How to Pack for a Two Day Trip
My whole life I have loved traveling. Whether its going on a road trip 2 hours away or hopping on a plane to jet set up the east coast, I’ll go. Some of my favorite little trips are the two-day weekend trips where you drive for a few hours and spend the night in a hotel. One thing I used to hate about traveling was packing. SO many questions – do I have enough? do I have too much? are my clothes weather appropriate? are they appropriate for where I’m going? The list goes on and on. For someone who travels as much as I do, I have finally gotten the hang of packing. I wanted to share my foolproof list of essentials to pack for a short two-day trip with y’all 🙂
When packing, I like to write out a list of categories and then what to pack for each category:
Toiletries
For my toiletries, I just have one separate bag that I take along with my main duffel bag. In the bag I include the regulars like a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. I pack my makeup bag with the makeup that I KNOW that I am going to use that weekend and nothing extra. Lugging around extra makeup that you don’t use is how it gets broken.. or lost 🙁 . I also make sure to include little things that I may need like dry shampoo, a face mask, or eye cream. Everyones “bathroom bag” is different so as long as you make sure to pack your essentials then you should be okay.
Clothes
My clothes category has a few sub categories. I like to pack for trips by outfit rather than just tossing clothes in a bag and creating outfits when I get there. I feel like when I pack a whole outfit, I will know that I DO in fact have everything I need. Therefore nothing is forgotten. Before I pack my outfits, I make sure to include the essentials like bras, panties, pajamas and socks (if needed). My pajamas consist of running shorts and t-shirts, so I make sure to include plenty of those. After that I think about where I am going, what I will be doing and starting packing appropriately.
I have found that for two days there’s really only a few essential outfits you need, two cute and casual outfits for during the day and one dressier item for nighttime. The first casual outfit can be something simple like a cute shirt, (t-shirt, graphic tee, sweater tee, tank top, etc), some jean shorts, and comfortable shoes.
The whole outfit is practical for a day spend walking around, shopping, sight-seeing or whatever you are there for. Usually when I go out-of-town, at night we go to dinner somewhere. Not necessarily somewhere fancy however I do enjoy wearing a cute dress and some heels to dinner. Especially if I am going somewhere I have never been before. For my night-time outfit I like to pick a seasonal appropriate dress and shoes.
I love this dress because it is so light and flowy and the peep toe booties are perfect for this time of year. For the last day of my trip, I like to keep the same cute and casual vibe and try to pack a romper with some sandals.
I think that you can get the same practicality from this outfit as the t-shirt and jean shorts.
Miscellaneous
My miscellaneous items usually include my phone charger, my iPad, my camera, my chargeable wristlet, and my sunglasses. Oh, and a rain jacket because you ALWAYS want to be prepared, no matter what the weather says! I feel like these may seem like “duh” items however I need to write them down or I most definitely will forget them. I hope this was able to give you a good idea on what to pack for a short trip. Sometimes I feel like its easier to see things laid out in front of you to get a good idea of what to pack.
My boyfriend has planned a weekend trip for us in Pigeon Forge, TN this weekend so that’s where I’ll be.. so I should probably get to packing! I am so excited because we have been together over four years and never been on a trip together. I’ll make sure to write a blog post about our time there and what I wore so stay tuned!
Featured photo:
Click to get my Phone Charging Wristlet here:
Kelly
August 3, 2017 at 5:06 pmShort trips are always so stressful for me!! I always end up over packing as if I’ll be traveling for a month! Thanks so much for the tips!
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:00 pmThats exactly how I felt! Im glad you liked my ideas, I hope they are helpful in the future 🙂
Elaine
August 3, 2017 at 5:08 pmLove to be organized and versatile as you! Great tips!
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:00 pmI love it too! You’re so welcome!
Caroline
August 3, 2017 at 5:12 pmGreat List! I was just telling my husband today I need to buy a new pair of white converse! They are just so comfy and cute!
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:01 pmThanks so much! I love mine, I actually bought them from Nike.com, they weren’t too expensive 🙂
Belinda
August 3, 2017 at 5:39 pmPacking is the worst. That feeling of “what have I forgotten?” when you’ve already travelled far enough away that you can’t go back to collect forgotten things. Bugs me EVERY time. LOL Love your approach. I may have to expand on it for my 3 week road trip this December though. 😉
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:02 pmThat is THE WORST! I totally feel you on that. Let me know if it works out for you 🙂
Kathleen
August 3, 2017 at 5:40 pmGreat post with lots of useful tips! I’m still trying to master the art of packing light!
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:12 pmThanks so much!
Becca
August 3, 2017 at 5:48 pmIt’s always hard not to over pack! Thanks for the info!
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:14 pmTotally agree! No problem, let me know if the tips work for you 🙂
Krissy @thoughtfullyunraveled
August 3, 2017 at 5:57 pmI love, love, love this post. Short two day trips to nearby cities are my favorite too! Love your outfit suggestions.
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:15 pmYesss I love them! Thank you so much 🙂
Ownyourfancy
August 3, 2017 at 6:38 pmI’m just now learning to cut back when packing. You have so much discipline! I’m trying to get where you are.
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:15 pmThanks so much! Definitely took a while for me to get to this point haha
Shelly Pineda
August 3, 2017 at 8:51 pmShort trips stress me out so much. I always tend to over pack, which is never good! Thank you for the post!
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:16 pmOf course! Let me know if the tips help in the future 🙂
Shawna
August 3, 2017 at 10:14 pmI am the queen of over packing! 😂 seriously, I can go on one over night trip and all of a sudden I’m bringing my entire house with me! Hopefully I can use your tips to lessen that load a bit. Thank you!
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:16 pmHaha that is how I used to be!! Let me know if they help in the future 🙂
Chels
August 3, 2017 at 11:49 pmSuper helpful because I’m going on a quick trip this weekend! Great timing and awesome post. Love your blog too!
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:16 pmHope you had fun on your trip! Thank you 🙂
G
August 4, 2017 at 12:23 amGreat tips!
Next time I’ll definitely pack by outfit, rather then just packing random items 🙂
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:17 pmYay! Let me know if it works for you 🙂
Martha
August 4, 2017 at 2:18 amGood tips about the makeup! Nice photos 🙂
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:17 pmThanks so much 🙂
Erica Q
August 5, 2017 at 8:39 amI love the tip about packing outfits. I never do this and then I end up with a bunch of stuff that doesn’t match. This is a great tip that I must try!
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:17 pmThat exact thing used to happen to me, so frustrating! Let me know if the tips help in the future 🙂
Amanda
August 6, 2017 at 7:21 amShort trips are the best. A little fresh air from the daily grind is nice.
laneymcgarity
August 7, 2017 at 10:18 pmI couldn’t agree more! Thanks for reading 🙂