Packing for a long trip – Luggage and general tips

Ok so before I begin this post. I have a confession. I have not packed yet. I have not even opened a suitcase. But I do have a plan. The plan is NOT to overpack. I love to travel but I’m not a fan of airports, nor am I fan of lugging around 5 bags of luggage through an airport. I plan to pack a carry on, a large hand bag and one large suitcase. A month will fit in those three items if my life depended on it! Check out my tips for Packing for a long trip – Luggage.

I pack very differently if I’m hopping over to another Caribbean island or a short weekend trip than I would for a long trip. I am no expert by any means, but I’ve been on long trips to India and Europe before and I find that it helps to make a list of thngs that you will need. Particularly in my case this time around. Why? I will be travelling out from the rainy season in my country to the Fall in the Us, to Spring in Australia. Count it, that’s three seasons. Thankfully, the clothes for Fall and Spring are not that far apart that I cannot improvise. So here are some things I plan to back.

This will generally be the bulk of the packing items. I find that if you find clothes that can mix and match you don’t have to pack that much. This is not that difficult for me as I generally wear black or sombre colours so everything matches anyway. Also I plan to shop while abroad so I generally won’t be packing too much clothing at the very beginning anyway. My tip would be to plan for the seasons you will be travelling into. I generally wear shorts at home but that wont fly in the Fall (US) or Spring (Aus). So what general items will I be packing?

Pants (jeans, soft)

Leggings

Tops (long sleeve and tank)

Sweaters

Skirts

Dresses (casual, day)

Cardigans

It is really important on long trips to determine whether or not you will need outfits for special occasions. Maybe you will be attending church regualarly, or you have an event or conference you are attending while abroad. Whatever it is, you can still pack wisely. I have a wedding to attend while I’m in Australia. I plan on purchasing an outfit while I’m in the US but I do also plan on packing a backup, just in case. In short, have a couple of options but make sure they can be folded into a small package.

Dresses for weddings

Since footwear takes up a lot of space, I wont be packing much of this but I think these are necessary! When in doubt while packing choose black or a dark colour … it will (usually) go with any outfit. Again, also take into consideration the seasons you will be travelling into. Below is generally the footwear I plan to pack;

Booties

Flip Flops

Pumps

Sneakers (for exercise)

This is super important for me personally. I have a tendency to forget chargers and it is extremely important that my Ipad be at 100% when I enter the airplane for the long trip from LA to Australia. I also plan on packing my Macbook Pro which I will purchase on Saturday and other items. I find that its important to check whether or not the country that you will be flying to has the same electricity voltage and ports that you do, and if not research so that you can find an adapter that would be able to convert your item to the item in the country to which you are travelling. For instance, my sister is already arranging to have adapters for the charger for my camera etc. It’s the little things that we dont necessarily think about.

Ipad

Iphone

Camera

Macbook
Chargers
Memory cards and flash drives

There are other items that may be important for a ltrip. For long plane rides, although I have my  Ipad for e-books, ill also be carrying some phsyical books with me. Thanks to Kristen, I managed to dig up my old Pride and Prejudice which will give me a good plane read. The other miscellaneous items I plan to back are below.

Books

Planners

Journal

If you what to see what I pack makeup wise, check out this post!

Have a great Thursday guys!!!