12 Day Trip. 1 Suit Case. No Stress.

Nick and I are headed out of town for 12 days on a trip that is a big jumble of work and pleasure. First we’re in LA to spend a few days with Nick’s business partner, then we’re spending a few days with some friends who are attending VidCon (we’re only hanging out for the non-con fun) and then on Friday we’re headed to Las Vegas. We’ll be in town for a friend’s wedding and then Nick is hosting a group of his work colleagues for the week. It’s going to be a fun, if busy, two weeks.

When we travel, regardless of the length of time we are planning to be gone, we limit ourselves to one carry on (a suitcase for me and a duffle bag for Nick) and one backpack each since we really dislike having to check bags. The last time we were gone for 10 days, I packed using compression bags with the idea that we’d get more in our bags that way. I also packed us using compression bags for BiSC. After two trips where I packed like someone’s grandma and spent WAY too much time packing and unpacking us, I decided that regardless of how long we were going to be gone in the future there was no way I’d be using compression bags again. Ever. Enter this article in the Wall Street Journal with tips on packing for a 10 day trip in one carry on bag and I had a new idea for maximizing my suit case space. Let me just say that I’ll be rolling up all my clothes when packing from here on out.

I was able to get all of this (easily) into my carry on:

• 2 skirts
• 7 dresses
• 1 pair of American Eagle Boyfit jeans (meant to be worn rolled up mid-calf)
• 3 tops
• 1 shrug
• 3 camis
• 1 pair of yoga pants
• 2 t-shirts
• 2 pairs of shoes
• 1 pair of fuzzy socks
• 1 bathing suit
• 1 bathing suit cover up
• Pile of panties, 3 bras (not pictured)

PLUS: Toiletries bag, hairbrush, flat iron, a large set of curlers, misc. bag (q-tips, toothbrush, etc), 2 small bags with jewelry, box of tampons, hard box with hair clips/ties, shower poof (I use it at hotel and throw it away before coming home), a BB cream that I am giving away and my makeup case

I was able to get everything into my carry on without having to sit on it and without having to unzip the extension zipper. Score! If I end up doing any shopping in Vegas (hello amazing H&M and F21), I’m confident I’ll be able to add a few more items of clothing to my bag with no problems.

Since LA is supposed to be in the 70s and low 80s and Vegas is currently in the low 100s, I have tried to pack clothes that will work in both climates. Light dresses and skirts seemed to be the best idea for comfort in both cities and it also had the lucky side effect of making my bag much lighter than extra shorts and tops. I am sure I will thank myself for this foresight at least once on this trip (since we have three flights scheduled in the next two weeks).