Honeymoon

Tips for packing

Greetings from the Dominican Republic! I didn't have time to publish this before leaving but now it's all done :)

I think I'm very good at getting things to fit in my luggage but with choosing the right things to pack that's what I'm really bad at. I pack all kinds of pretty tops and bottoms and shoes and when I arrive to the travel destination, I realize that none of them go together and half of them are the wrong size and in the end I have about three outfits for the whole trip.

I promised myself that for this trip I'd plan each outfit carefully so that I wouldn't take anything with me I can't use... But since it was a bit of a surprise we were able to have our honeymoon now, I found myself in the position where, again, I just throw stuff in my bag and hope they'll turn into pretty outfits at the destination.

I always pack socks, shoes and underwear in their own bags. I also bought a scented card and threw that in there too.

For this trip I needed to pack enough of dressy clothes as most of our hotel's bars and restaurants have a dress code. I love dress codes so that was all fine the only problem is that I don't really own a lot of clothes that follow their dress code. I decided to take some party and fancy dresses with me so then at least then I'm not underdressed.

Here are some tips for packing, I hope there are at least some you didn't already know :)

  • Roll up your clothes, don't fold them. That way they'll take up less space and don't get as wrinkled up
  • Put in your carry-on luggage everything the following applies to:
    a) It's so expensive, your insurance doesn't cover it
    b) It isn't replaceable
    c) You'll need as soon as you arrive at your destination
    d) It will be of use if you get stuck on an airport
    Even though luggage is rarely lost anymore, I never check-in anything highly valuable or that can't be replaced with money. I'm also always prepared for flight delays so I usually pack in my carry-on bag gym clothes, books, warm hoodie etc. so that if I'm stuck at an airport I can go to the gym, I'll be warm and I'll have some entertainment.
    Sometimes, though rarely, the luggage arrives days (for me once weeks) after you do so it's good to have the things in your carry-on that you'll need immediately or that can't be easily bought from the destination (like your medication).
    e) Heavy items as they don't always weigh the carry-on bags...
  • Bag all your liquids... and then bag those bags. No matter how well you pack them, something always leaks.
  • Pack your liquids and laptops so that they're easily accessible when you go through security. If I travel without a laptop, I put the bag of liquids on my purse so I don't even need to open up my bag.
  • Fill hats and shoes with rolls of clothes. You can fit several pairs of socks in a shoe and hats keep their shape better when they're filled with clothes.
  • If you want to, you can bring something to the locals as many countries are very grateful for donations. You can google what different countries are hoping for in donations. We took clothes and medicine to Cuba and are taking kids clothes and toys to the Dominican.
  • And finally, hoping to learn this one myself too someday: Pack outfits, not just random pieces of clothing. Another approach is to pack clothes in only a few colors that go well together. Only pack clothes that fit.

But, what did I end up packing then? Well, 12 pairs of shoes to start with... yea, I don't know how that happened :D

A few of the 12 pairs...

A while ago I found this sports clothing brand I really like called Adam Selman Sport. The clothes are really different so many of them aren't my thing at all, but then when I find something I really like, I absolutely love it. I got some new sports clothes from there for the honeymoon.

Superhero workout pants!

I wear Aloyoga and Balmuir almost daily so I'm definitely taking something from these brands with me. I'm packing a good pile of tops and bottoms from Aloyoga but from Balmuir I think I'm only taking a hat.

As said, I don't wear blouses or straight pants ever as I always wear leggings and sweaters so to respect the dress code at the bars and restaurants, I packed several dresses, those I luckily have.

I'm taking several bathing suits with me, obviously. With underwear I've been favoring a french brand called Aubade and I bought some underwear from them for the honeymoon so those are coming with me too. Eerikki and I also found matching underwear from there :D.

Silk sleepwear from Aubade
Matching underwear

Additionally, I'm taking some honeymoon themed clothes, some which can be seen on the Mini honeymoon post, the rest you'll see on the pics from this trip :).

I don't know how much I'll write on my honeymoon, but I'll try to be more active on my instagram so you can follow our trip there.

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