packing for vacation.

One of my favorite parts of traveling is the packing... unpacking, not so much (ugh, laundry!) but, selecting the outfits and packing everything away for a trip is so fun to me. We left early this morning for a fun vacation full of family reunion amazingness and a cousin's wedding. Think, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, only better because it will have the view of the Niagara Falls, and my amazing Arabic family. Yea, awesome!! So, I thought I would share my little way of organizing and packing for a trip since I find it so much fun.

1 // set the itinerary

Once I start working on a trip I always start with the itinerary. It gets the juices flowing and you can start thinking about what you will need for the trip. Which shoes are best for the day, which are needed for night, all those important things. Once your itinerary is set you can move on to the clothes.

2 // select the clothing per event

I always try and break up the days on vacation so I can have a morning/day outfit and then a night outfit. This isn't always needed and even when you have an itinerary set up with a break in the day to change for a night event, you may not have time to change, but it is always a good idea to make sure you have enough options.

3 // pack for multiple uses

you can pack several things to use in many different ways like; shoes that can be worn multiple times, tank tops that can be worn under shirts and alone, changing up outfits with different jewelry and shoes for a night event. All of these things are easy to do and helps you pack lighter also.

4 // try on all outfits to make sure you like it

nothing is more annoying than picturing an outfit in your head that seems like a great idea and then putting it on once you are on vacation and hating it. Try everything on while you are packing/organizing to make sure you like the way you look in it.

5 // zip-lock bags are your best friend

especially if you are going on a long trip and you want to make sure you stay organized with each day. During our honeymoon we traveled to 6 different hotels in 10 days so organization was key for me. I packed each days outfit in a separate zip-lock back with the jewelry included. It also saved on a ton of space in my bags since you can press the air out of the bags. I don't do this for every trip but when I know I will be moving around a lot, it is a must.

What are your vacation packing secrets?!? Anything I must know?

I'd love to hear them!!!