So, you have heard it before, I am going to Paris soon! Yay me! Part of any trip or any change requires effort. And this fabulous fantasy holiday involves me preparing for my trip way ahead of time. Who am I fooling? All of my trips involve me getting ready way before anyone else. But that’s me!

So, this is the way I strategize my packing. I put outfits together in the bag that way I can pull them out and not rummage through the suitcase. I then place my pj’s together, scarves and wraps, cardis, and shoes. I will be using my gorgeous leather bag from Italy as my main daily bag that go on my shoulder, wraparound or act as a backpack. But I am packing an all-purpose bag in my luggage that is a bit more sturdy. It can fit: a pair of leggings, a blouse, sunscreen, wallet, travel documents and phone. I can throw in snacks and water too! A lot of places do not allow backpacks, so these bags with long straps can substitute for a larger bag and look a bit nicer.

I wish I would have taken a pic so that you could see how I rolled my clothes underneath the bag, for those that aren’t good at packing a lot in a small space. I was able to get 3 pairs of shoes, a bag and all of the clothes and accessories pictured, and toiletries, not to mention a fan. Not bad for a standard carry-on, in my humble opinion. Rolling your clothes tight provides room and can prevent wrinkling. I am a packing guru of sorts, but gotta have that extra help in the form of a purse to dig into for entertainment (phone or book) for the 8 hour flight. Not to mention that the purse can store things like extra contacts, meds and tickets or identification that I may want to have in my possession while flying.

I did not show pics of my underclothes and every single grooming item I am carrying, but they are all shoved in the bag in their respective places. I don’t carry a toiletry bag because it takes up space. I use the zipper part of the suitcase for that and my jewelry. I had to show these adorable silicone holders for my health and beauty items. I am talking about Barnes and Noble travel section finds again (no I am not an affiliate marketer for them but wish I was). These are too cute and keep me from being in danger of going over the airport limit on ounces.:) I love that the info is translated in French!!

These are my cute and incredibly comfy pj’s. The black ones are a shirt and shorts set that say: “Coffee is my BFF”. “I am in a relationship with coffee” gown will be worn with leggings. Sense a theme? Gotta be cheesy sometimes, and I want the loungewear to be apropos in the comfort of this dope Air BnB with my guy and kiddo! With these on, I can hang on the terrace without feeling undressed if neighbors happen to be outside.

***TIP*** Don’t pack too many sleep clothes, if you don’t sleep nude. You can always wash if you are staying in a home. But honestly, when you go to sleep you are clean so you don’t need something fresh to wear every night! Takes up too much space.

Now that we are done with the cuteness, here’s the boring but essential stuff.:)

I am taking 3 pairs of shoes, not including my chill flats I will wear on plane and none of these shoes are fab heels. They are comfort shoes. Don’t let the grandma look fool you though. Each pair of these shoes was 120+ a piece and for good reason. If you plan to walk 10 to 12 miles a day, you can be a little cute, but need to worry more about comfort, and it kind of sucks, but comfort costs.

***TIP*** Make sure that whether you care about comfort or not, that you take shoes that can match many things and do not kill your feet. This is coming from someone who once took 8 or 9 pairs on a trip. There were so many shoes that I had a separate suitcase for them and they weren’t even comfortable. Never again! Lastly, sneakers scream-gym or hiking. SO, unless you want to stand out like a sore thumb and if you want to look acceptable wherever you visit, you may want to skip them unless you are doing an outdoorsy trip.

These pics show my fab weekender bag, my neatly laid out outfits, and the final pics showing the size of the bag and the packed bag.

***TIP*** You should pack clothes for 2 more days than you are there in case you need to have an extra outfit for an unexpected event or a spill. Unless you are going somewhere where you have major differences of venue between day or night, this should suffice.

I have gotten so much better about packing only the essentials, and solids help so that I can switch pieces out with ease. Something you may want to consider when deciding what to bring.

For most of you, this is like Packing 101. For those of you who don’t travel a bunch or dread the prep work, then this is the post for you. Either way, thought I would shed light on how I keep on track when I travel. We are 13 days away, and this is one part of the trip that I have no worries about.

Of course, I will be holding my breath until we walk into our Montmartre apartment because I always do until I am sure that the travel part goes smoothly. On this trip I have to take a bus to New York, a car to my guy’s house for a couple of hours and then an Uber to airport! And then do the reverse on the way back, except Amtrak on the way home! So there will be a lot of inhaling…

Wherever you venture this summer, enjoy and prepare!

simply~

Dee