Copyright Parade
Key Points Packing light is trendy due to cost, minimalism, and sustainability in travel. The 3-3-3 method: pack three tops, bottoms, and shoes for outfit versatility. Choose varied materials and shapes; use packing cubes for organization and space-saving. It used to be incredibly popular to show up to a trip with an over-abundance of outfits in your suitcase. Being an outfit repeater was once one of the worst things you could be, especially in the age of social media where people tend to post a photo for every day that they’re on a vacation. Now, in 2025, packing heavily isn’t considered to be “cool” anymore. Since paying for a full-sized suitcase on a flight can cost you tons of extra money, many people tend to opt for bringing just a carry-on. Plus, minimalism and sustainability has become a huge conversion, and people are buying less amounts of trendy, cheap clothing and are instead investing in nicer staple pieces to fill their wardrobe. As someone who has traveled to over 40 countries, has lived entirely out of a suitcase for an entire year on a Broadway tour, and has also lived in tiny cabins on cruise ships as a crew member–I am an expert packer. I’ve realized that having too many clothing options when traveling actually makes me feel overwhelmed, and funnily enough, makes me feel like I have nothing to wear. It’s like when you’re staring at a packed closet, and you can’t pick out one single item that you’d like to wear. Instead, if you curate your wardrobe to be made of just a few items that you actually love, you’ll be excited to wear those pieces–and that goes for your suitcase, too. Related: The One Thing Hotel Managers Notice Right Away (And How It Can Score You a Perk) How To Do The 3-3-3 Outfit Method To Pack Oops! We’re unable to load this content right now. View directly on TikTok On TikTok, creator Ayesha shared a viral video about how she packs for a trip. In this video, she says that she has seen this method all over the app and wants to show how she does it herself as well. This method is particularly helpful for her because she only ever packs a carry-on when traveling. What she does is she packs three bottoms, three tops and three pairs of shoes. At the very least, that will get you three different outfits to wear. However, to really maximize the method, each item should be able to match or go with the other items as well. For example, every shirt should go with each of your bottoms. The shoes should be appropriate for all variations of these outfits. Ayesha then shows herself wearing 21 different outfits with just her three bottoms, tops and shoes. As you watch the video, you will truly be surprised that she’s just repeating the same few pieces from her wardrobe. She was able to make each outfit look completely different, all because she chose pieces that provided a large amount of variety while also matching each other as well. Related: The Genius Carry-on Packing Trick I Wish I Knew Sooner How To Make The Perfect Capsule Wardrobe With my own experience of traveling a ton and trying to figure out which types of clothing items work best, I’ve narrowed down my packing method to a science. The key here is to choose items that offer different types of materials and shapes. For example, you don’t want to have each of your bottoms be made from a jean material. Instead, choose three different materials for bottoms like a jean, trouser, linen, khaki or leather. Also choose different shapes or styles, like a long pant, a short, a skirt, something with a flowy style, or something with a structured style. The same method goes for tops, and I highly recommend choosing tops that can be worn different ways themselves. For example, a button up top is a great option because it can be worn tucked in, tucked out, buttoned halfway up, all the way up, or left open. Just the variations from that one shirt can make it seem like you have multiple shirts!
