Travel / Tips for Packing Light

Hello lovelies,

So as you read this, I'm currently in the midst of a washing/packing nightmare, I just got back from Nice, Cannes and Monaco, and I'm off to Porto on Friday. Porto is a little treat to myself and a friend, I've been living in french student accommodation for the last 9 months which isn't exactly the Ritz, so we've booked ourselves into two five star hotels and will be living the high life on a student budget. I made the complete and utter error of overpacking for Nice, and it was a bit of a nightmare as I had to plead in broken french to get my bag onto the plane. Today I thought I would share with you a few tips that I've picked up on my quest to travelling light!

Outfit Plan

Take into account what type of holiday you're going on and what you usually like to do on holiday. For example, when I went to Rome, I knew I'd be going to the Vatican and that I needed something long to wear to cover up, so I took a maxi dress and a cardigan. I also like to briefly research the area and have a look at what the weather may be like a week or so before I go away, so I can plan what to wear. If I know I'm going to be doing a lot of walking I prefer to wear converses over flip flops! 

About a week before I go away, I start to plan outfits and make sure everything is washed . A good idea is to plan clothes and accessories that work with different outfits, I go with pieces that can be layered, I always throw in a light striped jumper that goes with short, jeans and over a maxi dress in the evening if it gets chilly. I also find it useful to lay out the outfits that I'm going to wear, this is a great way to make sure you're not just throwing clothes into your case that you might not wear. 

Decanting

With all the rules and regulations surrounding the size of products that you're allowed to take in hand luggage, no one wants to be lugging around bottles that are big enough for 3 months, let alone 3 days. If you go out and buy travel sized products, they add up to a tidy sum, so I tend to always depot products into travel containers. Lots of places sell these containers, Boots, Superdrug and Wilkinsons to name a few. Primark do a great selection, they do a set of different sized pots and bottles for just £1!

I picked up a little set from Hema (a mini french Ikea that sells everything) and is perfect for depotting creams and lotions into to save taking lots of bottles. I like to take different bases, if it's sunny I tend to go for something light and then choose a foundation for the evening. It means you can take more options without losing valuable packing space.

Samples
You know all those little sachets that you get out of magazines or are handed every time you visit a beauty counter and then end up at the bottom of a draw somewhere... well keep hold of them! They might not give you a true picture of what a product is really like but come in handy when trying to fit all your toiletries in a small zip lock bag. I tend to get a couple of applications out of one shampoo sachet which is perfect for a weekend away. 

If you have any other tips for holiday packing I would love to hear them!