The Ultimate 2021 Packing Guide

One of my favorite things ever is going on vacation. However, one of my least favorite things is packing for my vacation. It can get overwhelming, and I always feel like I will miss something important – this is probably do in part to me procrastinating packing until the very last possible minute.

First, double check with your airline. Each airline has differing baggage policies and fees and certain weight and dimension limits may apply. Southwest is my favorite airline. They include 1 personal item, 1 carry on, and 2 checked bags per passenger. Make sure to check with your airline to ensure what their baggage policies and fees are.

Then make sure you pack the necessities:

Clothing

o Shirts – at least 1 per day you will be there – I usually like to pack one or two extra nicer blouses for nice dinner outings

o Pants/shorts – at least 1 pair per day – make sure to pack a pair of jeans (even if you are going somewhere tropical), and an extra pair of nice outing bottoms

o Underwear – 1 per day plus an extra pair

o Socks – this will vary, depending on the shoes you wear, I usually bring 2 pair for a week-long trip

o Sleepwear – 1 set/week

o Bathing Suit – 2 sets/week (If I go somewhere tropical, I like to alternate every day so that my other pair gets adequate drying time)

Shoes

o 1 pair of tennis shoes, 1 pair casual shoes (I bring my Pineapple TOMS or Sperry’s), and a pair of Flip Flops (for the beach)

Toiletries

o Shampoo/Conditioner (keep in mind TSA compliant oz limits- 3 oz for carry-on)

o Toothbrush and toothpaste

o Razor

o Contact solution, contact case, and glasses/case

Essentials

o Masks Masks Masks – I pack a mix of the paper blue masks and some fun cloth ones to coordinate with my clothing – make sure to not pack all of them in your checked bag – keep a couple in your personal item as they are required to board all flights

o Hand sanitizer and sani wipes (I like to bring these in my purse and wipe down my seat, seat back tray, and armrests, some of the airlines have even started providing these as you board)

o Laptop, tablet, phone and all the chargers that go with them
– Don’t forget the headphones

o Passport & Government-Issued ID

o Boarding Pass – Most airlines have apps that hold the boarding pass so you don’t need to worry about a paper copy (remember you can usually check in 24 hours before departure)

o Any additional items that you need to bring (i.e. books, pens, jewelry, watch, etc.)

I think my biggest anxiety comes from pre-picking out clothing that I am not sure if it will suffice for the day. To plan, I use my weather app to see what the future weather will be and plan my outfits accordingly. Don’t let the weather app control all your clothing choices – I always pack one extra outfit for “emergency weather,” usually a pair of jeans and a hoodie to layer.

My favorite method of packing is packing cubes, I have these CalPak Sorbet ones. The mesh see-through cover is great, and they come in 3 different sizes to help organize your clothing. I also love using makeup bags to organize my toiletries. I order small TSA-approved silicone liquid bottles to fill with my essential liquids and then place them all in my quart sized make-up bag. Here is my pick from Amazon.

If you’re traveling with a family or a group where you will have multiple suitcases, spread out a little bit of everyone’s items into each suitcase. When I was little, my family took a trip to Disneyland. Unfortunately, our bags were taken by mistake and we were left with just one of the three. Of course, this bag had NONE of our clothes and just included our toiletries and underwear. We had to go out that night and buy all new clothing for our week-long trip and ended up missing our formal awards dinner banquet. Lesson learned – I now carry very uniquely patterned luggage (Vera Bradley is great for that) and spread out clothing between any checked baggage.

Going through TSA can be a hassle – I always make sure to dress comfy for my flight and ensure that I am wearing slip-on shoes, no added jewelry, usually I wear sweatpants that don’t have pockets. I also make sure that my laptop is ON TOP of my carry on or personal item so it’s easy to grab, along with my quart bag of all my 3 oz travel liquid bottles.

With these tips in mind, packing should be a breeze for you and your family and will make your vacation so much more enjoyable.

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