One Girl, One Week, One Backpack

Sorry for being MIA for the rest of October, but it was a crazy busy month.  As soon as I got home from Mexico, I had to start preparing for my twin sister’s wedding.  (It was beautiful and I wore a cocktail dress I have owned for two years. *Pat on the back.)

If you read my last blog post, then you know I was challenging myself to pack for my Mexico vacation in just a backpack.  Some people commented “I do that all the time!” and others said “Are you crazy?!”.  I’m not going to lie, I had my doubts if this was something I could go through with.  I have traveled a lot and I like to think I’m a ‘light packer’, but even I have never attempted a backpack before.

So, let me go ahead and cut to the chase – I DID IT!! 

Yup, you read that correctly.  I packed for my entire vacation in ONE backpack and I LOVED IT!  It was so freeing not to have to carry around multiple bags or suitcases. 

And as promised, I did take a picture of everything I packed. (picture below)
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I think one thing I had going for me was that this was a summer vacation.  Shorts, tank tops, & bathing suits don’t require a lot of space.  Not sure if the backpack would work for a winter trip.  It also helped that I packed only ONE pair of shoes.  My best friend, Amy, (who I went on the trip with) couldn’t believe that part.

But yeah, I wore a pair of flip flops on the plane and packed on pair of black sandals.  I wore them every evening to dinner and they worked with every outfit.  Again…beach vacation so my evening outfits were all very similar.

I also limited myself on jewelry.  You can’t tell from the photo, but I packed three pairs of earrings and only one necklace.  If I had wanted to ‘dress up’ one of my outfits, I could have just borrowed something from Amy.  Let’s just say Amy really loves her jewelry and brought enough to stock a small storefront. 

And with as little as I packed, I still didn’t wear everything.  That blew my mind.  When we were packing up to come home I realized there were two nicer tops and a t-shirt I hadn’t even touched.  And I have NO idea why I keep packing a pair of yoga pants – I NEVER wear them.  I swear that I’m not packing them on my next trip!

As proud as I am of not shopping this year, I’m even more proud of how it has changed my packing habits.  I love how simple my travels feel with less clothes.  And like I’ve said before – all your clothes are new clothes when you’re on vacation since none of those people have seen them before! 

So, now I’m challenging all of you!  Next time you travel - pack less.  Try using just a carry on or use only a backpack.  I’d love to hear how you did and what other “travel light” tips you have.
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Side note – It’s November.  That means I only have TWO months left in this yearlong challenge!!!! I’m beyond excited with how the year has progressed and I can’t wait to finally clean out my closet.  As always, I’ll be keeping you posted.