How And What To Pack For A Short City Break

Now I love a city break, more than a beach holiday actually. I like the excitement of a city and sightseeing. My favourite city break is probably London. I'm going twice this year, just for a couple of days at a time and I'm super excited. I'm taking my mum next week for her 50th birthday and she has never been before! However when it comes to packing for any sort of holiday, I am guilty of overpacking. I'm actually terrible for it. If I'm going away for one week, I take enough clothes for two. There are, however, a few rules that I like/try to stick to.

1. Firstly, plan your outfits in advance. Every night, I usually plan my outfit for the next day anyway but when going away, it is essential. This means you'll pack the minimum clothes.
2. Choose a colour palette. I tend to stick to white, black, grey and navy just because if I end up buying things, every colour will go with them!
3. Check the weather, especially with UK city breaks. We all know how temperamental the weather is in this country.
4. Lay out everything on your bed first before packing and then put a couple of items back in your wardrobe. This ensures you just take the bare minimum.
5. Don't take items that you never wear at home. If you don't wear them at home, you won't wear them away. Stick to clothes you know you're comfortable in and look good in.
6. Limit yourself to a couple of pairs of shoes. One pair you will need for the day for walking around in; for this I'd suggest some form of flat, be it sneakers, pumps or boots, whatever you're comfortable in. But take a pair of shoes for nights. I'd suggest taking a pair of dressy flats rather than heels but again this depends on how you plan to spend your nights!
7. Similarly, don't take loads of accessories. If you're on a shopping/sightseeing trip, jewellery and scarves can get in the way and I always end up leaving them in changing rooms. I'd stick to a killer tote handbag big enough for a day out, simple jewellery and a pair of sunglasses!
8. Make sure you pack enough underwear for the trip!
9. Instead of buying travel-sized toiletries, buy the refillable bottles that you can reuse over and over again.
10. Keep your make-up and hair simple. In order to make the most out of your time away, wear the minimum make-up that doesn't constantly need redoing and wear your hair in a simple style. And leave the straighteners and curling irons at home!

What To Pack

You know when you go on a city break, you will buy clothes of some sort, I always do! Because I'm only going away for 3 days, I'm not planning on taking very much because I'll buy things there! Here are the key items that should be taken.

• 1 pair of jeans (I'm going in my black skinny jeans and that is all I will be taking!)
• 3 t-shirts
• A jacket or coat
• A cardigan/hoodie
• A dress or a dressy outfit for night time engagements- shorts/skirt and a top
• Enough underwear
• 2 pairs of shoes- a pair of Converse and a pair of pumps
• A big handbag or a rucksack
• Possibly an evening bag
• Make-up/toiletries/travel essentials (camera, phone, chargers, map)