My Favorite Packing Tips

Heading out of town for Christmas? Me too! Whenever I travel, my goal is to fit everything into a carry on. This way I avoid extra fees at the airport, and eliminate the possibly of my luggage getting lost. I gathered all my favorite packing tips and tricks into this guide complete with fun gifs. It’s all about maximizing space and making the most out of every thing you pack.

As you probably know, when you fly you can bring a piece of luggage, and a personal item. I bring a roller board suitcase and my personal item is a small duffle bag. This way I am maximizing the packing space I have.

Let’s start with what I put in the small duffle:

This is where I put my most important things – so that even if I have to gate check the larger bag, my essentials are with me. First I pack my purse with my wallet, passport, phone, planner, lip balm, power converters, phone chargers, a portable phone charger, headphones, and my liquids.

Then the purse goes into the duffle, along with my camera, laptop, and iPad. I also pack a hat, scarf, and mittens here. The blanket scarf keeps me warm during the flight, and the hat and mittens are ready for me when we arrive at our destination.

The suitcase is where I pack all my clothing. Some people pack in color schemes, but my packing philosophy (and my life) is based around two outfit types: jeans + a top, or dresses. You can wear any sweater or shirt with jeans, and dresses are an entire outfit! I like to pack a handful of tees with blazers and cardigans for layering, plus some sweaters. My favorite favorite dress is a black dress from Anthropologie that doesn’t wrinkle and I bring it everywhere. It can be dressed up or down, and you can layer a blazer over it for extra warmth.

Shoes take up lots of space, so I try to only bring 2-3 pairs of shoes on a trip. I want to bring shoes that are extremely comfortable, since I tend to find myself walking everywhere when I travel. Plus I want to bring shoes that can be worn with jeans or a dress. Versatility is key. Fill the shoes with your socks so you aren’t wasting any space.

Everything fit into my suitcase with plenty of room to spare, and I am ready to go to Munich for Christmas! Happy travels everyone!