Travel essentials to travel lightly and still be extra, sounds counterintuitive, right? From one extra queen to another, I get it. While the term often resounds as a dig, I like to think of it as being passionate about what lights me on fucking fire. From the clothes I wear to my passion surrounding skincare, the extra oozes out of me, and SO WHAT? It’s a volume button inside ourselves that we should never turn all the way down. Even when it comes to packing for a trip. Yeah: you read that right. You CAN have your cake and eat it too, it just might not be exactly how you originally envisioned it…yet.
As a woman who loves options and comfort above all else when it comes to packing, it can often get painfully tricky. One forgotten product leads to another idea spark, and next thing you know, you’re 3 suitcases deep and your boyfriend or friends want to punch you in the fucking tit. Not to mention, it’s just NOT fun. Do you love sweating and stressing yourself out schlepping your shit all over creation? It can’t feel great. My twenties were full of that shit, it stressed me the fuck out. There is a solution, though. It took years of my thirties full of business trips to perfect it over trial and error! Let this post be your spirit guide to learn how to travel lightly and STILL be extra!
Solve The Root Of The Problem First
Attachment to “things” is an emotional one, similar to last week’s mention of our emotions controlling our desires to procrastinate. A way that’s really helped me take stock of what I actually need is visualizing myself on every day of the trip, and picking pieces that mix well if I’m feeling something different while on the trip. My outfit packing list looks like this:
- No more than 3 large accessories (jewelry). I bring a medium-sized one and several stackable chain necklaces to mix and match. Since the chains are small, you can have enough room for another medium or large one. Put it in a collapsable bag: I LOVE this one, which is similar to the vintage one my family gave me almost 15 years ago.
- I’m never without some Carbon38 piece that doubles as travel wear and workwear/evening, for example. They’re wrinkle-free and wash easily which is key for long trips. Use code MGRAGG50 for 20% off your first order!
- Wrap and roll. You DEF don’t need a checked bag to get your outfits to your destination unscathed. I use old plastic dry cleaning bags (Rent The Runway stocks me up with my weekly orders). Place each rolled item horizontally in your clothing side of your luggage, bulkiest on the bottom and lighter on the top. Same goes for multiple layers of rolls.
- Stuff in the jewelry to the clothing side, along with other light items like bras.
Travel Essentials To Travel Lightly and Still Be Extra
Get Your Toiletries Under Control
Never pack your actual makeup bag. Take out the essentials (or have a travel set (x2) if you value time back on prepping). I like to reuse my old Glossier ziplock bags, they’re durable enough for travel and easy to mold into your suitcase unlike a traditional toiletry kit that sucks up valuable surface area in a carry-on. My go-to balanced skincare routine and makeup that ALL fits in a carry on are below:
So there you have it: you can travel lightly AND still feel extra. Take that cake and pack it, because you have more where that came from! Packing for a ski trip? I got that for ya too: hack your gear and aprés arsenal the unofficial way.
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Biz Trip Hat + Profit Tee (SOLD OUT) a la Mrs. Dow Jones
Photos by Alix of Alix Kramer Photography
