Updated June 23, 2020.

It’s Travel Tip Tuesday, and this week we’re talking about packing! You know I never check a bag if I can help it, so this is how I packed light for a week in hot, humid, summertime Texas!

If you’ve been following along on Facebook or Instagram, you know I was in Waco, Texas with my mom and friend Debbie, then met up with my sweet husband in Austin for a few days. Summer in Texas is notoriously hot, so you really don’t need layers and layers of thick fabric, just a few light pieces that dry quickly! Also, I stayed at a Fixer Upper house in Waco, so I asked in advance if I could do a load of laundry. Could I have done some washing in the sink? Sure. But if there’s a washer available, I’d prefer that!

Athletic Wear

I usually try to make time for a run or a quick body-weight workout when I travel, so I picked out a couple of workout outfits that I knew I’d be able to wash before leaving Waco:

I am prone to knee and hip pain, but the Zoot shoes and KT Tape really help with that. I always stuff my socks and undies inside my running shoes if I’m packing them (as opposed to wearing them for travel), so that gives me some extra useable space! I also roll my clothes, as you know if you’ve seen my Packing Series!

I typically put my workout clothes and shoes in the bottom portion of my travel backpack, which opens at the top AND at the bottom. It comes in handy!

Daily Wear

Call me boring, but I found my perfect dress, and I have it in a couple of colors. I brought them both! These dresses are quick-dry material, and they’re flattering. It’s a great big winner for me. I also packed three pair of undies and three pair of socks. Since I knew I’d have a chance to do laundry half way through, I brought a couple of detergent pods and dryer sheets. All this went into my foam roller, which I use before I run. It’s hollow, so there’s another space saver for you! All this went into just one side of the main compartment of my bag.

Dryer sheets are nice to have in your bag when you travel any time. They keep everything inside smelling fresh, and they can take care of static cling if you run into that.

Toiletries

Since I don’t check a bag, I have to be very mindful of my toiletries and any liquids I need. Coconut oil is my secret weapon. Not only is it solid at room temperature, it is my makeup remover, lotion, facial moisturizer, mouth wash, and in a real pinch can be used as deodorant or hair conditioner. It’s amazing stuff, but remember a little goes a long way!

Liquids:
Sunscreen
Hair Mousse
Deodorant
Contact Solution
Conditioner
Mascara
Toothpaste (not pictured–whoops!)

Solids:
Coconut Oil
Soap (my favorite from Truly-Life)
Eyeliner

Sundries:
Glasses
Retainer
Toothbrush (not pictured–whoops!)
Razor
Q-tips and Hair Ties
Phone Charger
Jewelry

The jewelry pieces were chosen strategically. The amber and silver necklace will go with either the blue or black dress, the green necklace goes with the black dress, the pearl earrings go with either dress, and the turquoise earrings go with the black dress or the dress I’ll be wearing for the travel days. Jewelry is small, so it travels well and changes almost the whole look of an outfit that you’ll be wearing more than once!

Swim Suit

Because it’s hot in Texas! 

Little Extras

My mom and her friend Debbie didn’t know it, but I brought along a little Truly-Life spa kit for each of them, since we were there to celebrate my mom’s birthday! I also had channelled my inner Joanna Gaines and made these little arrow signs. The numbers are the number of miles we each came to be there for a photo op at the Silos (1411 for me; 808 for mom; 587 for Debbie; and 2806 all together). I got the arrows for about $5 each at Target, and the paint in mom’s favorite color was only $2!

Also, I will not be taking these home with me, so there will be room in my backpack for some souvenirs!

Travel Wear

What you wear on the plane should fit into your packing strategy. It should be something you can wear again during your trip or on your way home, coordinate with the clothes you packed, and it should definitely be comfortable. This is a maxi dress so my legs are covered, since planes are often hot, then cool, then hot again. And I wore the sandals with this dress and both of the dresses I packed, too!

And I always bring a versatile scarf as well, to keep my shoulders and arms warm if I’m caught in some severe air conditioning, or if I just need to change the look of an outfit. This one goes with all three of my dresses!

Carry-on

My carry-on is always my luggage. Here’s all that stuff, stuffed inside! Like I said earlier, it has a zipper compartment at the bottom (so I’m never fishing for something that got lost way in the bottom), as well as an opening at the top, of course. Honestly, the many many straps and clips get on my nerves… until I need them! This bag can fit a lot of stuff, but when it’s super full, it’s sometimes too big to fit into some of the tiny overhead bins on airplanes. So, I snap all the straps together, tighten them, and it’s incredible how much smaller it can get!

Personal Item

Since my carry-on is my luggage, my personal item is my purse. This is one of my all-time favorite bags because has a couple of pockets in great places, and it zips all the way across at the top to make it just a little more difficult for pickpockets. Not that I had to worry about that too much in Texas, but you never know!

What’s in my personal item? Let’s see:

32 oz. Water Bottle
Book for the Plane
Fun Sunglasses
RFID Credit Card Holder
Marie Mae Notebook and Pen
Marie Mae “Purse Bag” (containing ibuprofen, chapstick, contact rewetting drops, extra hair ties, extra pen)

It may not look like a lot for a whole week in Texas, but summer travel is really easy to pack for. The fabrics are lighter, they’re often moisture-wicking or quick-drying, and when you can coordinate all your outfits, it’s so easy to pack light! What are your tips and tricks for packing light?

Want more packing tips and hacks? Check out my dedicated Packing Page!

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