Weekend Getaway: 10 Items for Packing Light

Day and Evening Wear with One Backpack

Did you ever leave on a Friday and travel by public transportation for a weekend exursion?   Catching your eye is a person in jeans and sneakers, holding their jacket over their arm, asking a stranger where a certain hotel is. Then, you notice the "a struggle-free free" exiting. 

Your stop comes up and you wrestle with your large Vera Bradley overnight duffle bag from the overhead compartment or possibly you went all out with a suitcase that hits you on your head as it comes down.

Well here's a way to leave the five pairs of pants, 3 dresses, half your make-up drawer and flatiron behind.

I have found, with a two to three night weekend getaway, anyone can survive with style.

A backpack of the right content is all you really need.

While this might be easier for the gents, this is tailored for the ladies in mind.

1. Hair accessories  (Hair dryers usually come with hotel room. Leave the curling and flatiron at home too. It's all about the bobby pins and hairbrush with some style gel or pomade.)
2. Shoes (Flip flops cover two areas. One: for hotel use instead of packing your bed slippers. Two: Summer! Three: One pair of seasonal dress shoes for evening wear.)
3. Pajama or nightgown
4. Make-up (Mascara, seasonal lip stick, blush, eye brow pencil - keep it simple)
5. One dress (Lycra, lyrca, lycra is a dream. You can roll it up, shove it in a make up bag and it doesn't wrinkle. I have black top and pant combo that is so comfortable you feel like you have your pj's on at dinner. The right accessories will accent everything.)
6. Accessories (Zip lock bag: with a daytime bracelet, necklace and earring. Another zip lock bag: with the same but more pazazz for night. I like clear plastic bags so I can see what and where everything is.)
7. One pair of dress pants (Nice jeans or khakis: remember hotels have irons)
8. Underwear (Always  "double the days" you are away. You will be exploring the town during the day then you come back to wash up for evening. Who hasn't run out of underwear? Everyone does.)
9. Bathing suit  (I don't care if it's the dead of winter. I was in Vermont in February and didn't realize the pool was inside and heated!)
10. Traveling kit (This is easily put together via the travel size section of any corner store. I am not really a fan of hotel soap, so I bring mini bottles of everything!)

Now you are probably wondering where the hiking shoes go. Well, you will be wearing them. If you plan to run, then by all means, where your sneakers. Wear your activity clothes traveling to your destination for comfort.  One shirt for traveling and the other nicer shirt can be worn over (to be worn later with the nice pants). The sweater, jacket and/or hat can be worn or carried with your very hands that are now bag and suit case free.

Don't forget a fabulous seasonal scarf that can be worn day or night.

I will be setting up links in my next article about "traveling fashion." This will give you great ideas for taking towel wet hair, adding some gel and twisting into an up-do with no fuss. Vacations are for relaxing not stressing over a hot iron trying to style your hair after a long day of sight seeing.

Remember: shoes are packed first from the bottom of backpack, then accessory bags (jeweley), then roll clothes atop then add travel kit.

I have used this method for years and I have found the less packing, the less stress.  

You actually pay more attention to your getaway then what you are wearing. 

Remember, most importantly you will be hands-free. 

This means more freedom to carry shopping bags filled with new stuff to wear home!