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We all love a weekend getaway, a chance to press pause on the hustle and bustle of everyday life to relax and unwind. I live for weekend getaways. Now, yes, I love my life all the time, and all that, but life is hard, and messy, and as much as I preach giving yourself some me time and not letting work affect your home life, actually doing that is hard. Last week was a perfect example of that, I was out the door by 5:30 am, got home every evening at 7:30 pm at which time I broke out my laptop and worked for another 2 hours until I crashed and went to bed. Now, there are people who have work schedules like this all the time, and I applaud you for not having mental breakdowns. But, I was done after one week of that. D. O. N. E. Done.

Since my 30th birthday had just passed, the Handsome Hunk and I decided we needed some time away. We needed some quality time together. And, so we decided on a long weekend getaway to Vancouver, BC. While Vancouver is equidistant to us as Seattle, we rarely cross the border. So, I grabbed my handy dandy weekend getaway packing checklist and threw together my bag for the weekend, moments before walking out the door.

The key to this checklist is a coordinating a color scheme. I went for all navy, white with a pop of pink. So, I am not trying to bring multiple jackets, scarves, or accessories. I can bring one of those large items and it goes with everything. As a lover of weekend getaways, I have perfected the packing list for a 3 day getaway into one small, carry on size bag or smaller. I pretty always use my Kate Spade weekender bag. It’s the perfect size for a quick few day trip.

SHIRTS

I will admit, I once was a chronic over packer. I would pack a 50 lb suitcase for a 5 day trip, bringing endless combinations of outfits, shoes and accessories. But now. I’m a big believer in less is more. I don’t want to haul around a giant suitcase, I want a carry on bag with room for souvenirs. So, weekend getaway, you need 3 shirts. That’s it. One for each day. Let’s be real, how often do you change outfits midday? Me, never. And, when I’m on vacation, I’m having too much fun to worry about changing outfits multiple times/day. Picking shirts that are all in the same color palette will help you immensely when making cute outfits out of minimal clothing. The time of year and where you are will determine what kind of shirts you bring. When I was packing for St Augustine I packed tank tops, this trip for vancouver was all about long sleeve shirts.

DRESS

This is your extra outfit for the weekend. Decide you want to go dancing, or out to a nice restaurant, or feel the intense urge to change your outfit, the dress is it. A perfect little wrap dress is what I always go for. It’s easy to dress up or down, plus is always very flattering. Again, choosing a coordinating color so all your shoes and accessories go is key.

JACKET

This will depend on the time of year and climate. For a chilly weekend getaway, you’re going to want something big and bulky. For a summertime just a cardigan could be enough or a light denim jacket. For this springtime getaway, I chose a sweatshirt jacket that is warm and oh so cozy without being too much bulk. Going back to coordinating colors, for this trip I chose a capsule wardrobe approach of navy and white. The shirts and dress were all navy with touches of white, and the jacket I chose was a very light neutral, almost white.

SHOES

Bring two pairs of shoes, first a versatile pair of booties should be part of any packing checklist. They are so comfortable for walking around town and adorable. Then a nice pair of flats that are cute and can be worn with jeans or a dress.

JEANS

This might get some people upset, but I’m telling you to only bring one pair of jeans. Pants take up so much room in a suitcase and I’m okay rocking the same pair of jeans for a whole weekend. So my trusty pair of Lucky jeans is it!

SCARF

This is where you can add a fun pop of color. I packed a navy scarf with a fun floral pattern that went with every single thing I brought. This is the perfect way to add a little extra warmth if you’re taking a plane ride, or for a road trip.

PURSE

A small crossbody bag is exactly what you need for a weekend getaway. This Kelly Moore bag is perfect for a weekend getaway because it doubles as a camera bag as well. It fits my DSLR with a small 50mm lens on it along with all my cards, ID, passport and everything else, while still being small.

SWIMSUIT

When I was young, my dad always taught me to always bring a swimsuit. Even if you don’t think you’ll use it, bring it. No matter what. I have never, ever regretted bringing my swimsuit, even if I didn’t use it. But, any time I forget it, I always want it! This Becca one piece swimsuit is so flattering.

INSTYLER

If you only bring one hot tool for your hair, make it be the Instyler. I can’t say enough good things. You can straighten or curl your hair with this one tool instead of packing a flat iron and curling iron. It’s so quick, and easy. I have been really impressed and have been using it, almost exclusively since I got it last Christmas.

MAKEUP & TOILETRIES

Duh.

EXTRAS

While this is a basic list, you’ll know more about your trip and can add items as necessary, this might include workout clothes, a raincoat if your forecast looks like weather, or specialty clothing items like hiking boots.

 

Download your weekend getaway packing checklist!