what to pack? - 1 week in boston in spring

I know this is primarily a cooking blog, but bakers travel too. Right? So I thought it would be fun to share some of my travel tales as well, be that the adventures themselves, the food we discover while away (mostly that, let's be honest), or travel tips I have discovered as we go.

So to start this off, let's begin with a nostalgic post. Aaron and I took our first real vacation together last summer. Aaron had been on a pretty wonky work schedule for the first year we were married and we finally decided it was time to just take a week to ourselves and recoup. I'll have a full post on that trip coming soon, but we'll start things off with something I love - packing lists!

No really, guys. I make one of these things for myself every time I travel - pictures and all. I know it's a bit ridiculous, but I swear by it. It really makes it so simple to have a visual of everything you're laying out for the trip and how it all pairs together. I can't tell you how many times it's helped me to cut out a lot of unnecessary items I would have thought were indispensable before. And since I stubbornly refuse to ever check a bag, this is extra necessary.

If you want a simple way to have it all at your fingertips, the Stylebook Closet app is amazing for this. I use it for my daily outfits as well and it's helped me significantly pare down how many clothes I hoard. If you don't want to spend anything on an app, you can also just use Powerpoint for an easy workaround on travel lists. The "remove background" feature is a lifesaver for this.

And with that, let's talk packing!

Sunglasses - Target | Sneakers - Target | Heels - Zara (Zara no longer carries these shoes, but the Day Heel from Everlane is very close and probably a bit more foot-friendly.) | Tote - Old Navy | Wide Brim Hat - Target

This is the list I took, which honestly could stretch even further than just the one week we were there. I've sketched out the main outfits I utilized below and will add in a few "bonus" options that could stretch it even further.

My main goals on packing for this trip were:

Fit everything into one small carryon with enough additional space to fit my Nikon and other accessories (umbrella, etc).
Bring layers that will adapt to the varying temperatures we expected (it was Spring, so it hopped back and forth between shirt + sweater + coat + scarf and just wearing a cami and jeans).
Versatile items that could dress up or down with little alteration since our AirBnb was a 25 minute train ride from the city and we didn't want to waste vacation time commuting back and forth for clothing changes.
Items that could be hand washed in a sink in case they became soiled while traipsing around the city/nature/subway/etc.

To that end, I relied heavily on a palate of neutrals that all played well together, but could be switched up and/or accented simply with lipstick, a scarf, or hat. The canvas tote I brought was a life saver for that - I could easily slip a pair of heels in that and be all set for dinner or cocktails after a day of strolling around in keds.

It worked out perfectly. I didn't feel cramped at all with only having a few items - in fact the fewer items I can bring on a trip, the happier I am. It takes a lot of the chaos out of things! You already know what you'll be putting on each day and you aren't overrun by unnecessary extras. I find it so much easier to relax and really enjoy a vacation that way.

Here is a visual breakdown of how I utilized the pieces above each day: