This article was originally published on Sarah Blue's blog Get Mommy Some Gin (which isn't about gin and she isn't a mother) and is reproduced here with kind permission.

I travel often, usually only with a carry-on suitcase, no matter the length of the trip. These are some of the tricks I’ve learned to save room:

1. Perfect hair is for chumps. Leave the dryer at home. Figure out how to style your hair using no more than a brush. Hair appliances are bulky and people will still like you even if you aren’t rocking a perfect blow out.  note: if you aren’t friendly or fun, maybe this won’t work for you.
    
2. Do not pack for “what if” situations. They rarely happen. Pack for 2 occasions: Work and Play. If you suddenly get an invite to something black tie, you’ll probably want to buy something new anyway. Also, you probably won’t work out. Leave the running kit at home.
    
3. Baby shampoo. It’s shampoo, it’s soap, it’s face wash and it’s laundry detergent. The more things you can find like this, the better!
    
4. Match your outfits to your shoes, not your shoes to your outfits. Wear a pair of boots, bring a pair of dressy shoes. When it’s summer, wear your fancy shoes, bring flip-flops!
    
5. When you buy really expensive jeans, they tell you to wear them for 6 months without washing them to break them in. Why on earth would you need to bring more than one pair for a vacation? The more you travel, the more you realize you want to be wearing the same thing all the time anyway.
    

Photo by Charles Wiriawan.