how to pack + diy luggage tags

Since recently taking a few short trips, luggage and packing have been on the brain. I had the chance to go to the women’s retreat with ladies from my church at the beginning of April (you can read about it here), and then this last weekend got to vacay in Atlanta with the hubs. Both trips were awesome in completely different ways, and I’m super thankful for the refreshment I received from the Lord!

So, packing… some people love it and some people hate it. Can you guess which one I am?!? Shocking, I know, but I love to pack! It’s like a game of Tetris and I love that game. When I used to travel quite a bit, I became a pro at packing for days at a time using just my carry-on luggage so I wouldn’t have to pay those pesky luggage fees. For those who are a bit freaked out by the packing process, I thought I’d give you a simple way to determine what to pack for your next trip using just your carry-on bag.

This list is based on being out of town for up to 2 weeks. All you’ll need is the following:

• 1 dress
• 1 skirt
• 1 pair of jeans
• 1 pair of shorts
• 6 shirts or tank tops
• 2 kimono style or open front cardigans
• 3 pairs of shoes
• 2 scarves
• 2 necklaces
• 1 jacket/coat (no need to pack it, just put it over your arm!)
• 1 bathing suit (optional, depending on where you’re headed!)
• Additional jewelry (optional, just put it in a ziplock and stow it away in your purse!)
• Toiletries (utilize the 3 oz bottles from your local dollar store and throw them in a ziplock as well!)

With just these simple clothing items, you’ll have enough outfits for 14 whole days. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Before you pack, though, make yourself a couple of luggage tags using plastic placemats from the dollar store or Ikea. I got mine from Ikea for just $1.50 a piece.

I chose the pink rose placemat because it would be easy to just cut around the dotted lines already printed on it.

For the blue abstract placemat, I just grabbed an old cd and traced around it to make a circle.

Once they were cut, I simply used my hole punch to make a hole in the top and tied some ribbon through it. Then I wrote our names, phone numbers and email addresses on the back. This is a super easy and fast way to create your own luggage tags with a little flair. Happy travels!

Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, And by night with a pillar of fire, To give them light on the road Which they should travel. | Nehemiah 9:12