Dress with Courage: Packing for a trip

Hi everyone. My name is Elissa and I blog over at Dress With Courage. It’s a personal style blog from
a woman with a background in writing, which essentially means I blog about more than fashion and
what I’m wearing.

 I was so flattered when Jessica asked me to guest post for her while she’s sunning in Riviera Maya!

The last time I took a trip was back in October. Though I’m a native New Yorker, I haven’t spent much time in the city since relocating to the South eight years ago. So this past fall I informed my husband that I needed to go back. I needed to eat a decent slice of pizza, and run through Central Park, and narrowly avoid getting hit by a speeding cab. And, most of all, I needed to shop. Oh, did I need to shop.

So I booked my flight and counted down the weeks until my lover NYC and I were reunited.

I only had three days planned for my trip, and knew I had to pack accordingly. But I also felt pressure to look as glamorous as possible. So, naturally, I crammed half my closet into my carry-on. This was a big mistake. Huge. Because when I arrived, and unpacked, I realized I couldn’t fit as much as a new pair of earrings into my suitcase, much less the leather tote I had planned to buy at Barneys.

So I thought I’d list a few tips regarding how not to pack for a trip.

1. Unless you are a Kenyan endurance runner training for the Boston marathon, leave your

workout gear at home. Sneakers, sweatshirts, sports bras, and running shorts take up valuable
suitcase space, and you’ll probably get a decent workout walking and doing touristy-things.
2. It is not necessary to cram your entire cosmetics hoard into your suitcase. Things spill and
shatter and the last thing you need is that highly pigmented blue eyeshadow tie-dying your
white lace blouse. Pack a palette of neutral shadows, an eyeliner pencil, a lip gloss and mascara,
and be done with it.
3. On a related note, I know your new five inch platform sandals are amaze-balls, but you will be in
agony after spending a full day wearing them. And a woman writhing in agony is just not cute.
So bring a pair of comfy shoes/sandals for day, and save those heels for night.
4. Check the weather forecast before packing. It might be shorts season where you live, but your
destination could still be in the grips of old man winter. Better yet, just plan on inclement
weather. It will happen, and everybody there will say, "Oh, it almost never rains/snows/hails/
blows/floods like this! This is very unusual weather." During my NYC trip, it rained two out of
the three days I was there. And guess who didn’t have an umbrella?

Hopefully these tips will help you pack more efficiently for your next trip than I did. I do know that the next time I visit New York City, I’ll be better prepared for potential purchases and weather ickiness.

Lesson learned.