What To Pack

T-Shirts.  Don't make the same mistake as me and think this is going to be some kind of fashion show, but I am a fashion blogger so you can see my reasoning right?  I packed about 8 t-shirts and then an array of fashion tops.  Did I wear them? No.  Did I actually need them? No.  Trust me T-shirts are the way and there is a lot to be said for simple look.   If you're planning on going out for a nice meal or going out out then pack one nice blouse, not a plethora of options.

Denim.  Denim is durable and as you may have seen from my Instagram feed I literally lived in denim for the entire trip bar a couple of dresses here and there.  I packed three pairs of Denim shorts; one white (mistake, don't take white), one bleach wash, one dark wash.  Two Denim skirts, again, one bleach and one dark. Black jeans, white jeans (again, another mistake), bleach jeans and dark wash jeans and a denim jacket.

Waterproof Jacket.  Oh how I wish I'd taken a waterproof jacket.  I thought I was being sensible by taking a leather jacket but it just didn't cut the mustard.  As I documented on my Snapchat there would often be random torrential downpours of rain, during most of which we were safely nestled in the comfort of the car but there were a few occasions where we were in the middle of a National Park and by the time we emerged we were soaked through to our underwear.  So just a pac-a-mac, nothing fancy, but you'll be thankful for it.

Warm clothing.  A lovely follower of mine on Instagram had done a road trip of the West Coast a few weeks prior to us and she offered me some advise: 'Some places are bloody freezing so pack a jumper'.  I didn't believe her at first, we were going for insane heat, but as I was packing her virtual comment resinated in my mind and I threw in a jumper and a hoodie.  It's a darn good job that I packed these because I needed them on an almost daily basis.  Some places like San Francisco were only 16 degrees which is quite a shock to the system after travelling through States with 35 degree temperatures.  Not only that but the restaurants crank up the air con so much that it's like being sat in a fridge.  The Americans are used to this, Brits are not, take heed.

Cotton Socks & Underwear.  Most of the States are hot (depending on the time of year), some are cooler and some are super bloody hot.  I always take 100% cotton underwear with me when going to a hot climate, it allows your body to breathe and keeps you cooler.  Not to mention keeping thrush at bay, sorry I have to address it, we're all girls here after all.  Cotton socks are equally as important, again for breathability and keeping your feet cool.  Simon has a terrible habit of not wearing any socks with his shoes and he wears trainers most of the time, and we all know what happens there.  3 pairs of the most rancid smelling footwear went in the bin during our trip, so girls, pack cotton socks for your man too if he's the same. Save your nose!

Footwear.  Comfort should be your main priority here.  You will need a pair of trainers for walking in, I took black Converse (for those All American vibes) but some of you may prefer a pair of Nikes for the arch support, unless you're super professional and taking hiking boots but they are pretty hefty in weight so I would advise against it.  I would also advise against any kind of white footwear, they won't stay white for long so stick to darker colours.  Secondly comfortable sandals, the type that won't give you blisters.  I bought these sandals from ATP Atelier before we went away and I wore them about 5 times to break them in and I near enough wore them out during our trip.  They were the most comfortable sandals for walking and they look super stylish too.  I took one additional pair of tan sandals from Office but they weren't as comfortable (the odd blister occured) for the amount of walking we were doing so they stayed in the suitcase, reserved for the lazy days.

A Hat.  You should take at least one hat with you whether it be a straw fedora like mine here or a baseball cap (we collected a few of these along the way).  The heat in the Nevada desert in particular reached just short of 40 degrees and you're going to want to see some of the attractions/views while you're in there and trust me a burnt scalp doth not make a happy traveller.  Style note: It also looks super cute in pictures 😉

Photography Tech.  When we got to Heathrow we went and had a look at GoPros and decided against it due to the cost. I wouldn't like to say that we made any mistakes during our road trip but if there were one thing I would change it would be to go back and buy that bloody GoPro!  You don't realise how much fun a road trip will be until you're there and although I took plenty of photos and videos on my phone and cameras we could have made some incredible footage with a GoPro (FYI: other action cams are available). Camera wise I took my Canon 5D MkIII and my compact Olympus Pen EPL-7 with me.  I love my photography equipment and due to the nature of my career that was something that I wasn't going to compromise on.  However the Pen would have been fine on it's own, it's a great camera for travelling with and combined with a the extra lenses (45mm & 75mm) I got some amazing shots.  If anyone would be looking to vlog their road trip it's also great for vlogging and I would recommend the 17mm lens for this. Make sure you take your battery charger and spare batteries if you have them because I guarantee you will be snap happy.

A Pillowcase Each.  This might seem a tad random but if you're planning on doing a 'proper' road trip like we did, staying in motels, then you may need these.  95% of the motels we stayed in were fine, the sheets were clean and there were o unpleasant smells, however, there were a handful of less appealing places (which is all part of the fun) and although the pillows looked clean I just felt more comfortable putting my own pillowcase over the top.  If you're feeling a little homesick during your trip then it's also nice to have a whiff of 'home' while you sleep.

A Map.  Of course you could buy a map out there but there's no harm in being prepared and a map doesn't exactly take up that much room.  Ours has our entire trip marked out on it and we'll be framing it as a memento.