Packing for a 3-Day Weekend

Aw, packing,sweet packing...the dreaded chore that obviously must be done before departing for a trip.

Whether that trip is a short weekend nearby or a two week's stay in Europe, it must be done, and for sanity's sake: correctly.

Often times I am asked how I pack for various trips. After many past attempts and horrendous mistakes, I believe now "I got it nailed!" One of my previous blog entries was about our trip on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (a restored Victorian train).

For this three-day car trip, I could pack just about as much as I wanted but I decided to stick to my usual plan to see how it would work out.The weather was questionable so I wanted to be prepared.

Rule #1: ONE carry-on size suitcase and ONE shoe bag.

Rule #2: Choose minimal colors: two neutrals and one color. I went with black, white, and a touch of red.

 3-3-3

Rule #3: Select 3 each of the following:

3 TOPS:
1 long sleeve white blouse
1 black sleeveless top
1 red short sleeve T-shirt

3 BOTTOMS:
Black leggins: They are comfortable to wear for the long car ride and for lounging in the hotel room. Black jeans: Comfortable, warm and can camouflage train soot.
Black skorts:(culottes) Cooler to wear for hot weather, also to be worn at the evening's Press Dinner. My black sleeveless top, pearl earrings and pearl necklace give the outfit a dressier look.

3 PAIRS of SHOES:
Black,flat, ballet-style shoes: These can easily be slipped off in the long car ride and can be worn as    slippers in the hotel room. They are also suitable with any of the "bottoms".

Black walking shoes: Although we didn't do much walking on this train excursion, these shoes are comfortable and I was able to walk on rain-soaked ground surrounding the train. They also proved to be good sturdy shoes to wear on a very rumbling train.

Black boots: Ankle-length with low heels. They look great with jeans and I always allow myself  3 pairs of shoes.

1 Black sweater
1 Red, trench-style rain coat

Into my suitcase I also tucked in:
3 pairs of travel-washable panties
1 nude-colored bra and 1 black bra
3 pairs of black socks
1 nightgown and fuzzy warm bed socks
3 scarves (rolled up and tucked into shoes).

I have a black shoe bag that can hold 3 pairs of shoes, but since I am wearing of of those pairs, I pack the other two pairs of shoes. I then have 4 empty slots to hold:

1 Small bag of toiletries (baby powder, perfume, sewing kit and band aids)
1 Small bag with hairbrush & hair accessories
1 flat-iron
1 cosmetic bag  (It's a good idea to have a travel cosmetic bag kept separate from your daily cosmetics).

I finished up my packing with a good reading book and my ever-present travel art journal. This may sound like a long list, but as you can see from the photos it all packed up nice and neat. I was challenged to think about the possibility of weather changes (and that did happen!).

All in all, my choices worked out well. I was happy!