How many days before vacation should you start packing?

Start your packing process days or even weeks ahead of your departure date; this gives you time to craft a complete list, plus purchase any additional items you might need for your vacation. Creating a packing list is a fail-safe way to ensure that you never, ever forget to bring something important.



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We tend to start preliminary packing about a week in advance of our trip. This gives plenty of time to obtain anything we might need. If, say, I cannot find my bathing suit or my travel book light no longer works, I have time to replace these things. We do not want to be doing this the night before departure.

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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.

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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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TRAVEL TIPS: Packing List for a 1-Week Trip
  • 8 shirts (4 tanks, 4 tops)
  • 1 cardigan.
  • 1 hoodie.
  • 2 pants.
  • 1 pair of shorts or skirt.
  • 1 dress (if applicable)
  • socks (take the # of days you'll likely wear socks and add +1)
  • undies (take the # of days of your trip and add +1)


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For trips that are 3, 5 or 7 days, you will need one outfit per day. For example, if your trip is 5 days long, pack five outfits.

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Things to do a few days before your trip:
  1. Notify your credit card / bank about your travel plans.
  2. Take out cash you'll need for your trip.
  3. Make copies of important documents (such as your passport and IDs)
  4. Print hard copies of travel reservations (hotel, car rental, flights)
  5. Enter important numbers into your phone.


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According to a latest study, researchers found that adults going on a one-to-three-week vacation gained an average weight of nearly one pound during their trip.

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If you have one high-sodium meal and then return to normal, healthy dietary habits, you'll likely return to your normal weight in 1-2 days. If you're returning from a vacation of over-indulging and are retaining a higher amount of excess fluid, it may take longer.

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For a 5 day vacation, you will want to bring 2-3 pairs of shorts or pants, 3-4 tops, a light jacket (or a heavy jacket, depending on where you are traveling), and 1 formal outfit if you are planning on attending a nice restaurant or event. If you are going to the beach, pack 2-3 swimsuits/trunks.

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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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