Packing light for a 3 week trip

I go back and forth on this.  On the one hand, I like to dress nicely and have all my personal conveniences, so I have been known to bring a large suitcase on vacation.  But, more and more, I really appreciate only having a small suitcase to maneuver around.  It doesn't need to be checked, which saves time at the airport and it is so much easier to take from place to place. Also, if you have a smaller suitcase, you necessarily have less stuff which take less time to pack up and go to the next destination.

But, this does require a bit of planning.

I try for mix and match and for things that can be layered, and assorted accessories.  Choosing the right shoes is the trickiest.  We always walk a lot, so any shoe I bring has to be good for that.  For this trip I brought a pair of mary jane sneakers, a pair of somewhat dressy looking walking sandals and wore another pair of nice looking sandals.  I made sure to wear the chunkiest pair of shoes and stuffed things inside the other shoes that are in my suitcase. If you look closely at the photos below you can see the three pair of shoes I brought.

Some of these clothes might look familiar ...

This is what I packed:
1 - long cotton dress
2 - skirts
2 - capri pants
2 - tank tops
3 - short sleeve tops
2 - 3/4 sleeve tops
1 - semi sheer jacket
1 - thin sweater with hood
1 - beach cover up
1 - swim suit
2 - short nighties
1 - yoga pants

5 - underpants
1 - bra
2 - pr. socks
2 - roll up sun hats
2 - pr. shoes
2 - scarves
small bag of cheap jewelry

I wore on the plane: 
long pants, 3/4 sleeve top, sandals

In my small carry on was my little fleece jacket, thin wind breaker a big scarf and socks.

Now, since I was packing for a very hot place, the fabrics were thin. But this was good because I needed to pack more tops than I might because I got so sweaty everyday.

This is how I packed it all. I used the flip flop method of layering and then folding clothes over top of other clothes.  I developed this myself (it's how I always pack costumes for shipment to Simplicity), but I have now discovered a website with a tutorial for packing light that uses this method (great minds think alike!) Click here to visit this tutorial.

Here I am layering my clothes before folding them over on top of each other.

All packed up ready to close.

But, remember, I am planning to buy fabric and gifts to bring back.  So I am not stuffing my suitcase really full.  I plan to check my bag after I have too much stuff and will make another tote bag to carry. And if things get really bad, I can expand my suitcase by about two inches.  (I did end up doing this)

So, this is what I started out with and that is what I had when I packed up to come home.

Oh, also I threw out one pair of shoes, a nightie and my long pant. I planned on doing this.  It makes room for new stuff.

Now it's best to choose clothes that can mostly be washed in the sink.  We sometimes pay to have a few things professionally washed and ironed.  We have also found laundromats at times.  But, since it is just my husband and me now it's easier to wash out a few things every day or two.  I found underwear for both of us and socks that are designed for travel and dry quickly.  You can buy them at the website that has the packing tutorial above.

My washing kit ... a rubber stopper (in case the sink leaks), a twisted bungie cord clothes line (doesn't require clothes pins) and a package of dry sheets of laundry soap for travel. Since it's dry it can be in your carry-on on and doesn't need to go in the little bag of liquids.

Our first batch of laundry. We were gone for 21 days, so I probably did this 10 times. I got really fast at it!

But, I'm not sure how well everything was getting washed, so when I got home I soaked all the clothes I took in OXI Clean and gave them a good washing.

I mentioned liquids. This is another challenge. I've bought little bottles to decant all the shampoos and face creams I like. Really, I had no trouble putting in enough liquids to get me through 3 weeks into a one quart zip-lock bag. But, most hotels ... not all ... have those things for you in case you run short. And you can always buy stuff ... 

So, here are a bunch of photos taken of me during this trip to show you that it's possible to dress well (enough) so you can focus on the places you are visiting with a carry on suitcase.

And, I want you to know I had a banquet to attend in Singapore.  This trip was partially a work trip for my husband.  No photo was taken of me in my "nice" outfit.  So, I've dressed my form in what I wore to the banquet.  As you can see, accessories are key.

I was sitting at table most of the time. So the neck area was the most important!


In closing, I want to say that I was inspired by an article I read about Cynthia Rowley the fashion designer.


She travels a lot with her husband and 2 daughters and claims to NEVER check luggage.  So, I thought, if she can do it, so can I.


And I did.

---