3 Packing Mistakes I Made Just Last Week

No matter how many trips we take or stories we write about perfecting packing, we’re all still prone to a mistake or two (or three). I say this because—as you might have guessed—I did exactly this just last week. While packing for my Fourth of July trip to Spain, I still somehow managed leave out certain essentials and overdo it in other departments. But hey, admitting you have a problem is the first step, right? Hoping to break my own bad habits and, of course, help our dear readers, today I’m outlining the three biggest packing mistakes I made while prepping for my recent trip—you’ll find them listed out below, along with some of my favorite vacation-approved items.

1. Overdoing it on “extras”

Despite actually planning most of my outfits out ahead of time (for once), I somehow managed to throw in a few extra skirts, an additional pair of jeans, and five tops of the “just in case” variety. Spoiler alert: I didn’t end up wearing any of them!

Shop Vacation Outfits I Love:

2. Forgetting about downtime

While I overpacked in some departments, one area I totally overlooked was downtime. In between beach days and dinners, I found myself without a single comfortable thing to wear, and I really missed my sweatpants!

Shop My Favorite Downtime Pieces:

3. Too. Many. Shoes.

Will I ever learn? As I mentioned before, I even planned my outfits ahead of time but couldn’t resist throwing in three pairs of shoes too many. Not only were they unnecessary, but this caused my suitcase to be overweight, forcing me to root through my suitcase at the airport and move some items into my husband’s bag.

Shop Shoes Worth Packing:

Now for the affordable Amazon item you should pack for every trip…