I know that I talked a few weeks ago about how I did not use data analytics to pack for my trip . . . and that was true, but that doesn't mean that I didn't take a little more care with what I packed for this trip. You see, I don't have the best track record when it comes to packing. Don't get me wrong, I always start off with the best of intentions and a carefully curated list. But, somewhere between taking my suitcase out of storage and rolling out of my house for the airport, The Fear kicks in. Do you know what I'm talking about? The Fear of having nothing to wear. (Hint: It's a close second to that dream where you're naked in front of your friends and family . . . )
If you've experienced this, then you know that The Fear is insidious. It starts with something innocent, like "maybe I should bring an extra white t-shirt in case I spill ketchup on the first one" (a fully plausible situation) and ends with the ridiculous "What if I meet the Queen and she invites me over for tea" (Yeah, right, 'cause that's going to happen in Puerto Rico, or anywhere). But, somehow, I've managed to stuff my suitcase to the brim with things that I "might" need and never end up wearing.
Well, this trip I was determined to quiet The Fear. Part of it was out of practicality (have you tried lifting 40 pounds of luggage into the overhead bin? I don't work out enough for that.) and part of it was for my own sanity. We were going to be gone for ten days. In that time, we were going to be attending two weddings, spending 4 days at the beach, and going from San Juan to Tampa. Assuming that I'd need a day-time and an evening outfit for each day, plus wedding clothes and shoes . . . that's almost 20 outfits before The Fear kicked in. Unless I wanted to spend a ton of money on baggage fees, I needed to give myself some tough love.
The most important step was to accept that it's ok to repeat items without repeating outfits (obviously without being un-hygenic or gross . . . I wanted to pack less, not lose all my friends). I decided to focus on items that could be mixed and matched to create different looks and use accessories to jazz things up. I know, I know. Pretty basic sounding (In fact, I'm pretty sure I've read this exact advice in Lucky Magazine or Elle), but it's something that's been difficult for me to do in the past. a) I tend to get bored with my clothes and b) I was never good at that concept of packing around a single color scheme. The key for me was to pick things that I could have fun with and could easily dress up or dress down depending on the occasion.
This is what I ended up with: 4 t-shirts, two skirts, two sundresses, two maxi dresses, a pair of shorts, two sandals and a pair of flip flops.
(Note: where possible I tried to find items that I actually owned or things that were very similar in style, brand, and price)
The t-shirts and shorts were great for exploring Vieques during the day or taking a walk on the beach, but I could also pair them with a fun, graphic skirt for dinner and drinks. Paired with some heels, the sun dresses got me through most of the wedding events we had to go to (rehearsal dinners etc), but were also perfect for walking around Old San Juan (let's get real here, I really mean drinking Pina Coladas).
It helped a lot that we were in pretty much the same climate the entire time (much easier than the time I went from Panama to St Paul, MN in the winter) And, I even learned that I could have gotten by with less. For example, I love the striped Madewell skirt above, but I never needed to wear it. I also barely wore my second maxi dress because it was a little too dressy for the beach.
It helped a lot that we were in pretty much the same climate the entire time (much easier than the time I went from Panama to St Paul, MN in the winter) And, I even learned that I could have gotten by with less. For example, I love the striped Madewell skirt above, but I never needed to wear it. I also barely wore my second maxi dress because it was a little too dressy for the beach.
Note: In the spirit of full disclosure, there were a couple of other items in my suitcase that aren't pictured. I brought two dresses for the weddings we attended, a dress for the plane, and a pair of jeans. AND, I was not completely immune to The Fear . . . at the last minute I threw in two sweaters "in case I got cold" that I never ended up wearing . . . but it's still progress, right?
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