How do I know how many clothes to pack?

Do the clothing countdown: If you need a mantra to help streamline your wardrobe, use the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 rule for a weeklong trip: Limit yourself to no more than five sets of socks and underwear, four tops, three bottoms, two pairs of shoes and one hat. The list should be adjusted to suit your needs.



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You can make 21 days worth of outfits with just 10 pieces of clothing: 3 bottoms multiplied by 7 tops equals 21 unique outfits. This is Travel Fashion Math.

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Bring just three or four bottoms, including a mix of jeans or shorts and a pair of dressy pants or a skirt. Pack four or five tops of varying dressiness, plus one or two warm top pieces like sweaters. Of course, your destination will affect the weight of the pieces you pack and, thus, the amount of space they take.

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Do the clothing countdown: If you need a mantra to help streamline your wardrobe, use the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 rule for a weeklong trip: Limit yourself to no more than five sets of socks and underwear, four tops, three bottoms, two pairs of shoes and one hat. The list should be adjusted to suit your needs.

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If you have unlimited suitcase space and don't want to do any laundry, a two-week trip means packing 14/2 = 7 bras and at least 14 pairs of underwear. That consumes a lot of valuable suitcase space! To reduce the number of pieces that need to be packed, simply commit to doing laundry on the road.

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Two weeks will give you enough time to test out lip colors, launder your sweats, or order that cozy new sweater. If you need to stop thinking about this situation for a while, a two-week packing strategy gives you space to do that.

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Most frequent travelers swear by the “3 pairs of shoes” rule, which is to pack two pairs of functional and comfortable shoes and one pair that's a little more formal and dressier. Some travelers would say you can make do with just two pairs for the entire trip.

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How to Avoid Overpacking for Vacation: 10 Useful Tips
  1. Make a checklist beforehand.
  2. Pack a mini capsule wardrobe.
  3. Choose outfits ahead of time.
  4. Replace full-size toiletries for travel size.
  5. Book a destination with a laundry service.
  6. Consider packing multipurpose footwear.
  7. Avoid packing items “just in case”


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On the other hand, Ahoni — as well as the American Cleaning Institute — suggests washing pajamas every three wears. “If you sweat a lot while sleeping, you may want to increase this frequency. Simply said, our bodies produce a lot of gross, stinky stuff that ends up on our clothing, pajamas included,” she says.

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