Hey everyone! To celebrate my return home tomorrow, I’m sharing my packing tips for a longer trip to another country. I think packing can be one of the hardest tasks blocking an exciting trip, so I’m here to make things a bit easier! Read on for my tips.

I’m taking 2 bags on this 2 week trip, a large carry-on and a middle-sized suitcase to check. The checked bag is mostly full of clothes and larger liquid and beauty items. It is smart to pack large bulky items like jeans or denim in your checked baggage to save space. The carry-on is what you’ll be carrying around most of the time, so you don’t want it to be too much of a burden. As you can see below, I usually roll my clothes to get more space out of the suitcase. I also brought plenty of clothes to mix and match. Tops, skirts, and shorts are great because you can reuse them and don’t have to pack an outfit for every single day. I divided the underwear and socks into the upper section for easier access.

The carry-on can be a lot more difficult. It’s usually a struggle to balance the weight of the baggage with the stuff you consider most important. It is possible on international trips that your baggage could be lost or delayed. This means that you need to keep important things like prescriptions and necessary toiletries in your carry-on. I packed a few outfits just in case, as well as my prescriptions, some toiletries, and makeup. Remember that your toiletries must be smaller than 3 oz. in the US and fit into a quart size bag. So choose wisely! I keep the quart bag on top so I can grab it easily when going through security. I also packed some fun stuff for the plane like my iPad with books on it.

I am also bringing a small purse. This one is quite small because I don’t want to be overloaded with baggage. This purse contains a small cardholder with important items like a credit card and ID. I’ll also keep my passport in this bag so I don’t lose it. This purse is just big enough to fit my 3DS as well, so I can play games on the plane.

Finally, I’ll give you the rundown of the makeup products I’m bringing. Traveling internationally can be tough, because you want lots of options without going crazy. I brought one eyeshadow palette, my Naked3, because it is the most versatile and comes with a brush. In my brush holder I brought a blending brush, small smudging brush, blush brushes for bronzer and blush, and a small powder brush. This is the bare minimum I wanted for such a long trip.

Inside my adorable nerd bag (I like the combo of girly and fantasy) are the key items I will use every day. I have one bright summer blush, Tarte’s Blissful. I also packed my Maybelline Fit Me Powder and Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer. I wanted to bring one single eyeshadow, Colourpop’s Weenie, because it is just so beautiful for the summer. I also put in my Nyx Micro Brow Pencil in Expresso. My CLIO liquid eyeliner and MAC Costa Riche are the two liners I know can get my through anything. Finally, I added liquids like my It Cosmetics CC Cream, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, Revlon Volume +Length Mascara, and Nyx Brow Mascara to my quart bag.

Finally, for my lipsticks I chose 7, because I didn’t think I needed a color for EVERY single day (sounds like overkill right?). The lipsticks are as follows, Nyx Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee, Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 10 Mandarin Muse, Ofra Liquid Lipstick in Miami Fever, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Wine With Everything, MAC lipstick in Vegas Volt, MAC lipstick in Candy Yum-Yum, and BLANKFKDFJISFOEJPFOW. I felt like the variety was good in this batch and they could work for all my looks.

Thanks for reading this long-winded post about summer travel! I hope this helped out anyone who is worried about that daunting task of packing. Leave comments on your packing method below!

-Kate