How to Pack Your Suitcase

If you were going to a foreign country for two days, do you think you would know how to pack your suitcase so that you could only take a carry-on? Of course you can! Let me show you how I did it.

When I start to pack my suitcase, the first thing I do is lay out all of the things that I will need for my trip. Whether I am going on a two day trip or a two week trip, I put all of my clothes on this chair. If things don’t fit on this chair, they do not get to go with me. That’s just my rule, it helps me not pack too much. Plus, one thing you should know about me…I HATE to have too much stuff with me when I travel so normally after I lay out all of my clothes I take a few things away because it just seems like too much stuff.

 

I am going to show you how I got all of this:

 

Into this and my purse:

After I have laid out all of my clothes, I then take clothes that are similar and pack them together. I like (and have used the same ones for years) Eagle Creek packing folders and cubes. I am not being paid or sponsored by them, this is just what I use in my everyday life.  I find these to be very reliable, I have had the same ones for about 7 years now and there isn’t one tear, one zipper or velcro malfunction  and I have used these on almost every trip I have taken.

 

So these four shirts get packed together, and there is also a pair of jeans that will go with these. I normally take clothes that can be washed together if need be, and the red and pink shirts go with other bright colors I’m bringing.

The shirts are nice and snug in this:

And then I put it in my carry-on, to see how it will fit:

Then I add my socks, sleepwear, a few  tank shirts (I usually always layer) and personal items that you can’t see because I’ve hidden them under the striped sleepshirt on the right. I mean, a lady can’t show everything, right? 

They all fit nicely in this:

Next I add my toiletries. Normally I just use plastic bags you can get from the grocery store. I like the kind that zip at the top, I tend to stay away from the bags if they don’t have that feature. I keep a couple of boxes of those in my closet since I travel so much, and since you can’t carryon more than 3 ounces of liquid per container, I use the 3 ounce bottles I get from Target. I tend to go to Target quit a bit (Don’t we all seem to make our way to Target?) and when I’m there I go to the travel section and get bottles so that way when it’s time for me to travel, I don’t have to make a trip to the store to get anything.

So what do I take? What can’t I live without for two days?

In order from left to right: Perfume, vaseline (to mix with my lotion and that goes on my skin), lotion, facial cleanser, body wash

And in the second baggy from left to right: Hair cream, more hair cream but different from the first one ( I use Miss Jessie’s curly pudding and butter creme) visine, carmex (can’t have chapped lips), toothpaste and my nasal spray.  Again, I’m not being sponsored by Miss Jessie’s, I just like their products and they work great for my curly hair.

 

And then I add the last bits:

And it all fits nicely in this:

 

Then I add my umbrella, my adapters and cords, batteries, gum, some pens, and my house slippers and I’m good to go.

The red case did not come from Eagle Creek, I really don’t remember where I got it, it has been years and if I knew I would tell you.

So there you go, that’s how I pack. I also take my purse and my computer, headphones, dvd case, wallet, and passport go in that. Oh, I do not put the plastic baggies in the red bag, those go in my purse.  All the contents in this carry-on could be used for a two day trip, or a week vacation, I have enough variety in my clothes to last for several days. I only take one pair of boots so I don’t have to worry about packing any other shoes, and when I land, I don’t have to wait for my bags, I can just hit the ground running.

And that’s it! See, it’s easy, you can do it! I hope I’ve helped you, thanks for reading!