought with me on my blogging trip. I didn’t have to compromise leaving outfits/items behind that I really wanted to bring!
What did you think of today’s post?! What is your biggest struggle when you pack for a vacation or small getaway?! Let me know in the comments below!
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Thank you SO much for stopping by Blush & Camo!
xx Julianna
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