Guide to Packing

I'm heading to California tomorrow for Spring Break with my family. I thought I'd give a few packing tips that have helped me to avoid packing my whole closet too much. Since my husband and I live in Utah, and our families live on opposite ends of the country (California and Florida) We've done a bit of traveling over the past few years. I think we've taken at least 10 road trips together, so I'm always on the look out for efficient packing tips. While it's tempting to over-pack "just-in-case" it's never fun carrying a heavy bag through the airport or having your bag overflow the second it's unzipped. 

1. Make a list. Include any special activities you'll be doing, medication you don't want to forget, or any weather/climate- specific items (bathing suit, sunscreen, umbrella, etc). For this trip we'll have 2 travel days, 2 days in LA, and a few days in Santa Barbara, a church outfit, day in La Jolla, etc. 

2. Check the Weather. Last time we were in San Diego, the weather was much warmer than I anticipated, which unfortunately meant I was uncomfortable for a bit of the trip. (It was December and for some reason while I was standing in my closet in snowy Utah, I just couldn't picture myself wearing a maxi dress and sandals during Christmas time...turns out I was wrong.) Look at the 10 day forecast a few days before you leave to get an idea of what temps will be. 

2. Lay everything out. A day or 2 ahead, lay your outfits out including any special accessories, shoes, or bags you'll need to bring along. If there's anything you haven't worn for a while- try it on! No sense in packing something that doesn't fit well. 

3 Mix and Match. Try and aim for a simple color palate so you can mix and match pieces. For this trip (and let's be honest, most of my outfits in general) my color palate is navy and white with a few pops of color (pink and mint). This makes it easy to take outfits from day to night, beach to lunch, etc. The only thing worth bringing extrasof are underwear and basic T-shirts. 

4. Toiletries. When I go to California, I usually let my hair go au natural (curly) so the hair products I bring are different from my day-to-day use.  I made a list of these so I don't forget anything. 

5. Electronics. The night before, make sure you have all of your chargers prepared to be packed up with your phone, laptop, camera, ipad, etc. If you're traveling by air, it's also a good idea to have some movies loaded up for the airport/airplane. Or if you're driving- make sure the car chargers are ready to go. 

6. Food/supplements. No matter how I'm traveling, I like to have a few healthy snacks prepped. We will be taking a little cooler this time so it is possible to have things like Chobani yogurts, sandwiches, etc. That's not always the case though, and if no cooler is available easy snacks include pirates booty or popcorn, apple slices, carrot and celery sticks. We usually stop at Subway on the way to California ...and of course, Hot Tamales are a must for me on road trips. As for supplements, I will be bringing my probiotics and fish oil, and I'm sure my husband will be bringing along some protein powder.