In April, Eric told me to take a few specific days off in September so we could go on an anniversary trip—a mystery location. He told me to pack my bags for a long weekend, but didn’t tell me where we were going. Could you imagine my anxiety? I LOVE planning trips! But I knew I was in good hands. Though I knew the weekend’s activities were being taken care of, I was still stressing about one thing—packing!
It’s so hard to pack for a weekend without knowing what the activities will be, let alone the CLIMATE. So, what do you do—how do you pack?
I will preface this post by saying I was told if the weather was going to be extreme (i.e. snowy vs. a heat wave), but wasn’t told if it would be chilly vs. beachy. I could have asked more questions, but I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could pack appropriately and try to move past my packing anxiety.
Step 1: Just breathe.
I know that picking out clothes and packing is the single most important thing to prep for a trip, but sometimes you just need to do things blind, and that’s okay.
Step 2: Start from the top
Without knowing what the climate will be, it’s best to start with tops, which I personally feel are the most stressful part of outfit planning. Or getting ready for the day even at home.
I went with two lightweight, long sleeved tops to be my staple items of the weekend. Not knowing if I’ll be at a beach or colder, windy weather, I thought this might be the most neutral option. Lightweight, long sleeved tops can not only be dressed up or down, but can also be layered to accommodate almost any type of weather.
Two short-sleeved tops were also brought along. These are perfect for warmer temperatures! Shorter-sleeved tops (i.e. a fitted cap-sleeved top or a simple t-shirt) are the perfect item to layer! You can wear a cute jacket, a sweatshirt, or a shawl over these if you are in cooler temps, or wear them without layers for warmer temps.
Step 3: The bottoms
This step was probably the easiest one for me. I’m pretty comfortable in jeans in almost any weather, but still wanted something lighter just in case we were going somewhere warmer. I opted to stick with a light-denim colored pair of jeans and a pair of capris should it have been a warmer day.
Jeans and capris are great because they can be dressed up or down. Jeans also work with nearly any type of weather. Jeans and capri pants also work with any top or shoe type. For this trip, I opted for a skinny jean, and a straight-cut capri pant.
Some of my packing anxiety went down also when I layed out both pairs of pants and all tops on my floor to make sure they would all match each other. Mixing and matching saves room in your luggage and allows for more outfit choices with less actual items of clothing.
Step 4: Accessories
Though I don’t accessorize my outfits too much, I do have two staple accessories that I never travel without: a scarf and shoes.
Fashion scarves are great in any weather and climate. Not only do they look good, but they are also great for creating shade or keeping warm. I packed a larger, medium-weight scarf that can be worn with multiple styles around my neck or even as a shawl around my shoulders when untied. The scarf I brought this trip was earthy shades of blues, greens, and tans. I’ve brought scarves of varying colors (i.e. shades of purple, green, white, etc.) on previous trips, but wanted to go with more neutrally colors since I wasn’t sure where I was traveling.
There are also really great infinity scarves out there that have a special pocket in them to conceal your passport, wallet, phone, or anything that is needing to be hidden. While I don’t yet have one, I am really excited about the Speakeasy Travel Supply scarves and am hoping to buy one soon.
Shoes! My favorite thing to have and my least favorite thing to pack. They are always so bulky and difficult to fit in any bag! This is why picking the perfect shoes are so important. For this trip, I brought my black, lightweight Nike Tanjuns and a pair of Sanuk Yoga Sling 2 sandals. I feel like I could walk for days in either of these shoes (though probably not recommended—maybe get some real hiking boots for that 
). Plus, these Nikes and Sanuks work with the previously-mentioned outfits, regardless of which I was wearing that day. Woohoo!
Speaking of, does anyone have any tips on how to pack shoes better? I just wrap them up so the bottoms don’t touch the rest of my clothes and use them as storage as best as I can, but I feel like there’s gotta be a better way…
Step 5: Miscellaneous Items
Since I wasn’t sure where we were going, I probably definitely packed more than what was needed in the miscellaneous category. Here’s a list of a few random items I brought with juuuust in case.
- Swimsuit
- Lightweight gloves – i.e. small “one-size” knit vs. full-on winter
- Passport – we flew within the continental United States, so I could have left my passport at home and brought my passport card instead
- Lightweight jacket
- Baseball cap – but with the Timberwolves logo-basketball
- Sunscreen! If you’re like me, you will sun burn even in the snow…
- Camera
So where did we end up? Boston, Massachusetts! It was chillier, but beautiful and so amazing! Highly recommend visiting Fenway Park and taking in the town’s rich history. We even spent one day in Salem. In love!
I think you covered all of the basics for me. I agree that tops can be one of the hardest parts of packing. I always seem to have more than enough bottoms though!