How to Efficiently Pack for a Weekend Trip
You’re completely excited about your upcoming weekend trip. You have your boarding passes for the Newark airport. Your destination hotel is booked. And you’ve found someone to watch your pets for a couple of days. All that remains is packing. Somehow, that seems like the toughest task! After all, you can think of a use for practically everything in your closet. What you need are some weekend trip packing tips.
Develop Your Packing List for a Weekend Trip
Before you get too stressed out, remember that learning how to pack for a weekend trip isn’t as challenging as it might first appear. You simply have to keep some pointers in mind:
- Get out your pen and paper and write down everything you think you can use on your trip. Then, go over each item again. Cross off an item if it isn’t absolutely necessary. In most cases, you can quickly eliminate at least half of the items you might have brought by simply thinking about your journey realistically.
- Cut back on the toiletries. Do you really need a full bottle of shampoo or conditioner? Is it necessary to take everything that’s sitting on your bathroom countertop? Consider where you’re going. You may be able to buy items at your destination. Alternatively, your destination may offer free toiletries, such as hair products, a hair dryer, face cream, hand cream and soaps. Even if they aren’t your preferred brand, you can probably live with them for two days.
- Choose a small carry-on bag for all your belongings. Tell yourself that everything you bring must fit in the carry-on, no exceptions. This will help you start paring down on what goes into the carry-on. If you limit yourself space-wise, you have no choice but to make smarter decisions.
- Stop yourself from packing so many shoes! Most travelers end up wearing one, maybe two, pairs of shoes during any weekend getaway. For instance, if you’re heading to the beach, are you honestly going to wear your dressier shoes? Or are you just throwing them in the suitcase “in case?”
- Roll your clothes rather than flattening them. Rolling clothing can actually help you save space, and it can keep your clothes from getting wrinkled, too. To roll any wearable item, lay it flat on a surface like the bed, and then simply roll it tightly. If it’s a wrinkle-resistant fabric, you may first want to fold it to minimize the resulting roll size.
- Leave your expensive jewelry at home. With the exception of jewelry you wear on a daily basis, such as your wedding or engagement ring, you might as well leave your jewelry where it is. Who wants to worry about losing it when you should be relaxing on your weekend trip?
- Stuff socks and underwear into nooks and crannies of your carry-on. This will help you maximize the space in your bag without adding too much heft or bulk.
- Reconsider bringing your laptop. Yes, it can be difficult to disconnect, but isn’t that what a weekend trip is all about? As long as you have your smart phone, you can get in touch with those you care about. Use your traveling as an excuse to unplug. Your emails will be waiting for you when you return!
When you pack light, you pack wisely. Plus, the less you have to lug around the Newark airport when you’re getting to your gate, the better!
