packing. i am not a good packer.
So I am starting my packing today. Yes it takes me several days to pack.
I am not a quick decision maker and I am an overpacker.
My mom told me to lay out what I wanted to bring and then pack half that.
Half that?!!
Ouch.
10 days in London sounds like a long time to me. I want to pack cute outfits and fun shoes and hats and….someone reign me in.
I might run into someone important. Say Kate and William. I want to make a good first impression!
Whew, thanks Kate. I appreciate the support. Although when you traveled to the US this past year I doubt you did it one bag.
Apparently the way to do this whole packing thing is layering. Layer after layer after layer without looking like the Pillsbury doughboy.
But I definitely am packing an umbrella. Which since it hasn’t rained in Austin in almost 3 months I had to go buy one. The man at Walgreens looked at my purchase and immediately asked where I was going.
I guess I should get started. I mean that suit case isn’t going to pack itself. Wish me luck!
Are you an overpacker? Any tips?
What Kelly Said 
Good luck!!!! I’m not the best at packing. I always take too much, but hoping I won’t do that when I pack for San Francisco in 26 days. Yep that’s right I have an official count down. Enjoy London 🙂
Those pictures were hilarious! I always pack too much. I always think it’s better to have too many clothes than not enough. I figure as long as you can fit it in the # of suitcases you’re allowing yourself to take, then CRAM, CRAM, CRAM!!! Ha!
I used to be an overpacker, but now that you have to pay for extra bags on planes, i’ve suddenly become very, very good at it 🙂 I manage to bring everything as carry-on even if I’m gone for a week!
I am SUCH an over-packer. It’s bad. My mom forced me to use a teeny tiny carry on when I flew to TX earlier this year for a 6 day stay. SIX DAYS. TINY CARRY ON.
I’m sure you can imagine how well that went for me.
Kelly, I will DIE if you see Kate and William. Well, really just Kate 🙂
I’ve gotten pretty savvy at light packing. Just remember, you can wear things again and again without getting them dirty (especially in chillier weather when you’re not sweating all the time). Pack stuff with basic colors so that all of your pieces will go together, instead of packing a shirt that only looks good with a certain skirt, etc.
Have SO much fun!!!
Haha I’m with you, I’m a huge overpacker. I’m dreading thinking about packign for a week in Jamaica, and a week at home at the same time. SO MANY CLOTHES!
I’m an over packer as well. I agree that you should pack stuff that you can wear a few times. I also bought space saver bags when I went to the Galapagos islands cause space on that little ship was very limited! Obviously look for the kind that you can just push the air out so u wont need a vacuum. Good luck & have fun!
I am definitely an over packer, but I end up not needing hardly any of the stuff I brought. I tend to wear the same few things to be comfortable, so why bother bringing all that stuff? I know, easier said than done.
oh i am the worst packer!! usually i pack too much and then only wear half. But on my 10 day trip to Poland this month I had to pack only in a carry-on suitcase due to all the travel and it was a crazy challenge, but it worked out sooo well! I was so happy I didnt have to drag a huge suitcase everywhere. It took me a week to pack the carry on. I laid everything out, I tried on EVERYTHING. I wanted to make sure I was picking my most comfortable, layerable, and mix and matchable outfits. In the end everything could be mixed and changed for warmer or cooler weather. I cut out a lot of the “what if i feel like” outfits/jewlery and stuck with the “this is my favorite” ones instead. It ended up being mostly cooler, and I know London is always rainy, so I would recommend packing more for cooler temps with some short sleeves in case the days are warmer. (My bf regretted wasting space on shorts.) Also highly recommend rolling. my clothes suddenly became so tiny and i had plenty of room for souvenirs (read: chocolate) on the way back!
I over pack with the best of them. Basically, I bring my entire closet with me regardless of how long I’m gone. I like to have options.
I have the opposite problem, I’m an underpacker! I’m little and hate having too much luggage to handle. I rarely have more than one small bag. I do pack ahead though. I lay out my “wish list” of everything, then widdle it down thinking about what I’ll realistically wear. Shoes are the worst – they take up the most room. If you can pick just a few, you’ll have much more room for extra clothes. Oh, and I wear a lot of black and jeans when I travel. Just easy.
Fall and winter is mot difficult for ME to dress for, because I feel like I too look like the pillsbury doughboy when I layer clothes. I don’t know how to do it “right”.
Also – I agree with your Mom. Lay out what you want to bring and honestly only bring half. You’re probably going to want to shop while you’re there too!
I also put outfits together before I packed. I learned that this year, actually lol.
And roll your clothes! You’ll fit more when you’re bringing back the London goodies!
hahaha love the umbrella scenario. It needs to rain in Texas!!
Have fun in London!
OMG I can’t believe Kim Kardashian’s personal assistant didn’t have an umbrella. Someone got fired that day….
Do you have TOMS?? I recommend bringing them as a great shoe to walk around in!
I need to read the comments for tips. I’m a total over packer!! I need an intervention! Enjoy your trip!
I am SUCH an overpacker! When we just went to the beach for TWO days, I packed an entire suitcase and I only really wore one outfit because we stayed in and lounged at the hotel in our pjs one of our nights! I just can’t help it…I just feel unsafe leaving some of my clothes at home in case I want to wear them!
I’m a terrible packer… I usually overpack and then forget something critical.. It’s a gift!
I wish I had tips for you – I am the WORST packer alive. Good luck!
Love the photos. I think you should just use a several thousand dollar bag as an umbrella like Kim. That’s what I do.
Good luck! You can always buy some cute things there and they will be automatically cooler just because they came from London. Even if you could buy the exact same thing here, the ‘from just across the pond’ factor automatically elevates their status.
I used to be a notorious over packer. Well, I say used to be, I’m still nothing special but I have had to improve just lately. Ironically enough, that’s down to the fact that I now cart a DSLR around with me. I can’t say that I much fancy trusting it to the hold, so I bought myself a lovely backpack camera case. Of course, it has to be treated as my one precious piece of cabin baggage and it most certainly does not appreciate having six pairs of socks, two shirts, a pair of jeans and whatever else needs to come out my suitcase for fear of getting stung by excess baggage charges. The most it can accomodate is a tiny tiny handbag contained all the bits and bobs that I want access to on the plane. That’s it.
It’s amazing how disciplined you get with your packing when you don’t have choices. I want to take my DSLR, therefore I need to take my camera case, therefore I can’t go nuts with my hold baggage. Of course, I don’t recommend storming out and buying a DSLR and a backpack camera case just to limit your options, but you know what I mean.