I haven’t flown in years! When it comes to travel, I have driven my car. There has never been an issue of packing too much. I have an SUV.

However, this time I noticed something upon my return home. There were things in my suitcase that I never used. That I never wore.

For the first time in years, I will be flying to Walt Disney World for the Princess runDisney weekend. I really need to step up my packing game.

For starters, I am not taking my big suitcase. Just my little one that is carry-on size. If I am going to lug something through the airports, it is going to be Judi size. This really limits how much I can pack.

I will have one pair of running shoes on and one pair in my bag, so right there, that is a lot of room.

So what did I discover that I packed that I really didn’t need for a 3-week trip? That I surely won’t need for a long weekend?

• hair care items
• extra clothes
• makeup
• a book
• my laptop
• electronic stuff

All of these things, some of which only came out of the suitcase when I rearranged my things, were never used the whole trip!

Let’s talk about the items.

Hair Care Items

I love my hair care items. On special occasions, I crimp all my hair. Or I may even feel extra and curl it all.

But let’s be honest. In my suitcase was my crimper, my curling iron and my flat iron. Do you know if I need all these? No. Did they add a lot of weight to my suitcase? Oh yes, they did! But most important did I use any of them? You guessed it, I did not. I did not pack a hair dryer, but I did use the hotel one.

While I love to make sure that my hair looks nice I could of done with just one of these items. Maybe a curling iron. One and done for just in case.

And let’s talk about all the product. I had full size shampoo and conditioner. I was gone almost 3 weeks. But most of the time found myself using what came in the hotel. If you are picky about what you wash your hair with, well maybe a travel size. Its not like you are going to someplace that doesn’t have a CVS so you can grab something else to use. I did use my leave in conditioner, but the other stuff? Nope, it didn’t come out of the bag.

My advice? If you don’t use it on a regular basis at home, you aren’t going to use it on a trip.

Extra Clothes

This one is so hard for me. I guess I am lucky. Most trips include a stop at my Mom’s where I can use her washer and dryer. But I still pack like 20 pairs of underwear. Do I need 20 pairs of underwear or 10 pairs of socks?

Most hotels and resorts now offer washers and dryers. They even use an app so you don’t need to carry the change to use them. Pretty convenient. All Disney resorts have very nice laundry rooms. I’ve used them! Rarely is there anyone else in there but me. I use them after a runDisney event because I don’t want to pack those stinky clothes back into my suitcase. I now use laundry sheets; check out my Amazon storefront. They are easy to travel with. But all of the laundry spaces have places to purchase detergents and softeners.

My advice? Pack the bare minimum and one more item. Throw in a few laundry sheets, and it makes your suitcase smell good.

Makeup

I don’t wear a lot of makeup. Some days I don’t wear any at all. So why do I think that I need to pack makeup like I am a diva? I used my moisturizer; I am old. I used a foundation that has sunscreen. Blush and mascara topped off the look. That was it, for three weeks. The rest of the items in that bag made for a nice trip in my suitcase. I didn’t think about bronzer or eye shadow or the 3 different shades of blush. I was on vacation, I wanted to relax! And tell me why the glitter that I wear for runDisney made the trip?

My advice? If you aren’t using it at home, leave it at home.

A Book

I am including magazines in this category as well. Now I am a reader. I don’t go any where without something. But over time those books get heavy. For a three week trip there may have been a few books in my bag.

But here is the thing. My very sweet husband bought me a kindle. I can now travel with my whole library. And it is a lot lighter and smaller to carry!

My advice? If you love to read get a Kindle! You can always download the app to your phone and read from there as well.

My Laptop

I have a MacBook that is probably 8 years old. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my laptop. I am using it right now to write this.

But let’s face it, it is large and heavy. And I didn’t open it once in almost 3 weeks. I went to “find my phone” app and it listed it as still at home, because I had not once opened it.

I did write and I did edit videos while I was gone, but each time I reached for my smaller lighter iPad. It ws just so much more convenient.

My advice? Leave the big clunky electrons at home. Find something lighter and easier to use. Your phone can probably do just about anything now.

Electronic Stuff

Now I have just told you to get a kindle and leave your laptop at home, but let’s be honest, how much do you really need on vacation?

I am a content creator so I found myself packing my little tripod and light, as well as my laptop, iPad and kindle, headphones and my Apple Watch.  We have become so accustomed to having all that info at the tips of our fingers, but that means we have to pack it. And with those electronic devices comes all the cords and chargers and all the “stuff”.

Let’s narrow that down. What do we need? and can we just have it travel size? Next trip it will just be my ipad. I can do just about everything on that, my phone and my watch. I will make sure I have my multi charger, that means one cord. Remember you are on vacation. Can you really relax with all those electronics?

My advice? Leave the big stuff at home and take the bare minimum of electronic with you.

In Closing

My next long trip, 6 days, is for The Princess. I am really going to try to practice what I am preaching. I will be flying so I will really need to pay attention.

What are your must haves when traveling? What do you just leave behind?

Anything I have recommended is in my Amazon Store Front under that Must Haves for travel. Have anything that I should add? Leave a comment!