Do you need an intervention when it come to overpacking? I know I did! And over the years and through quite a few trips, I’ve read tons of articles and tips on how to pack properly.

When a trip was on the horizon, I would make a list. As I’ve always been a girl who loved a list. Then, after a few trips, to save some time, I made those lists into templates. And now, I use them every time, even for a weekend getaway. Just because, you know….I don’t want to forget anything.

Packing inspiration above

First up, is my checklist of essential items to bring, of course, this will vary depending on the location (sunny, cold, wet) and the duration of the trip. But most of the items are a constant. I’ve even left room for you to add any other personal items you may want to bring.

Then I use a weekly template to fill in the days I will be gone with room to add clothing for both day and evening, in case you will be changing for dinner/evening. I make sure to include shoes, outerwear and jewelry on this list. I find doing this day by day schedule really eliminates bringing a ton of extra clothes and shoes…HELLO…. as it gives you a visual of actually how many pieces/shoes you really need. Also, seeing the outfits listed out day by day helps you decide what pieces of jewelry and footwear you’ll need to bring and what can do double duty.

The list below the day by day template is for you to list the clothing/footwear pieces separately and then check off the items as you pack.

If you want to take it up a notch, you can assign each piece of clothing a number and see how many times you are wearing that particular item. And if you are only wearing it once, perhaps it shouldn’t make the final cut.

If you have any packing tips, I’d love to hear about them. I’m always looking for ways to streamline the packing process.