Fashion
May 22, 2015

Going Somewhere? 5 Packing Tips


You guys know that I LOVE to travel! My sister calls every week and says “so where are you off to next?” because I am always on the go. The past year has been the perfect year to travel because John is in his intern year of residency so he works long hours and rarely ever gets any time off. When he comes home, he spends time with me but when I am traveling he gets to catch up on sleep so it is a win-win! 

Anyway, the past 3-4 months, I’ve gotten so many e-mails & requests for a packing post – and just in the past few weeks I’ve been getting specific questions for summer trips.. like “how do you pack all of your hats without them getting smashed?” SO, I thought that a dedicated post would be the best thing, especially since many of you will be traveling this weekend and this summer!

Sidenote: if you are wondering where anything is from, I am linking all random details at the bottom! 
1. Tips for the Hat Ladies Out There..
I don’t go ANYWHERE without a hat! Hats are a must when traveling for many reasons – the most important being that you can spend more time exploring and less time fixing your hair! 🙂 

So, my trick for packing my hats is in the photos below but I will explain in words, too. I always stack the hats together first – and I put the thickest/strongest hat at the bottom and stack the flimsier hats on top. Then, I lay the hats in the center of my suitcase before I’ve put anything else inside. After that, I just pack my clothing around the hats. I’ve been doing this the past few times I’ve flown and I have had ZERO hats get smashes or messed up! This keeps the hats from losing form or getting pushed around.

2. Packing away your shoes..

I’m totally not a germaphobe (I wish I were), but when it comes to packing my shoes with my clothes, I do not like them to get mixed, ya know? The suitcase I have been using has a divider so in half I have clothing and the other half shoes + shower stuff. 

I’m not too picky about my shoes getting squashed(?) lol, but if they are new shoes, I always keep the white wrappers stuff inside them to keep them from getting indented. AND, if I am checking an expensive pair of shoes, I always always grab the dust bag out of the box and keep them separate from the others. I don’t want the heels or in my case, studs, to scuff up other shoes up or get scuffed.
3. Random Extras

I really like being prepared because you literally NEVER know what could go wrong. Almost every other time I travel something goes wrong. I like to have lots of little things on me just in case- and when I mean ‘on me’, I mean, I can reach for the quickly.
Here are some extras I am sure to have:
– Cute Pouch (love the little tassel one above!): I always keep some small pouch or bag that I can put debit card, cash, I.D., gum, etc. in – its easier than digging out my wallet each time I need something quickly. 
-Earbuds: I always always have these little Lilly Pulitzer earbuds on me – I love the packaging because they don’t get tangled and it’s bright and easy to find. I use Audible and listen to audiobooks when I fly (sometimes just to put me to sleep, lol).
-Passport cover: if I am leaving the country I like having a cover just to store the boarding pass, passport, etc. in for easy access. (craving THIS passport cover, too)
-Hand sanitzer: duh. 
Sunglasses: I always keep those in an easy to reach place. If I try to sleep on the plane and the sun is coming in they are a must.
-Travel sized lent roller

4. What goes in my carry-on..

I am pretty strategic about my carry-on because ONE time my luggage got lost and I learned really quickly how important it is to think through what’s in your carry on.

I always keep my jewelry in my carry on – even costume jewelry because it is heavy and takes up weight in my checked luggage. I also like to keep my expensive handbags in my carry-on – just in case. And just as important as my handbags, I like my make-up in my carry-on (this should come as no surprise.) Finally, I keep my toothbrush, Clarisonic, iPhone Charger, pajamas, curling iron, laptop, & laptop charger. I do always keep my laptop in my purse until after I go through TSA that way I don’t have to unpack it while going through TSA.

5. Puppy Mama’s (sorry Ms Jackson is stuck in my head now)

When Fitz was a little pup, I didn’t like traveling without him. I would let him stay at my sisters and I’d come home to get him and he would have forgotten ALL the rules (lol, rules?). But really, he flew with us to Ohio for Thanksgiving and I got so many questions about that. 

