When you think about packing for a trip, does your head spin? Mine sure does! I travel for work multiple times a month, so I have a system down for quick overnight trips. But when it comes to longer vacations, I dread packing. I always have and I probably always will a little bit…but, over the last several years, realizing how overwhelmed I get when I have to pack, I decided to come up with a better system. Well, a system in general. Let’s be honest, I didn’t have one of those before.

I have shared tips on packing before (here, here, here), but one big thing that has been a game changer for me is picking a color scheme for my clothing. When everything you pack falls under the same color scheme, it makes it so much easier to accessorize and mix and match pieces throughout the trip. Once I learned to pick pieces in the same color family, it made the rest of my packing go that much smoother. I knew the shoes I took would go with everything (i.e. if you take all blues, odds of needing black shoes becomes obsolete), the jewelry I packed would easily transition from one outfit to the next, and so on.

I also learned a major thing about myself in this process…I apparently love blue clothing. It’s not something I ever really thought about before, but when I packed by color for the first time, I noticed I owned a lot blue pieces, including more denim than I care to count. This was a great realization because blue can act as a good neutral color, that mixes very easily with others. It’s a flattering color on me, always looks put together and can easily be styled from day to night.

My recommendation is to start by packing pieces you know you love and that will be comfortable. You know, the go to pieces in your closet that you’re always drawn to. Then, build your color scheme around them. If you find you have a lot of black, build into your packing list pieces that complement it, same if you have lots of pink. Whatever the main color is in your color scheme, you can make it work. Soon, you will find packing becomes easier and easier. And who cares if you take the same pieces on every trip. If finding your color scheme, and your favorite travel looks helps you stress less about packing, it’s  a-okay!

Dress: Tommy Bahama   Hat: Vince Camuto   Shoes: From Italy (similar here)   Purse: From Croatia (similar here)   Earrings: Amazon   Lipstick: L’Oreal Infallible   Location: Split, Croatia   Photographer: ThisIsSam

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