How to Pack for Breaks

Before I packed for winter break and vacation, I noticed that everyone was packing up half of their room to take home with them. I helped one of my friends pack two guitars and an amp. I mean seriously what is the point of bringing all of that home for two weeks. When I started packing, I think I had the mindset that I would need every little thing in my room. Bath bombs, two books, a pair of crocs, and tennis shoes were just a few of the items that I deemed useless by the end of the break but found very important at the beginning. When I came back from a trip to Disney with my family I realized that I had severely overpacked. First I had packed all my clothes, makeup, and bathroom necessities. I didn’t take into account that I would have to spend an hour every morning actually using all these products and while at home I wouldn’t care about looking good. Also while I was home, I realized that my parents could’ve washed my clothes for free meaning I didn’t need near as many clothes. In the end, I ended up having three spare outfits that could have saved me a lot of room for souvenirs, food, and more from Disney. To avoid overpacking and help decide what to bring, I have compiled a list of things to consider when packing for a week or two. 

1. Know the events you will be attending

If you are going to a wedding or church pick a nice outfit, but pick it out before you go. If you pack multiple nice outfits, you may have already started to overpack.

2. What will the weather be like?

If you are going somewhere where it will be hot, pack shorts and a t-shirt. Don’t pack a bunch of sweaters and pants when you won’t end up wearing them. The same goes for if you are going somewhere where it will be cold. Pack a couple of pairs of shorts and t-shirts, then everything else should be long sleeves and pants. 

3. Will you have downtime?

It is very important to know if you will be having downtime or not. Will you have time to do any homework? Will you be able to curl up with a good book? Knowing the answers to these questions will help make sure that you don’t waste your packing space with things that you may never get to. 

4. How many days are you going to be staying? Are you coming back to school?

I had to drive back to campus a couple of times throughout my two-week break because of a job that wouldn’t allow me to take two weeks off. At one point I was going home for two days then coming straight back. I realized that I didn’t need many items within those next two days. I wouldn’t need to straighten my hair or do my makeup, and knowing this allowed me to save so much room in my bag. 

These are just a few tips that will help you save space when going home or on vacation for a week or two. However, I do know that Mardi Gras is coming up and no matter how long I go home, I’m going to have to bring some makeup to get in the holiday spirit! I hope you can use these tips to make packing more efficient.