So we flew United for that trip – they charge $125 for a puppy ticket one way. I called a few weeks before the flight and made Fitz his own reservation and got charged for it then. We had already purchased our tickets, so they just had to add him on to our reservation. Technically though, he was just a carry on. We went to Petsmart and got the traveling carrier which comes in a few sizes but you have to look online and see what your airline allows. For us, his carrier had to fit under the seat (really really sad) and he had to be under 25 lbs. We were lucky because on one of the flights there- and one of the flights home – the Pilots and flight attendants were laid back and let him stay in my lap. He was 15 weeks old when he traveled with us so he had already had his shots. The airline did not ask for proof of his shots, btw. Fitz was just a baby when we flew with him so we were SO nervous about how he was going to act when surrounded by tons of people (Fitz is a major people person) but he was sweet. HE just sat in my lap and stared at us and napped a lot. Our vet gave us some medicine to calm him down (aka make him sleepy) and we did give him some, but he didn’t really need it. Everyone in the airports/planes really liked him and there were TONS of dogs traveling during Thanksgiving so he made a few friends.  One of the pilots even asked for a photo of him to send to his girlfriend! 🙂 Oh, and as far as eating/drinking/bathroom breaks – he slept so much it wasn’t an issue. During one of the layer overs we took him into a family bathroom and poured a bottled water and food for him. 
Oh and one more thing – I wanted to share that I recently purchased the Louis Vuitton Keepall on Fashionphile. I love traveling with my Neverfull and I wanted something more duffle style so I started searching last fall and honestly, I couldn’t bring myself to spending that kind of money on a bag that was going to get beat up while traveling. I knew for sure that I wanted the Keepall 55 (55 is the largest size that fits as a carry-on – any larger & it will have to be checked) and I also knew it HAD to have the shoulder strap (referred to as the “bandouliere”). Anyway, while at fashion week in February another blogger was telling me about Fashionphile – and showing me her handbags. So I went ahead and started looking at Fashionphile for the Keepall 55 Bandouliere – and every time one would become available – it would sell out SO quickly. So I learned my lesson and the other day when this one became available I purchased it – you can barely tell that it is used. It comes with the authenticity card and all so no worries about getting imitation bags.

Other Details:
Striped Sweater (I am wearing)
Brown Sweater (I am holding up)
Lip combo: “Whirl” + “Japenese Maple” (plus this gloss)
Gold Foil Art Prints by Always Lou Party Studio & Designs
Gold Shelf on back wall

I’d love to hear some of your tips & tricks for packing.. make sure to let me know if you have any! Or what you are up to this weekend – have any fun plans?! Whatever you do, be safe! xx

ALSO! Here’s a Memorial Day Sale Roundup:
Anthropologie: 20% off sale
Baublebar: Up to 30% off site wide!
Forever 21: Buy One Get One HALF OFF Online Only
J.Crew: 25% off your order — PS my chandelier earrings are a part of the sale!
Nordstrom: Half Yearly Sale – up to 40% off – BEST SALE
Revolve: up to 75% off sale (there are a ton of cute things on sale, too!)

More details in widget below:

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21 thoughts on “Going Somewhere? 5 Packing Tips”

  1. I'm SO with you on the shoe thing. My husband thinks that I'm silly but I'm a big germaphobe. And hello we live in Chicago and sorry but city streets can be icky!! I also carry my expensive bags and jewelry in my carry on. Oh and my makeup, charger, and sometimes extra clothes. Thanks for sharing your tips and I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!! 🙂

    Reply

  2. This is a great post and I loved seeing more of your living room! So I fold my shirts in half and stack several together then roll them. Less wrinkles and I can fit twice as much in my bag!!
    xo, Lee

    Reply

  9. Beautiful pictures of your house. Love all your furniture! Thanks for the hat tip. Where is the gold bookshelf from behind your couch? So pretty!

    Reply

  11. Loved reading this, the tip on packing your hats is brilliant! Now I can buy a fun hat when I go on holiday this Summer. I will also be travelling with my cat in Summer to the Canaries, so it is great to hear about how your experience was 🙂

    Reply

  17. Great post! Do you have any tips for packing jewelry? And what is your suitcase? I also always travel with my jewelry and make up in my carry on (except when I had young babies and their stuff took over. Lol).

    Reply

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