Tired of lugging heavy bags around? Streamline your holiday travel with these 25 essential items. Fit a week of cute outfits into your carry on.
If you’re anything like me, the holiday season is a mixed blessing. I’m looking forward to time with family and friends, but also dreading the pressure of shopping, cleaning up cooking messes, and dragging heavy bags of luggage around during holiday travel.
Merry and Light
Whether or not you’ll be traveling this holiday season, keep reading for some great ideas to streamline your travel wardrobe the next time you set out for an adventure.
While there may not be much we can do about family drama and crazy mall shopping, we can control how heavy our luggage is. It’s not too early to start planning your packing items now!
Get started by printing this list of 25 items you need to pack for holiday travel.
Here are ten tried and true travel tips I’ve used over the years. You can find more from fashion bloggers here.
- Organize groups of items in ziploc bags or packing cubes.
- Roll, don’t fold clothes. This decreases wrinkles and allows more room.
- Use the straps inside your suitcase or bag, or make use of a belt to compress clothing further.
- Ditch the heels. They take lots of space and you’ll probably only wear them once. Opt for a chic pair of flats instead.
- Bring a neutral dress or skirt. You never know when you’ll have to attend an unexpected event.
- Consider borrowing bulky clothes like sweaters, robes and scarves from those you’re staying with.
- A pretty scarf is your best friend. Choose a bright or contrasting print. This one item will greatly expand your options. You can also use it as a light blanket or roll it up for a pillow in a pinch.
- Resist adding items at the last minute.
- Travel with the same comfortable items you wear at home. This isn’t the time to break in a new pair of stilletos or a scratchy sweater.
- Bring layers for unpredictable weather. While this is a common trick, you be wondering how to layer with limited items. Here’s an example:
- Jeans
- Sleeveless tank
- Pullover sweater
- Scarf
- Zip-front vest
My Number One Travel Tip
After you’ve printed your 25 Item Holiday Packing List, keep reading for instructions on how to make it work for you.
After logging countless travel miles, my favorite tip for reducing bulky luggage is this one. Limit your wardrobe palette to just three colors, and make two of them neutrals.
Examples:
- black, white, and pink
- grey, white, and blue
- tan, brown and green
Get the idea? The first time you do this, it will seem extremely limiting. But trust me-when you reach your destination with a spring in your step, you’ll be on board with the idea.
Surprisingly, a limited color palette actually gives you more options for outfits that look pulled-together. If you were a Garanimals fan in the 70s, this idea may seem familiar.
Instead of matching animal tags, you can be confident that everything in your luggage will mix and match. This way, you have more options with fewer items.
25 Items
The items on the list work well for any climate or schedule, as long as you choose them wisely. You can fit a week’s worth of holiday outfits in a carry on bag and have all these decisions out of the way.
Your bulkiest clothing, like jeans, coat, and walking shoes, should become your “travel suit”. That’s the outfit you’ll wear to your destination and home again. If you have a place to do laundry at your get-away, even better!
In the end, deciding what to pack using this list leaves you with energy for fun and family. You’ll also be confident you look your best for family photos and once-a-year get togethers.
