This is the ultimate packing list. It’s taken me from Bali to Belize. Las Vegas to Woodinville.

Checking your luggage is expensive. We can all whine about it, or else we can accept it and bond together to support each other. As somebody who is married to a certifiable cheapsk…frugal individual, I feel that I can help. After consulting numerous blogs and doing several field studies, has been my go-to list for everywhere.

– Get expensive underwear. ExOfficio underwear to be precise. YES, they’re stupid expensive, but they do what they promise to do. 3 pairs.
– 1 maxi dress (make it 2 if they’re your thing!)
– 1 short dress that doubles as a swim cover up
– 2 basic t-shirts (I travel with a black and a white one)
– 2 lightweight tanks
– 2 pairs of shorts, one that can double as PJs OR 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of yoga pants
– 1 pair of zip off pants. Your friends will mock you. You will look like a tourist. But plan on wearing them mostly as capri shorts. I wear them as pants on the plane and all of those pocket are surprisingly handy. It’s you’re wearing a fishing vest on your legs.
– 1 lightweight sweater
– Accessories to jazz it up a bit.
– Dressy sandals, flip flops for showers/beach, “working” shoes (runners/hiking boots)

That should leave enough room to pack swim stuff, essentials and so on. I have a habit of lugging a stupid amount of cosmetics around (I might NEED my red lipstick!) and then giving up and wearing only mascara for weeks on end. I’ll make another post soon with my recommended toiletry must haves!

Unfortunately, I look exactly the same in all of my vacation photos, which is why I make a habit of losing/breaking my sunglasses annually. They’re how I can tell which trip a photo is from.

You’re a strong, beautiful woman who won’t be brought down by the limitations of carry on baggage. You’ve got this.