Packing 101

Top 10 Packing Tips For Solo Travelers

You just booked a fantastic trip, what’s next PACKING of course! One of the most stressful tasks of your trip. There are some very important things to remember when packing. You must keep in mind necessity and comfort. You also want to tailor your packing to each destination. I know packing can be very overwhelming but with these steps, you’ll be extra prepared for your next trip.

Start With Making a List 

It helps to jot down everything you think you may need and want. This is the time to write down the basics like travel soaps and travel pillows. You just wanna get an idea of the things you might need as soon as possible in order to make the packing part as painless as possible. Preparation is the key to any successful trip and this begins at the packing stage. Once you have a suitable list of things to get of course make your way to the store to pick up the necessities 

How Many Bags ?

This is a huge decision! Especially for us girls! How many bags will you need?  Is there such a thing as too much luggage? Seriously! questions that need answers. I know we wanna pack our whole closets but here is where we need to make some sacrifices. I think its best to stick with one big suitcase that’s just my style. Some people choose to go with one carry and one checked bag; this is another great combination. Pretty much as long as you keep it light you will be fine. It is very important on a trip that you keep your bags to a minimum. You never know if your room will be ready to check immediately upon arrival or if your travel with a tour group there may be a limited amount of baggage space on the coach or the train to the next city. You just don’t wanna be stuck with tons of baggage when navigating a new city. 

Tailoring Packing to Your Destinations

 What to pack can be very frustrating but I find it best to pack according to your destination. I think this goes without saying but if you’re doing something tropical you wanna pack your cutest swimsuits, make sure you don’t forget the bomb sunglasses and you can’t do tropical without some sunscreen But if your gonna go for a winter trip to Aspen, you definitely need to pack a warm coat and your cutest UGGs. Now when dealing with those bulky items such as coats you should really invest in those vacuum-sealed bags to ensure you have enough space in your suitcase. 

Keep Comfort in Mind When Packing 

A very important aspect you wanna keep in mind is your level of comfort. Travel of any kind can be the most uncomfortable thing that a person can do that’s why preparation is a major key. When your packing and shopping for your trip you wanna take everything into consideration. Like if you’re cold in nature you should always have a designated travel jacket with you that’ll leave you not too hot or cold. I personally have my favorite travel blanket, I don’t get on a plane without it! Also, If you’re headed to a long flight you might wanna consider a travel pillow ( another thing I won’t get on a plane without) and maybe some earphones. You never know, you might wanna listen to music until you fall asleep or even catch up on some Netflix while you’re on the way to paradise. I’ve seen people bring a good book with them or even a crossword puzzle. The bottom line is that some form of entertainment should be packed in your carry on because there is a chance you won’t be able to fall asleep on the plane( I can never go to sleep on a plane). I am telling you having some form of entertainment makes all the difference in a comfortable trip. Traveling can be very stressful prior to reaching your destination that is why maintaining a good level of comfort can make all the difference. 

 You’re at Capacity

I would say it is a MUST to save room in your suitcase AND carry-on for shopping while you’re there. Trust me when you touch down in a new country or city you’re gonna wanna do some shopping. I mean what girl doesn’t want to be able to say “I picked this up in Paris”. Don’t overpack! Don’t even get close to the suitcase weight limit mandated by the airlines. There’s nothing worse than getting to the airport and having to dump stuff out just to be able to board the plane. Just think of all the vintage shopping, the shoe shopping, or even jewelry not to mention wine and pastries you might want to take home. You gotta leave room for the goods!

The Shoe Crisis

When you get to the inevitable shoe crisis of packing just keep in mind in a foreign country or a new city more than likely you will be doing a LOT of walking. You want to pack shoes that are cute and comfortable. I usually like pack one pair of sandals for light and I do mean LIGHT walking days and of course, one pair of heels for fancy occasions (and I do plan at least one fancy dinner on every trip) and your everyday walking shoes, which should be some cute running shoes). Of course, all of these shoe options should be neutral in color because you need them to match multiple outfits. And if you haven’t noticed then I’ll point it out to you, YES you only need 3 pairs of shoes. Yeah, I said it ladies don’t hate me, but you cannot bring your entire shoe collection. You have to make some hard choices and you will thank me! In the end, your luggage will be light enough for you to carry on your own, and you’ll have enough room to bring back those 2-3 bottles of wine that you loved so much. If you must, I would also pack some flip flops to just throw on when need be but that’s it! That’s your only exception to the three pairs of shoes limit! 

Carry On Essentials

Here we go again, people never know what to put in there carry on so they end up just throwing in things they don’t need. A carry on should consist of things like your charger, portable battery, a light sweater, or even a book. I would also include a few travel-size toiletries and something that you can easily change into in case everyone’s worst nightmare comes true, and the airline loses your bag. At least when you get to your hotel you’ll have the basics until your bag is found (Preparation is KEYYYYY). Your carry on is where you will keep all the items needed to keep you comfortable and at ease until you reach your destination. In lieu of all this coronavirus madness, I would also bring travel-sized Clorox wipes, Lysol, hand sanitizer and don’t forget your mask. Planes are breeding grounds for germs and you wanna do everything you can to keep yourself safe!

Gadgets 

Don’t forget to pack those gadgets, things like your voltage adapter if you’re going to different countries. The last thing you want is to be in another country and can’t curl your hair or plug in your phone. Bring extra adapters because some of them charge slowly. I know in the U.S. we are used to our phones being charged extra fast, but it doesn’t always work that way in other countries. You also want to bring extra USB cords, just in case you lose one, anything could happen and you must be prepared for anything. I would think about how many devices you plan to bring and use that number to gauge how many adapters you need to bring. Three adapters should be more than enough. You may also need things like a waterproof phone case for your pool/beaches days. For Solo travelers, I would also say a must-have is a tripod to take those bomb pictures. In my opinion, you don’t wanna rely on other people to capture your photos for you. A tripod allows you to get those angles and take as many pictures as you like. Make sure to go with one that is easily adjustable and fit in whatever purse or backpack that you’ll be exploring with. 

First Aid Kit

Now, I know a lot of bloggers don’t mention this a lot but this is something that I cannot leave home without. Pack your mini pharmacy! You wanna bring your Pepto, your motion sickness medication, standard Tylenol, or Ibuprofen for unexpected headaches. Band-Aids are important just in case you overestimate your adventurous side. One of the worst things is to have some sort of accident in a different city or country and having to find the nearest pharmacy. It’s’ better to be safe than sorry and I kid you not almost every trip I go on whether solo or in a group there is a need for the first aid kit. 

Clothing 

Last but not least, clothing choices are the most important part of packing! Step one would be to check the weather of where you’re going, lucky for us the internet pretty much knows all so we can get an idea of how the weather will be prior to getting there. As I stated earlier if you’re cold in nature you should always take that into consideration so pack your favorite light jacket for airports. Also, you wanna have at least three outfit options per day. You’ll need your day outfit and a night time outfit if you decide to explore restaurants for dinner or catch a play you wanna have something for every possible occasion. Also, keep in mind if you plan to workout while you’re on vacation and don’t forget sleepwear. Now with clothes, its good to have things that you can mix and match you can create three different outfits with the same top. Doing this will free up space in your suitcase as we talked about before. Most important pack your bomb outfits because cute outfits equal cute Instagram pics!

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