Everything I Packed and Never Used
Updated: 2 days ago
Things We Pack for Vacation but Never Use
Every trip starts the same way: wild optimism, an open suitcase, and a truly delusional belief that this will be the vacation where we finally read that novel, hit the hotel gym at 6 a.m., and attend a rooftop dinner in a linen blazer. Spoiler: it won’t be. We will spend 90% of our time in the same two outfits, eat emergency snacks on the plane, and drag home a bag that somehow weighs more than when we left — full of all the things we never touched. Sound familiar? Here’s an honest look at the greatest hits of vacation overpacking.
Confession of the Overpacked Offenders
The “Just in Case” Fancy Outfit
You know the one.
It’s the dress that’s a little fancier than anything else you packed. Or the outfit you might wear if you suddenly find yourself at an elegant dinner, rooftop cocktail bar, or glamorous event that was never actually on your itinerary. Simply because there may a surprise gala or you know…meet royalty.
It comes with you on every trip.
It comes home with the tags still on it.
The fix: Pack for the trip you’re actually taking—not the imaginary version where you spontaneously become a completely different person.
If you have one special dinner planned, pack one outfit for it. Otherwise, give that extra outfit a vacation of its own in your closet.
Cause that chance to meet royalty? Probably not. You ate tacos in a plastic chair and loved every second of it. The fancy outfit went home still on its hanger, mildly judging you.
Side Quest: If you really want to become a different person you can only pack things you do not normally wear. This works if you are going somewhere you’ll never run into anyone you know. Or just want a challenge to be confident in a banana costume in public on a random Tuesday in May.
The Full Toiletry Bag (a.k.a. a Porta Pharmacy)
Unless you’re moving into your hotel permanently, you probably don’t need the entire bottle of shampoo.
The same goes for conditioner, body wash, lotion, and approximately seventeen products you’re convinced you’ll suddenly become disciplined enough to use every morning. Three different moisturizers because your skin has needs. A tiny pair of nail scissors that will definitely get confiscated at security.
The fix: Travel-sized containers are your friend. Better yet, check what your hotel provides before packing duplicates.
Your suitcase will thank you. Goodbye beautifully scented dead weight.
The “Maybe I’ll Read This” Book
I love a good vacation book.
But be honest with yourself: Are you actually going to read it?
You had grand literary ambitions. You packed the novel you’ve been meaning to read for two years, a personal development book “for the flight,” and a travel journal to capture your profound thoughts
That 500-page novel might spend the entire trip sitting beside your bed.
The fix: Bring one small book, an e-reader, or download something before you leave. You don’t need a portable library.
Because in reality you watched four episodes of a reality show on the plane, scrolled your phone by the pool, and the journal has exactly one entry: the date and the words “arrived safely.” The books came home with pristine spines. You fell no shame, you had a great time.
The Workout Gear
Running shoes? Check. Resistance bands? Obviously. A gym outfit so cute it deserved a vacation of its own? Absolutely. You packed all of it with every intention of using the hotel fitness center at least twice.
You peeked into the hotel gym on day one, noticed it had one treadmill facing a concrete wall, and quietly closed the door. Those running shoes have never felt more betrayed.
The fix: Bring an outfit that you wouldn’t mind getting sweaty in. But bonus if you would wear it around.
The Snack Stash to Feed a Small Village
Now, I fully support bringing snacks. Especially when traveling with kids.
A hungry traveler is rarely a happy traveler.
But there’s a difference between bringing a few emergency snacks and packing enough granola bars, crackers, fruit snacks, and assorted mystery pouches to survive the apocalypse.
Somehow, you always arrive home with half of them still in the bag.
The fix: Pack a small, intentional snack stash for travel days, long excursions, or those inevitable moments when everyone suddenly becomes starving. Pick snacks that travel well and that you know your family will actually eat.
And then accept that at some point, someone will still ask, “Do you have anything to eat?” approximately seven minutes after finishing a snack.
Shoes. So Many Shoes.
Shoes are sneaky suitcase space thieves.
One pair for walking. One pair for dinner. One pair for the beach. One pair because these would look really cute with that outfit you may never wear.
Suddenly, half your suitcase is shoes.
The fix: Choose shoes based on what you’ll actually be doing. A comfortable walking shoe, a versatile casual option, and one nicer pair will usually cover a lot of ground.
And if you’re traveling with kids? Consider this your official permission slip to stop packing shoes for every possible scenario.
The shoes are not sorry. They just wanted to travel.
The Moral of the Story? Pack Less, Live More.
Here’s a radical idea for your next trip: pack only what you’ll actually use.
Leave the blazer. Leave the second (and third) pair of shoes. Leave the book you’ve been avoiding for three years — it’ll still be there when you get back, and so will your guilt. The truth is, the best vacations happen when you stop lugging half your house across time zones and start showing up light, flexible, and ready for whatever comes your way.
Think about your destination, your itinerary, the weather, and how you actually like to travel.
Then leave a little room.
Because one of the best things about having space in your suitcase is having space for the things you didn’t plan for—whether that’s a souvenir from a tiny shop you stumbled across, a bottle of wine from a local market, or simply the freedom to bring home memories instead of a suitcase full of things you never used.
And hey — if all else fails, the hotel probably has shampoo.
Now go zip up that suitcase. Sit on it if you have to. I believe in you.
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