How to Pack the Perfect Bag for Vacation: By Theme

How to Pack the Perfect Bag for Vacation: By Theme

Yesterday, we talked about one way to pack: by color. Today, I'm excited to share with you a second way to pack the best vacation bag of your life! This is an idea I put into practice this summer when we went to the Outer Banks, and it's packing by theme. In this case, think of things like boho chic, nautical, sporty, preppy, or edgy. I find that the theme can be dictated by the type of trip you're having. If you'll be rafting or biking, a sporty style is a natural fit. For many trips, a boho look helps you to feel relaxed and at ease. I chose this style for our trip because I didn't want to wear anything constricting or anything I'd normally wear to work.

You might look through your clothes if you're not sure what theme you'd like to pick. Get a sense of what types of clothing you have that you'd like to wear. Then, follow the same practice as yesterday. First, pull out everything that you own that's right for the season that fits your theme.  

Here, a nautical/preppy theme worked well for me because I have so many stripes! This would be a great bag to pack for a weekend trip to
a coastal town like Annapolis or for a trip to Martha's Vineyard.

I noticed that most of my preppier clothing veered toward the spring/early fall because it's primarily things with long sleeves and cropped pants. I don't have many preppy t-shirts or tank tops so this might be a better bag for me to pack for a trip somewhere like Nova Scotia where the evenings get quite chilly or for an early fall trip.

Ok, ready to practice? Let's say you're really excited about the following pieces of clothing. You like the way they fit me, and you'd like to bring them on a vacation, but you're not sure if they fit a theme, and they're certainly not from one color group.

Hmmm... I think you could make these items work in a boho/Anthropologie inspired bag. That embroidered top and the lace back on the maxi dress are a good start. Let's look around for other pieces that you have that give off a relaxed, festival attire vibe and fill in some more tank tops, shorts, and dresses. 

Another tip is to pull out a few outfits to make sure you have a sense of how you'll wear what you're packing. If you've paid attention to having enough of each category for your season (tanks, t-shirts, dresses, bottoms, etc.) in a theme that allows them to all mix and match, you don't need to plan an outfit for every day. But, pulling a couple out may help you visualize how it will work in practice. 

Above, I can see that either the denim shorts or the patterned harem pants would work well with either (or both) of these tops.

That's it! Happy packing!