Packing Tutorial: All of my tips and tricks on how to stay organized + what I’m taking to Vegas!

I’ve been soooo excited about this girl’s trip for about 2 months now!  There are 6 of us headed out to Vegas for the trip of a lifetime, and I’m beyond thrilled to be a part of it.  Y’all I could seriously scream!!  The main reason we’re going is to for the J Lo concert, but other than that, we are really looking forward to relaxing by the pool and just having a blast being spontaneous!  I know packing can be overwhelming to most people, so I want to give you all of my tips and tricks on how I stay organized when packing,  how to know what to pack, and how to keep your items in the best condition possible.  I also want to share all of my outfits that I’m bringing along, in case you have an upcoming girls trip and want some outfit inspo!

Here are the rest of the key pieces I brought for the trip!  Click on the images below to shop:

The first thing I do when I’m about to leave for a trip is make a list.  I still am one of those people that likes to write everything down.  I list all of my essentials that I use day to day that are necessary.  I also make sure I have travel size containers for my skincare or have samples on hand so I don’t have to pack large bottles.   I keep these ready to go in a makeup kit, so that all I have to do is check it to make sure nothing needs to be refilled, zip it and go.

The next thing I do is save a small space in my closet to hang all of my travel outfits.  I begin doing this about a week in advance.  I start pulling pieces out of my closet that I know I want to take and just hang them there so that I see them daily and can be thinking about what else to bring.

Very important: The night before, very last minute (I know, don’t judge!), I lay out all of my outfits on my bed.  I lay out the outfit with accessories, shoes and a bag and then try it all on to make sure it works.  Don’t make the mistake of not trying things on.  Trust me, I get that it’s a pain, but it works.  In order to make sure nothing is left behind, the best option is to try on each complete outfit and then snap a mirror selfie.  Fun Tip: Have a try on party with a girlfriend and have her take pics and help out.  Open a bottle of wine or 2 if you like.  Ha!I also take photos of the layout on my bed with all items together like these below.

When traveling with a group or with friends:  Ask around to see what others are wearing to certain events.  Send each other a mirror selfie and get the help of your girlfriends.  That makes it easy to be sure you’ve got all the right outfits!

The first is the outfit I’m wearing to the concert.  The second look I plan on wearing just walking around shopping or hanging out during the day.

—CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SHOP THIS OUTFIT–

—CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO SHOP THIS LOOK—

Next, I leave my hanging items on hangers and put them in a thin garment bag like the one below.  I fold that in half and put it on one side of my suitcase.  This makes it easy when you get to your hotel to just open your suitcase and hang it in the closet.  Next, I wrap my bags and shoes in duster bags.  You can also use ziploc bags or just any cloth bag is fine.  Dish towels would also work great!  I like to use these to prevent scratches or nicks from happening to my shoes, bags and belts.  Lastly, I make sure to put all of my valuable items in my carry on like jewelry, bags and shoes.  I also take a large tote to hold my computer and then put a cross body bag inside that for easy access to my phone and wallet