My cousin got married in California over the weekend, so the majority of our family packed up our things and flew to San Francisco for the nuptials.
The view from the wedding venue
Carry On = Minimal Clothing
While packing for a wedding is hard, packing for one in a climate you aren’t familiar with (and in a carry on bag) is even harder.
So this was my attempt at packing light! The most obvious clothing I needed to pack was something for the wedding and family dinner the night before. Otherwise, we would just be doing some exploring and going to see Alcatraz!
To avoid any crazy overpacking, I started with making a list of items I knew I would need, and then items that crossed over and could be used for different purposes.
- 1 pair of boots
- 1 pair of moccasins
- 1 pair of heels for the wedding
- 2 dresses for rehearsal and wedding
- 2 pairs of pants
- 1 pair of leggings
- 4 shirts/sweaters
- 2 vests
- 2 scarves
- 1 regular jacket and 1 rain coat
- obviously the other essentials
All made it into my carry on without a hitch! Pairing different vests and scarves with different shirts, pants, and shoes, really helped vary my outfit choices over the 5 days. So at least in most pictures, it does not look like I am wearing the same thing every day!
Being Conscious of Waste While Traveling
Taken at the Cliff House, San Francisco, CA
Every single restaurant we went to had a sign that stated water would not automatically be served due to California’s severe drought. Living in a part of the country that is not under such water restrictions, it was a bit shocking at first, but it makes complete sense. How much water is wasted being brought to customers who don’t even want it?
In other news, my foldable reusable bag came quite in handy throughout the trip. It carried leftovers, souvenirs, jackets, and umbrellas. I refused straws at restaurants and refilled my water bottle where ever I was.
I definitely was not zero-waste perfect on this trip, but I made conscious efforts and shared them with my family.
Many other bloggers do a fantastic job covering how they travel zero-waste. Check them out:
Most importantly, check out the Zero Waster’s Travel Companion! Put together by the Zero Waste Bloggers Network, this guide can help you travel more consciously to 32 different cities around the world!
waste not want not 