Girl Getaways: Pack Right, Pack Light!

The best stories come from those special mini-vacations with your best friends. You’ve got your tickets, booked dinners at the best local restaurants, and scheduled your massages (complete with a cute cabana boy), but what to pack?

A Foot Ahead

Starting from the toes up, the right shoes can make or break a vacation. It might be tempting to pack those spiked LaBoutins for a night out on the town, but practicality has to come into play too. The New York Times asks a flight attended for shoe-packing advice in an article entitled: “The Best Shoes for Travel.” Who better to ask about shoes for travel than someone who travels everyday and is on their feet for up to 13 hours a day?

“You’re looking for something that’s comfortable inside but at the same time doesn’t look too casual on the outside, which is pretty difficult,” said Bobby Laurie, a Los Angeles-based flight attendant. The same can be said for any vacation where you plan on walking around, sight seeing, or going out. Flight attendants agree that packing one pair of sensible pumps and one pair of flats should be enough.

Pack Light, Pack Right

There are plenty of tips for packing light that most of us don’t even think about. We start daydreaming about how wonderful a theoretical outfit would look and decide that it couldn’t hurt to throw it in the bag with the others. However, this is generally not a good idea. “Marie Claire” points out that many rookie travelers make this mistake, and a general rule of thumb is that if you don’t use something at home on a regular basis, then you shouldn’t pack it.

Packing outfits to be color coordinated is also a great space saver. If you’re headed to Vegas, try gold handbags and accessories, pink for Miami, or blue for the Caribbean. This way, you only need to bring one set of accessories, one scarf, and one coat, and just switch out tube dresses, blouses and pants/shorts. Triple the amount of outfit choices in half the space. The same goes for layering, when you’re leaving, instead of packing three extra bulky sweaters for the evenings, throw some silk long-johns and a wool cardigan on instead and you’ll be as warm as if you were wearing a saber-tooth tiger pelt.

Wherever your weekend may take you, some expert tips of the trade will lessen your burden so you can have fun without worrying about blister-covered feet and a bag of knick-knacks you don’t need.