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While some weekends are dedicated to errands, chores, and relaxing, many of my weekends are solely carved out for short excursions to remind me why life is worth living. Back in 2017, I made a personal goal to take at least one trip every month. This slowly turned into taking trips every other weekend. Then, I moved to Japan and the urge to explore plagued me even further. Now, I go places as often as I can based on my budget.

I genuinely enjoy researching and planning, which is why I don’t mind traveling so often. Additionally, I love the feeling of exploring new places and spaces—it’s a little bit addicting, honestly! Jet lag aside, I think the worst part of any trip is packing. It gives me anxiety to think I’ve forgotten something of utmost importance or simply didn’t pack any socks. Therefore, I wanted to share my basic weekend trip packing list to inspire you to pack minimally and shake off the pre-trip packing anxiety.

This is a general list I use for a three day, two night trip. I always check the weather the evening before I leave to ensure I pack the right types of clothing, including extra socks if it’s going to be raining or a scarf if it’s cold. The first day of the trip, I wear an outfit that includes one of the bottoms on my list, my bra or bralette, and a pair of shoes I dedicate myself to for the weekend. Of course, the list changes a bit if I’m going somewhere tropical or somewhere with snow, but this is the main list I start with.

Toiletries

I have a small, pre-packed toiletry bag with travel sized and portioned items. This pouch is made of soft plastic so if anything leaks or spills, I can easily rinse it out.

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Body wash
• Face wash
• Toner
• Face lotion
• Toothbrush with cover
• Toothpaste
• Floss, Q-tips, cotton rounds, hair-ties, bobby pins (in a small container)
• Collapsable comb/brush
• Medicine (painkillers, activated charcoal, anti-diarrheal, Tums, etc.)
• Menstrual cup

Clothing

• Two bottoms (leggings, jeans, shorts, etc.)
• Two shirts (long or short sleeve) or one shirt + one dress
• One tank top
• Flannel or jacket
• 4 pairs of underwear + socks
• One bra + one bralette
• One set of pajamas

Electronics

• iPhone with LifeProof case
• Digital camera
• Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic (depends on activities)
• Chargers
• Adapter/ converter

Miscellaneous

• Shower slippers
• Extra shoes (depending on the type of activities)
• Scarf (weather dependent)
• Collapsable umbrella (weather dependent)
• Hat
• Bandana
• Ear plugs + eye mask
• LifeStraw (depending where I’m traveling)
• Hair straightener (depending on the weather and activities)
• Eyebrow pencil, mascara, eyeliner, face makeup (activity dependent)

I try to keep my bag minimal yet versatile yet to ensure I’m comfortable and prepared for the trip ahead. Lately my go-to weekend bag of choice has been my MUZMM backpack—you can read my review and get access to a special 20% off code here! What do you pack for a weekend trip? Comment below or shoot me an email—I’d love to hear about your packing list!

Peace & happy travels,

Tay