Pack outfits, not items

One way to nudge yourself to travel light

I’ve been flying a lot lately, and whenever possible, I prefer not to check bags. This means that if I’m traveling for several days (or even a week!), I need to be very careful about what I pack.

One of the most helpful strategies I’ve figured out for making this work is to pack outfits, not just individual pieces of clothing.

So if I am going to a city for a week, I’ll think about my itinerary while I am there. What will I be doing each day? What will the weather be like, especially if I’ll be outside a lot? What would it make sense to wear?

I think through the whole outfit, including my shoes and any outerwear (since an outfit includes the shoes!).

Now, obviously, if I’m going to a colder weather destination, requiring bulky items like sweaters, some things will get worn more than once. My rule of thumb is that pants and sweaters can be worn twice, so an 8-day trip will require 4 of each, and ideally they can all be mixed and matched for some variety.

But this rule to pack outfits instead of items keeps me from trying to throw things in last minute because I think, hey, I like that shirt. I should bring it! Unless I have a specific day I plan to wear the shirt, and a planned outfit that involves wearing it, then it needs to stay home.

There’s an old travel saying that when you’re packing, you should lay out everything you think you need and then bring twice the cash and half the clothes. Most places don’t require cash anymore, but the point about clothes still has some wisdom. And one way to make sure that happens is to make sure you don’t bring anything “just because.”