Pack it Up

This weekend hubs and I will be taking off for a much needed and deserved 2 week vacation.  I've been super excited to take some time away from work with hubs and do some traveling, but the thought of packing for well over 7 days away from home is a little daunting. Not to mention that we'll be experiencing 2 very different climates.

When I was in college and I'd go home to Hawaii for extended periods during Christmas and summer break. During those long trips I just tossed anything and everything I thought I might remotely have a desire to wear into a huge suitcase. Needless to say hubs, who would lovingly chauffeur me to the airport,  didn't love lugging around my huge baggage.

Through the years hubs has helped me pare down the amount of clothes I travel with... mostly by convinving me that if I don't start off with a full suitcase I have more room to pack things I buy throughout the trip. But I have yet to be able to reach the coveted ability to pack a week's worth of travel necessities into a carry-on luggage like this popular pin on pinterest.

For this trip I tried to be as disaplined as possible. I uaually try to pack a few extra shirts so I'm not stuck wearing an outfit I'm just not "feeling" at the time, but that usually means that at the end of my trip I usually have a ton of unworn clothes. This time a took a note from other bloggers who suggested to plan your travel outfits very specifically - including matching outerwear and accessories. I even laid out each outfit and took pictures of them so that I'd remember them all and no pieces would be left unworn by the end of the trip.

I like to pack my bras in a sturdy box so that I don't have to worry about them getting crushed and misshapen during travel

Thanks to my all my hard work, this is what my suitcase looks like. I know it looks full, but rest assured I will be fit a lot more in there...not to mention I have 20 more pounds till I reach my 50 pound luggage limit.

Do you guys have any tips for packing for extended trips?