RachelBirchley.com
  • Home
  • Contact
    • Cookie Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Blog
    • Food
    • Lifestyle
    • Outdoors
    • Travel

Packing for a Weekend Away in the UK

By Rachel Birchley • 13 February 2014 • Travel, Travel Tips
Packing for a weekend away in the UK - RachelBirchley.com

I’m going to be totally honest here. I am crap at packing! Well, that’s not quite true, I’m great at packing; packing everything and the kitchen sink! When I went travelling I had a massive backpack that I couldn’t actually carry. The longest distance I managed with it on my back was from a hostel in Hollywood to the Metro station half a mile away. I thought the shoulder straps were actually going to embed themselves into my shoulders.

Hubby and I are going away for the weekend for our first wedding anniversary in April. We’re hoping to go to Bristol, where neither of us have been before. I am determined to pack sensibly and want to pack one of those ‘capsule wardrobes’ I’ve read about for the past decade.

Weekend staple: skinny jeans

This is one item I won’t be going away without. I love my skinny jeans, and the great thing is you can wear them with Converse during the day and the switch up your outfit in the evening with a pair of heels. They go with everything! For exploring during the day, team your jeans and trainers with a cosy tee and a cute jumper. I love those with pretty collars because they stop you me looking scruffy.

Once you get back to the hotel you can simply pop on a pair of heels and re-do your make up for an evening look. Et voila, you’re ready to go out for dinner. Another great thing about jeans is that you can get away with wearing them for a few days.

Another bonus with skinny jeans, rather than other types of jeans, is that when it rains (and let’s face it that’s pretty likely in Blighty) they don’t drag in puddles so you don’t get that awful ‘rising damp’. Back in the 00’s, when baggy jeans were all the rage, sometimes my jeans would be soaked all the way up to my knees! Yuck!

I created this set on Polyvore (read – spent many hours creating outfits and browsing through shoes!) as inspiration for packing for a weekend away:

City break - day to night outfit
City break – day to night outfit by rachel-birchley featuring Topshop

 

My plans for packing light:

  • Choose just two pairs of shoes, one for the day, the other for the evening.
  • Pick one handbag that can be used all weekend.
  • Wear my skinnies all weekend long (and hope that I don’t spill anything!).
  • Choose one colour palette so my accessories, nail colour, etc will match each outfit.
  • Remember that I probably won’t need 4 pairs of emergency knickers and 10 pairs of socks, just in case!
  • And last but not least, pick out a small weekend bag so I am actually forced to pack light! If it won’t fit in the bag, it’s not coming.

Do you have any tips for packing light for a weekend away? Is there anything I’ve forgotten?

Rachel x

#Blog4Trek
Tweet
9
Are These the Cutest and Cheapest False Nails You've Ever Seen?
Spicy Valentine's: Copper and Spices, Indian Restaurant in Folkestone

About the Author

Rachel Birchley

Professional marketer. I live in Folkestone with my hubby and our baby girl.

You Might Also Like

  • Folkestone Harbour Arm

  • Festival Photo La Gacilly 2015

  • Benefits of travelling as a solo female

  • A weekend in Kingston upon Thames

9 Comments

  • Reply Missy C 16 February 2014 at 11:36 am

    Hahaha…. packing is a nightmare!! Over the past few years I ahve gone from just picking everything from my wardrobe to a more streamlined effect. I write/take photos of outfits and plan them into an itinerary and then pack just them. I managed to do this for a month long trip to Australia and it worked fab! Planning ahead is def the way to go. Although I couldn’t deal with having just one pair of skinnies because I am that woman who will spill something. I would pack a pair and travel in a pair then you can have an alt just in case – oh and roll roll roll the clothes! 🙂 I still haven’t found a way to cut down the underwear though hahah!!!
    Thanks for linking up with Take All Chances – A very pretty blog!
    Missy xx

    • Reply Rachel Birchley 16 February 2014 at 8:19 pm

      Thanks for your comment 🙂 I definitely agree with rolling to get as much in your bag as possible. I’ve also used plastic packing bags that you can kneel on to get all the air out and so your clothes take up less room. Rachel x

  • Reply Claire Tomlinson 17 February 2014 at 1:49 pm

    Love the skinny jeans tip!So true about the day to night thing…as well as trying not to spill anything haha funny post 🙂

    • Reply Rachel Birchley 17 February 2014 at 2:02 pm

      Thanks Claire! Glad you enjoyed it. I’m terrible for spilling things. X

  • Reply Stage two of the #Blog4Trek competition 17 March 2014 at 11:47 am

    […] Rachel Birchley -www.rachelbirchley.com […]

  • Reply Exciting News! | Shortlisted in Trek America #Blog4Trek CompetitionRachelBirchley.com 19 March 2014 at 11:41 am

    […] week I received some very exciting news! You might remember my packing for a weekend away post a few weeks ago, it was my entry for Trek America’s #Blog4Trek competition. Well, […]

  • Reply Stage 2 of #Blog4Trek Competition | RachelBirchley.comRachelBirchley.com 28 March 2014 at 10:08 pm

    […] first stage was to write a blog post on packing for a weekend away, and the second stage was to send in a photograph that represents red, white and […]

  • Reply #Blog4Trek: The final stage | The Travel Hack 15 April 2014 at 2:39 pm

    […] what they’d pack for a weekend away. There were lots of cool and creative answers and I loved Rachel Birchley’s post. Rachel has the same tactic as I do and simply packs one pair of skinnies to make sure she […]

  • Reply #Blog4Trek: The Final Round | The Travel Hack 16 April 2014 at 3:13 pm

    […] what they’d pack for a weekend away. There were lots of cool and creative answers and I loved Rachel Birchley’s post. Rachel has the same tactic as I do and simply packs one pair of skinnies to make sure she […]

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe & Follow

Hey there!

Hey there!

I'm a 30-something mother who works part-time in marketing for a local company. I live in Folkestone, Kent with my husband and daughter. When I get a rare moment to myself, I enjoy writing, baking and photography.

Rachel Birchley

Looking for something?

Rachel BirchleyMember of the Professional Copywriters' Network

Latest Posts

  • SEMrush Content Marathon – Assignment Three

    26 June 2019
  • SEMrush Content Marathon – Assignment Two

    26 June 2019
  • SEMrush Content Marathon – Assignment One

    25 June 2019
  • First time buyers could be nearly £700 per year better off

    25 August 2015
  • Folkestone Harbour Arm

    12 August 2015
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest

Rachel Birchley - mummy, wife, marketer and writer

© 2019 Rachel Birchley. All rights reserved.
This site uses cookies More info