The Packing List: Charleston

When Austin and I traveled to Charleston a few weeks ago (you can read our travel guide here), we stayed at The Mills House. It was a beautiful hotel and the perfect location to walk around the city. While we were there, I got several emails and comments asking if I would share my packing essentials and suggestions. I personally, love to read “in my bag” types of posts so I am excited to share one with all of you!

Since we were only there for 3 nights/4 full days, I wanted to be sure and get everything in my carry on suitcase. When I pack for a long weekend, I like to keep everything pretty simple and versatile. I pack shirts that I can re-wear if needed and I generally stick with one or two pairs of shoes. I’ve found that planning my outfits ahead of time really limits the stress of packing and helps me not overpack. Here are the outfits I brought on our trip:

DAY 1

When traveling, I like to be comfortable. I wore my high-rise dark denim, Striped Top, Drawstring Jacket and Two-Toned Flats. I picked these items because I knew each of these would be worn with other pieces throughout the trip. And, it helped make space for other items in my carryon.

When I arrived to Charleston, I changed into this Striped Shirt Dress and Bow Flats. It was comfortable and easy to wear as I walked around the city. I knew Austin would be getting off work and we would want to go to dinner, so it transitioned well into a date night look.

DAY 2

For a day of walking around the city and trying various restaurants (see our favorites here) I wanted to be comfortable. I chose to wear this white lace dress, hat and Two-Toned Flats. You can see the full look from this post. This dress was perfect to wear throughout the day and easy to dress up for dinner.

DAY 3

This was one of our busiest days, so I wanted to wear something that was comfortable and perfect for lots of walking. I wore this pleated midi skirt (seen here) and open knit sweater (similar style). Since we were on our feet for most of the day, I wore these flats again.

Later that night we went on a sunset cruise (more details here) and I wore this striped dress (see how I styled it here) and bow flats. It was comfortable and perfect attire for a boat ride.

DAY 4

This was our travel day, so I wore this Striped Shirt again with my dark denim. I love to be comfortable and tend to get cold on flights, so I paired it with this knit cardigan. This was the perfect travel outfit!