Suitcase Organization

Yesterday, I gave tips for planning a road trip, today I want to talk to you about organizing your suitcase. With the right tools and proper planning you could easily travel for two weeks with just one small carry-on, like my daughter and I did in March of 2014 when we went to Hawaii. That's right..one carry on for two adults. Here is how I did it.

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Have a medium size carry on . I have found this is the perfect size, it fits in all over head compartments, fits under the seat, and is easy to roll around a city if you make a side trip.

Use these awesome pack-it envelopes . If you fold the items correctly you can fit up to 7-12 items in this envelope. Hubby I can only fit 7, but for the teeanger and I can fit up to 12!

Use these awesome pack it cubes. These are great for keeping socks and undies together, or shirts/shorts that you can roll. I was able to fit a week's worth of undies and socks into one cube for the teenager and I. 

Don't over pack. For a week long trip you don't need a ton of stuff, we went for two weeks and I packed enough for one week and just washed items since I was staying with a friend. Things like jeans, shorts, or skirts can be worn multiple times before needing to be washed, so bringing just a couple items to fit different situations will work. 

Utilize your personal item. I typically put individual toiletries in our personal item. For example, my purse will carry any feminine hygene products and/or make-up I need. 

Fold your dirty laundry. This may sound bizarre but when you are at the end of your trip and won't be needing to keep dirty and clean laundry separate just fold up the laundry as it will help you fit it all back in. 

Do you have an great suitcase organization tips we should know about?

Packing Tips

When traveling a lot, packing can become a bit of second nature. So, I decided to share a few tips I've come across when talking to friends and acquaintences. 

Wear the thickest/heaviest items. If you have to bring a heavy coat, wear it. If you have to bring big bulky shoes, like boots, wear them. If you are bringing a pair of jeans but shorts for other days, wear the jeans. This saves valuable space and will allow you to fit more into a small space.

Multi-week trips choose lodging with laundry facilities. Many Air BnB rentals have laundry facilities, almost all hostels I've looked at have laundry facilities, and you can always utilize the sink and some soap if need be. But, this will help you to pack light for longer trips.

Know your destination and check the weather 24 hours before you leave. It is very important to be prepared with this information so you know if you should have a poncho with you, bring rain boots and an umbrella, or ensure you have shorts if you need it.

Be aware of local customs. This is important, when we went to Rome it was hot (85+F degree days) but to go into the churches there your knees must be covered as well as your shoulders...had we not looked in to this before hand we would have been very upset. In the middle east there are actual laws for how men and women (yes, even visitors) are supposed to dress, so just make yourself familiar with local customs and are prepared for the weather.

For some ideas on what to pack, here is what we packed for our weekend in Rome. I will try to do more of these posts as I find them really helpful when I am getting ready to go somewhere.

Do you have any more packing tips I should add? 

Have you ever visited a place with a "dress code"?

Packing for a weekend in Rome, Italy in October

Our weekend in Rome, last weekend was fantastic! I felt really prepared for the whole weekend and think I am finally getting this packing thing down to a science now that this has been our third weekend trip.

When traveling, especially in Europe, I have found it is important to know a bit about where you are going first so do your research. In Rome, many of the churches-St. Peter's specifically-require you to cover shoulders and knees. Also, unlike where I am Rome is still very, very warm in October-80+ Fahrenheit. 

This is an overview of what we brought:

1 dressy outfit each for a nice dinner one night including shoes

Tennis shoes for sight seeing

Jeans to wear in to the church

Light fall blazer for me to cover my shoulders

Pajamas

3 shirts each

1 pair of shorts each

Personal items

Now, on our way there we chose to wear our dressy stuff as it was bulky and knew it would be hard to get into the small backpack we were carrying.

This was hubby's outfit:

Dress shirt, jeans, boots

Mine:

Dress shirt, jeans, heels, blazer

These were our bulkiest items and basically what we wore home, just with different shirts. We wore the bulkiest stuff to travel in so we could fit everything we wanted for the weekend in our one small backpack.

These were the outfits I created while i was there:

Light weight breezy cropped tank, shorts, tennis shoes, hair in a bun and sunnies.

Hubby just wore his classic shorts, t-shirt, and tennis shoes.

On day two I wore thsi comfy ruffled tank, my shorts again (no need to pack two for just two days) and tennis shoes.

Comfy and casual. At any time I could have switched out my shorts for jeans and threw on my blazer to get into the cathedral.

This was my outfit for our one nice dinner out. I packed a high waist pleather skirt from H&M, a cold shoulder crop from guess, and my awesome leather heels with an ankle strap from a local designer here in Holland. They are insanely comfortable since they are real leather.

Hubs wore an embroidered collared shirt with jeans and his awesome boots.

The weather can get chilly in the evening since it is fall, but with all our walking we were dressed just right. 

This was a super easy wardrobe and really helped me to be comfortable and buzz all over the city with no complaints!

We used the Eagle Creek Pack-it folder and cubes like these:

Eagle Creek Pack It Folder

Eagle Creek Pack it Cube

These save so much room and allow us to take just one backpack when traveling for a weekend!

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