Limit Your Clothing and Accessories

Yes, we'd all love to bring our entire wardrobe and shoe rack with us on vacation, but it's simply not practical to pack that many clothes. Think about the tone of your vacation, will you be soaking in the rays on the beach, or touring the great European landmarks? Once you know the tone, you can pack items that are wardrobe staples. Packing neutral clothes, shoes, and accessories that you can mix and match is essential for making lots of outfits on vacation. Black boots will complement many more outfits than will saphire blue wedges.

Save Space

Once you figure out WHAT you're bringing, it's time to pack the suitcase. Don't pack it as you pick stuff out because you'll only end up rearranging it later. If you roll your clothes instead of folding them, you'll use a lot less space in the bag. Stuff socks inside your shoes to save space, and roll oddly-shaped items into clothes to give them cushion.

Choose Your Look

On vacation, you cannot bring all of your makeup/hair/beauty supplies with you. If you're staying in a hotel, check out which items are complimentary with your room -- you might not need to bring towels, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner, or your blowdryer! That saves space! Clean out your makeup bag and bring only the essentials since you don't need all your eyeshadows. 

Strategically Pack Your Purse

Put essentials such as your phone charger, headphones, makeup, and sunglasses into your purse instead of into your suitcase. Not only will you save space, you won't kick yourself later when you go looking for the essentials! 

Check International Requirements

If you're travelling internationally, be sure to check the United States' Travel Recommendations for each country. Find your country by name, and check to make sure it's safe, the immunizations you might need, and any specific things to carry with you.