Anyone else have a serious love/hate relationship with packing? I absolutely adore it because that means something fun is in the near future! Then I absolutely hate it because I’m in the running to be “the world’s worst packer” because I try to bring my entire closet for a 4 day trip. You know what I mean? Well, if you relate to the latter statement, this post is for you! And if you relate to the first that probably means you love travelling in which case this post is still for you! Boy do I have some packing tips and tricks up my sleeve!

Given the fact that I am in the semi-finals for becoming the world’s worst packer, I’ve done some research over the past year to help bring only one or two extra outfits instead of 10 pairs of shoes for 4 days. If you’ve been following me over on the gram as the kids are calling it, you know that this past year or so has been a roller coaster for travel on this side of the world. Over here in Italy, we opened up for travel throughout the EU and UK this past summer. Because of that, we did what we’ve deemed “panic travelling.” What is panic travelling you might ask? Well, that looks like deciding on a Tuesday that you’re headed to Rome on Friday and the planning and packing needs to happen STAT. Aka, you don’t have three weeks to pack but rather three days.

Enter, packing research for tips and tricks to make it a fun and easy process!

In this blog I’m going to break it down into three sections:

Clothing/accessory staples I bring EVERYWHERE.
Organization methods
General tips to make packing more efficient

Each section will have it’s own graphic of the items you can use to make your packing easier! Just click on the graphic and you will be directed to a new page where you can shop directly from that graphic!

So let’s get to it shall we?!

Clothing/Accessory Staples:

White sneakers - a must. They go with shorts, dresses, dressed up, casual, you name it they match. Perfect for an on the go travel day with lots of walking! P.S. the Vejas take some breaking in, but after they are they’re perfect. My Kate Spade sneakers have gone all over the world with me - truly vetted, and the Reebok’s are a new purchase for me too!
Backpack or small dinner purse.
Spandex shorts under dresses. This one is for warm weather trips. Chaffing legs trying to see the Coliseum? It’s a no for me. Biker shorts are so comfortable and you can pull them up or down to adjust the length.
Sunglasses
Supplements. I bring my Juice Plus capsules, travel collagen packs, digestives, and daily vitamins everywhere.
T shirt to get ready.
Go to jacket for warm weather trips. I love a jean jacket because it goes with almost everything. Just in case it gets chilly at night.
Workout equipment if necessary. I love bringing resistance bands because they pack so easy.
Socks for flight.
“Travel” outfits. I always wear leggings, tennis shoes (either workout shoes or a pair of white sneakers from above), a t-shirt and a cardigan for ultimate comfort on travel day. The cardigan can be worn for cooler nights as well!
Advil and Bandaids in a travel size.
Chargers.
Garbage bag for dirty clothes.
Patagonia bag. Our all time favorite bag is the black hole duffel in the 70 liter. It is especially helpful for road trips or vacations where you’re going from one place to another. It’s water proof and has such great organization inside. Such a good price at $159 for the 70L and $139 for the 55L. For regular trips I absolutely love this one - a Briggs and Riley suitcase. I’ve had mine for years and it is good as new. I love the compartment for dresses and things that need to be hung up.

Organization:

Jewelry organizer
Toiletry bag
Makeup bag
Underwear holder. Yes, you need it. Only $7 and seriously saves so much room! You can just leave everything in it and place the entire bag in the drawer.
Supplement holders
Travel toiletries bottles. Either the specific items bought in travel size like the tarte foundation linked below, or poured into these travel size bottles below with specific labels on them!

Efficiency Tips and Tricks:

For every trip I create a note in my phone with the checklist feature. That way I can check it off as each item is thrown in the bag. This usually includes:
- Passports
- Chargers
- Supplements
- Makeup
- Toiletries
- Etc.

It’s basically everything that might be easily forgettable.

Plan outfits head to toe BEFORE - bring 1-2 extra depending on weather. No overpacking here!!
Pack by day and put the first thing you;re going to wear on top if you don’t have time to unpack right when you get there.
Put socks/bathing suits in the bowl of your hats to fit better. You can also put fragile things in them so there is an extra cushion. You could also put them in shoes if you’re not bringing a hat.
Start a week in advance. That way as the week goes on you can add things you might’ve forgotten like a straightener, a hat you’ve been wanting to wear, etc.
Roll your clothes instead of folding to decrease creases.
Put shoes and toiletry bags on one side, clothes on the other.

And that’s it my friends! I know this really helps me so I hope it helps you too. I’d love to hear if you have a must-do tip that I should add to my list! Send me a DM on instagram or leave a comment below!

Also, leave me a comment if you’d like to see how I plan our trips! It is definitely a process my friends!

XO,

Di