What To Pack For A Long Weekend At The Beach
I am leaving on a jet plane in t-minus 2 days for a long weekend at the beach. Just the hubby and I are headed to Miami for 1 night and then driving to the Keys. Ultimately ending up at Key West. As women, we tend to over pack and usually don’t wear half of it. So what do you pack for a long weekend??
First off, you need to know if you are a carry-on kind of gal or do you check your luggage? This will dictate what and how much of something you can bring. I am a check my bag kind of gal so I’ll start there…
I have 3 sizes of suitcases. X-large, med, carry-on size. For a weekend (2 days) I’ll do the carry-on size, a long weekend (3-4 days), I’ll do the medium. X-large for a week or more. We’re doing 4 days so I’m packing the medium.
I prefer the hard case and if you’re really fancy you can cover it with a bag. I am not that fancy. I start with trying to plan out my days. Not specifically but generally. I know we will go to dinner every night so I’ll pack 2-3 dresses. The days will be about comfort because, well, the beach. I’ll do 2-3 pair of shorts, 3 tops and, of course bathing suits. I like to pack one for everyday because I don’t like wet suits. What can I say? Shoes are hard for me. It’s like an obsession. I really need to decide what I want to wear with what outfit. I sometimes bring more than one pair of shoes per outfit and that’s no good. So, shoes for day, shoes for night, shoes for beach, 1 wedge. Four pairs. A change of under garments for everyday and to make sure if I need a special bra such as a strapless, that I remember to pack it. I have a make up case that I love. Fits all of my make up and face products. It’s called the Dream Genius and I got if off Amazon for $17.99. I do not usually pack shampoo and conditioner for a long weekend but I will bring a travel size dry shampoo. It’s a lifesaver. I will pack my curling iron, straightener, and hairbrush. All hotels have hair dryers and while they’re not the best, they do the job and I’m not lugging mine to the beach. If I have a hat, I will wear it for travel. If it’s a big floppy beach hat i will pack flat in the suitcase and fill the hole with bathing suits to keep the shape. That’s it!
A carry-on is a different story. First of all, all products need to be travel size or under 3oz. Most products can be ordered in those sizes or you can put your own product into smaller containers. Clothing; I will do 1-2 dresses, 1 pair of shorts, 2 tops, and 2 bathing suits. Shoes; again, so hard. 2 Pair. I will have my beach sandals do double duty as my day sandals. I will choose 1 pair for night (whether or not that is a wedge). I would bring just my straightener as it can be used for curling as well if need be. Undergarments don’t change. If I am bringing a hat, I will wear it or roll it up in a separate carry-on purse.
In both cases, the best way to pack is to roll all the items. It gets you the most space. You can always iron clothes you need, when you get to the room. If I had my x-large bag I would bring my steamer but that’s a whole other blog! I hope you find this helpful and tag me on instagram with all of your packing pics!