10 Packing Tips For A Weekend Getaway
The Weekend Getaway is surely one of the great inventions of our time. A chance to bolt from the office a little early on Friday, grab your significant other, throw the bags in the car or grab a quick flight and (depending on where you live) in a few hours you can have yourself a little 3 day 2 night stay in a completely new city and possibly a different country.
BUT, sometimes it feels like packing for these smaller trips can actually be more of a challenge due to the fact that, if you are flying, you feel like a weekend trip demands that you don't check a bag and instead fit everything into your carry on. I mean, can you imagine waisting those extra 15 minutes waiting in baggage claim when you could be sipping a cocktail at a sidewalk cafe in a city you've never explored? Yeah, we can't either.
So how do you most efficiently pack a weekender bag? We have 10 packing tips for men to make the most of a carry on sized bag, while still having enough style options to be ready for any occasion anywhere you go.
#1 STUFF YOUR SHOES WITH YOUR SOCKS AND UNDERWEAR
For real. This is sneakily genius and, like a piece of Swedish furniture, has multiple functions. The first is that it prevents your shoes from getting crushed in your bag (unless you're a serial killer and you put your shoes on top of everything else). The second is that it means you are utilizing space that is otherwise wasted, freeing up more space in your bag! Easy Peazy.
#2 ORGANIZE YOUR CABLES
Don't have one of our handy cable pouches? No problem, Improvise by putting your earbuds and charging cables in an old sunglass case (hopefully one of ours) and then go get one of our cable pouches for next trip.
#3 PROTECT THE BOTTLE OF WINE YOU ARE GIFTING WITH A WATER WING
What better way protect the juice of the Gods than with your 4 year old's swim safety device. Slide that bottle right on into a water wing and then try to mid pack it between the clothes in your bag.
#4 ALWAYS BRING A SPORTCOAT
Preferably Navy Blue or Gray. This one is in every pack list you've ever seen and yet inevitably you will one day find yourself swearing you don't need a coat for "this" particular trip. And sure enough you will find yourself wishing you had one. On the flip side, no one has ever regretted having a coat on hand just in case.
#5 KEEP IT BASIC
Make traveling a time to showcase your most versatile items. There are things you own that work with almost everything...jeans, solid Tees, the aforementioned basic blue and gray coats.. And there are other things that simply dont. Save the latter for home, pack the former for travel.
David Beckham has mastered the art of looking super cool while traveling.
#6 YOU DON'T NEED EXTRA BUTTON UPS
With just a little bit of planning of outfits, and paying attention to the idea of bringing your most versatile items, you really shouldn't need to pack "options". Make those decisions before stuffing your bag full of extras.
#7 PICTURE ME ROLLING...
...all of my clothes up before I put them in the bag both to save space and help prevent them from getting wrinkled. This is a no brainer that I still have to remind myself of every trip.
#8 YOU NEED A PAIR OF JEANS. YOU DON'T NEED TWO PAIRS OF JEANS
This one is pretty self explanatory, but again takes a little discipline. Iggy pop wore one pair of jeans through each year and on day 365 would be a new pair and do it again. You can make it 3 days.
#9 PACK WRINKLE-PRONE ITEMS LAST AND FOLD THEM TO THE WIDTH OF YOUR SUITCASE
This is a great tip that I just came upon while researching this blog post. If you have a soft sweater, linen shirt, or other particularly wrinkle prone item, packing it on top obviously prevents it from getting crushed under other items, but it also means that when you arrive at your hotel it is the first thing that you pull out and hang up. Folding these items to the width of you bag or suitcase will ensure that it doesn't flop around and get wrinkled.
#10 LOSE THE PLASTIC BAG AND GET A PROPER TOILETRIES KIT
You're an adult for god's sake.
Those are your 10 tips. The rest, like having an amazing time, is up to you.
