Less stuff = less stress. Period. Packing fewer things means fewer decisions to make, less to carry around, and less to clutter a hotel room. Packing light doesn’t mean I spend the trip wishing I’d packed something; the total opposite! It has as much to do with my mental approach to travel as it does my actual preparedness; a combination of developing thoughtful strategies to adapt in the moment and also finding key, versatile items. (See post on staying mentally flexible while traveling here) Learning to pack minimally has been one of the most beneficial aspects of this travel year.
Here’s my step-by-step guide:  

STEP 1: Everything goes with EVERYTHING.

In style and color. No exceptions. The goal with minimal packing is to bring fewer, more versatile items, with nothing excess.

COLOR THEME
Pick a color theme and stick to it. The color of your coat should go with every single shirt, dress, and pair of pants, as should your footwear. Every bottom should work with every top. Imagine how stress-free a trip becomes if you know anything/everything you have with you is wearable at a moment’s notice? I usually decide between brightly colored dresses and more neutral shoes/outerwear, or the opposite: neutral clothing and bright/distinct outerwear, footwear, or accessories.

STYLE THEME
If I try to combine too many types of clothing/styles, I end up with lots of items that could only be worn with very select other items, which I don’t have time or space for. In the winter, my style theme is usually leggings, dresses or longer shirts, tall boots, and a long coat. In the summer, I go with high-waisted bottoms, short tops, heels, and a short coat. If I didn’t pick a theme, I’d end up with several high-waisted bottoms that couldn’t be worn comfortably with long tops, for example. This past summer I brought a gig skirt, jeans, shorts, and leggings that were all black and high-waisted, along with 6-7 shorter shirts that could each go with any of the bottoms. That’s the only way I’m able to get 2 weeks into one packing cube.

STEP 2: Build your wardrobe from the outside in.

Shoes are king. I start with footwear. Excluding workout shoes, every article of clothing I bring goes with each pair of shoes. I aim to find a pair that works with all my outfits, or better yet, I pick my staple pair of shoes (that I have to love!) and then build my outfits around them. Footwear is usually heavy, so it’s important to avoid bringing any extras. I’ve found it to be worth the extra time and money to find the perfect pair of travel boots or workout/leisure shoes. I travel with 1 pair of workout shoes, 1 pair of gig shoes (usually boots), and 1 pair of flats that could work as leisure-wear or for teaching/gigging. All my dresses, shorts, leggings, etc. go with each.

Outerwear in layers: I choose my 1 outerwear item very carefully because it must be incredibly versatile and work with absolutely every outfit scenario. If there’s even 1 dress I can’t wear with my jacket- I ditch the dress. Outerwear is a huge space-taker, especially in the winter. Even though I MUST decide on just one primary coat, I include several other layers, depending on the season. I look up my destination’s weather periodically to predict what I’ll be most comfortable in, and usually air on the side of “warmer than necessary.” 

In the summer I travel with a light hoodie (that is nice enough that it can serve as a cardigan on stage) and denim or light jacket over the hoodie. As the weather gets chillier I’d also include a tech shell and insulated vest (both pack up very small.) When all these are layered, they can become a pretty warm winter scenario with lots of combos in between. The fun challenge comes when navigating several very different climates in the same tour. It was 90 in LA and 50 a few hours north in Monterey, but it can be done with layering! (See below) 

In addition to show dresses (my “work” clothes), I bring:

• 1-3 pairs of versatile footwear
• 1 outer layer: winter coat, rain shell, or jacket.
• 1 mid-layer: cardigan or neutral-colored hoodie.
• 1 base-layer: cami, tee, or long-sleeve. 
• 1 gym outfit
• 1 comfy hoodie/sweatpants
• 1-2 “play clothes” or travel outfits, usually jeans/shorts/tees/leggings
• 1 sleep outfit

STEP 3: Tally travel days, decide which items can be re-worn, and plan laundry schedule.

This may sound a little gross, but my biggest space-saving tip is that I often re-wear socks, sleep clothes, and and only travel with one work-out outfit that I wear every day. (I acknowledge this won’t work for everyone!)  I usually bring about 7 days’ worth of underwear, and plan to either utilize the hotel laundry or do a small sink load in my hotel room once a week. I look ahead at my travel itinerary and look up which hotels offer a laundry room or service, then I only need to pack enough clothing to get me to that location.

STEP 4: Organization.

