If you have a fun trip planned for this summer, that’s probably all you can think about right now. And while planning a vacation can be a lot of fun, especially if you have some exciting activities scheduled, packing for a trip can challenging, to say the least. It seems like you always overpack and bring the wrong items or end up forgetting essential items at home—and the last thing you want is to have the wrong clothes for your trip. Here are a few helpful tips to guarantee you’ll have the perfect wardrobe at the ready for your upcoming summer trip.
Choose the Right Fabrics
The fabric of the clothing items you choose to pack can make a big difference—you need to consider fabric choices for two reasons: weather and convenience. If you’re going somewhere where it’s going to be hot and humid, you obviously want some lighter fabrics, like cotton or linen blouses, and possibly some moisture-wicking pieces, too.
If you’re going somewhere colder, you’ll need fabrics that will help keep you warm, like wool sweaters or long sleeve shirts. And as for convenience, you should consider clothing items made from fabrics that won’t wrinkle or tear easily, especially for more delicate pieces, like dresses. This way, you can simply pull your clothes out of your bag and get on with your fay without having to worry about ironing. Cotton and denim clothing items are usually safe options.
Keep Colors Simple
If you’re someone who typically wears a lot of colors, you may want to tone it down for your trip. You don’t want to end up with a suitcase of clothing items that can only be worn with other certain pieces—this is going to severely limit your clothing options and most likely result in overpacking. Instead, consider packing pieces that are all within the same color scheme or keep it neutral. In doing this, you can mix and match your clothing more easily.
Don’t forget that you can match patterned items with solids, so you can still have fun and color in your wardrobe while keeping it practical. For example, you can check out some new arrivals and invest in a high-quality off the shoulder blouse. If you buy an off the shoulder top in a pretty floral pattern, you can pair it with a few different solid color bottoms. So you can still wear your favorite clothing items and keep your travel wardrobe light.
Be Mindful of Shoes
Shoes can take up a lot of room in your luggage, so it’s important to keep your shoe collection to a minimum—ideally, you’d only pack two or three pairs of shoes for your trip. You should pack shoes that will be good for the activities you have planned. If you’re going to be doing a lot of walking or hiking, you’ll need comfortable, durable sneakers or hiking shoes.
If you plan on lounging by a pool or at the beach all day, then some sandals will be perfect. And if you have any nice dinner plans scheduled during your trip, bring one pair of nice heels or sandals that will match multiple outfits. Of course, you may be doing activities that don’t require any shoes, like taking bodyboarding lessons. In this case, you don’t have to worry about your shoe choice, you just need to focus on packing whichever clothing items your surf lesson instructor tells you to wear.
Packing for your upcoming summer vacation can be both stressful and exciting. But if you plan out your outfits ahead of time, be mindful about choosing each item for a purpose, and keep these tips in mind, you’ll have the perfect trip wardrobe ready to go.
