I recently took a weekend getaway to Nashville for a bachelorette party. I’ll be talking about the fun things I did in a later post, but wanted to take a moment to talk about traveling light and what I packed.
I made it a rule a few years ago to never take more than one bag with me when I travel. Thanks to airplane regulations and upcharges, that bag is always carry on size or smaller. I get asked a lot about how the heck I do this, and I’m told by a lot of people that they could never do it. But I promise you if I can pack for a month in Europe, including hiking gear for Iceland and fancy clothes for a wedding, that you can pack for just about anything in one bag.
5 Tips for Packing Light
- Check the weather. A few days before your trip, pull up a weather app and make note of what the weather’s doing where you’re headed.
- Make a list of the events in your trip that may require special clothing. Think a night out at a show, a day of rambling through the countryside, or maybe you booked bungee jumping.
- Pack items that go with everything. The easiest way to do this is pack neutral bottoms, and tops in colors that compliment each other.
- Don’t pack for the worst case scenario. If you checked your weather and it says your whole trip will be warm and sunny, skip the rain gear. You’ll be fine, I promise.
- Be realistic: if you’re not comfortable in it at home, you’re not going to wear it while traveling. Travel is exhausting; the last thing you want to do is be tugging at a hemline all damn day when you should be taking in the sights.
What I Packed for Nashville
The bag: eBags TLS Mother Lode Weekend Convertible
Packing cubes: from Amazon years ago, similar
Okay, here we go. Items with an asterisk are what I wore on the plane.
Large packing cube: Clothing
- Green cotton dress*
- Black skinny jeans
- Black tank*
- Gray tank
- Gray t-shirt
- Patterned leggings*
- Gray leggings
- Flannel button down (gifted upon arrival)
- Striped cardigan
- Bras x2
- Underwear x3
- Warm socks x2
- Ankle socks x1
- Vegan leather jacket*
- Hoodie
Medium packing cube: Accessories
- Plaid blanket scarf
- Beanie
- Gloves
- Convertible clutch
- Woo pouch
- Amethyst necklace
- Two sterling silver rings
- Prayer bead bracelets
- Smokey quartz worry stone
- A sigil for safe travel
- Wedge heel booties (in shoe bag)
- Riding boots*
Toiletries
NOTE: I’m aware that some of these products are not vegan. They were purchased before my decision to go vegan and I have chosen to use them up before replacing them with vegan versions. I can rant about consumerism another day, but know that I am actively replacing empties with vegan products.
- 3-1-1 liquids bag
- Travel size Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap
- Shampoo bar
- Small container of my leave in conditioner mixed with curl cream
- Comb
- Face cream with SPF
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Chapstick
- Essential oil roller ball
- Deoderant
- Liquid makeup items
- Mascara
- Concealer
- Brow gel
- Liquid lipstick
- Makeup bag
- Powder foundation
- Blush
- Eyeshadow
- Eyeliner
- Powder brush
- Double-ended eyeshadow brush
- Cotton swabs
Electronics & Other Travel Essentials
- Phone & charger
- Earbuds
- Wireless noise-canceling headphones
- Auxiliary cable & iPhone dongle
- Car charger
- Notebook & pen
- Wallet
That’s it. That’s all I brought. And honestly, if it wasn’t for a bachelorette party, I would cut the makeup out almost entirely. I have a lot more adventures coming over the next year, and I’m happy to share those lists too. They’ll look a lot like this one! But if you want more in-depth reasoning behind why I choose the things that I do, feel free to leave a comment.
DISCLAIMER: Some things aren’t pictured due to my time constraints, but I promise you they were all in the bag!
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