Packing cubes revolutionized my packing and traveling experience. They don’t necessarily save space, but they save me lots of time and stress. Think of them like traveling closet organizers or dresser drawers. You could dig through your entire closet looking for a particular pair of socks, or you could open the sock drawer, aka pull out your “socks” packing cube. I travel with two medium packing cubes: 1 for gig clothes, and 1 for off-day clothes, and 3 smaller packing cubes: 1 for socks/undies/sleepwear, 1 for workout clothes, 1 for cosmetics/toiletries, and 1 for miscellaneous extras. (Vitamins, perfume, chargers, head-ware, etc.)  and I use a drawstring bag to pack my workout clothes, which doubles as a gym bag, laundry bag, and serves to keep sweaty clothes separate from clean clothes.

STEP 5: “Where are you packing air?”

This is my favorite packing hack. I go through every item in my suitcase and assess where I’m filling it with air or not utilizing empty space. This will likely be inside shoes, pill bottles, half-empty products, inflated outerwear, or my long-gone bulky toothbrush holder. Think of taking everything down to the bare minimum. I use travel sizes when possible, or pour remaining products into a smaller travel container. I use bags instead of bottles whenever I can because you can squeeze the air out. These may seem like tiny spaces, but they add up quick!

STEP 6: The Checklist.

Ask yourself these questions about every item you intend to bring:

• Will I miss it if I don’t bring it? Or will I likely forget about it?
• Is it COMFORTABLE?
  I’m easily distracted and a perfectionist, so if my clothes don’t fit comfortably I won’t hear a word anyone says all night. While traveling, I prefer to be slightly less stylish if it means being comfortable. Trust me on this! You’ll want to feel good more than look good.
  
• Does every item have a specific occasion?
  Decide when you’ll wear everything you’ve brought to make sure it’s necessary. I try on every outfit and combo before a tour and log them in picture form, and on a note in my phone. This greatly reduces the number of decisions I have to make while traveling. (Here’s more tips for preparing for travel and easing travel stress)
• Are any two things serving a similar purpose? Instead, the goal is to find one thing to serve multiple purposes. For example, two pairs of brightly colored flats should be traded for one pair of more neutral flats that can be worn with everything. Or better yet, a flat that also serves as a good walking shoe.

• Does this item have any one of my “fatal flaws”?
  Here are my fatal flaws, but yours will likely be different:
  Does it wrinkle? Does it show sweat on stage? Am I likely to be cold in it?
  If a single one of these things could possibly be true about the item, I don’t bring it!

STEP 7: Visualize.

I try to predict all the times I’ll be deciding on an outfit throughout my trip, and what I’d like to have with me in that moment. I picture different weather scenarios I might encounter or situations where I’d have to be dressed for multiple activities in one day (ex: traveling straight to a show), and consider what I’d want to be wearing. I had a nightmare recently when I spent days deciding/packing, then crashed in my hotel room after my first long day traveling and didn’t have anything comfortable I wanted to put on.

STEP 8: Travel in your biggest/bulkiest clothing.

For me it’s usually boots and a jacket. Even if it’s warm outside, airports are usually pretty neutral in temp.  

STEP 9. Shop if necessary.

If you have time to shop while you’re traveling, I’d highly recommend saving a little suitcase space and planning to buy what you’ll need in the moment. Weather and style are hard to predict before you leave! I spent 10 minutes and $10 in the local California resale shop and found the perfect sweater/jacket combo that were only perfect because I bought them based on my specific need at that time. This can be your perfect “out” if you’re really struggling with a decision before leaving. (See thoughts on decision-making here.) Also if it’s a vacation and you’ll likely want to bring some goodies home, I’d suggest using my Mom’s trick of packing an empty shoebox in her luggage as her “souvenir space.”

STEP 10: Commit.

That all being said, once I’m out there, I just have to just commit to what I’ve packed. Packing minimally isn’t always glamorous, and it requires an unending ability to “go with the flow” and “make do.” I can ALWAYS think of something I wish I had packed or a more perfect outfit, but I quickly dismiss those thoughts. Instead I look at what I do have and go through the process of seeing the positive, wearing it proudly, and forgetting about other options. (See more thoughts on this process here. It’s a cornerstone in my life!)

It’s a complex puzzle to get all these equations to line up, but it is SO worth it when it does. Give yourself the gift of an underweight suitcase, and the comfort of knowing whatever you pull on will be comfortable, coordinate, and make you feel good.

Happy packing, drriifters! 💙🌏💨