When you see people going away on vacation, most of them have bags upon bags of things they consider absolutely necessary and can’t imagine spending even two days without. Upon return home it turns out majority of their luggage never even made it out of the suitcases, and in reality they coud have gone with just one bag. So do we need to pack four suitcases to feel safe any prepared when going away, or can we survive the vacation with just one bag?

Of course winter getaway is a different story, because every single piece of clothing takes up more space, but when it comes to going away in the summer, one bag is all you need no matter what your plans are. If you don’t believe me, let me present you with some scenarios that prove my point.

A week at a lake cabin is very easy to prepare for. Since your time will be spent between the lake, the cabin and most likely the bonefire, you need a couple of swimsuits and a coverup, a pair of shorts, a pair of jeans, some t-shirts and a sweatshirt. Add a pair of flip flops and sneakers and you’re almost done packing. Aside from the clothes you’ll need sunscreen and bug spray, a lightweight moisturizer and nothing more.

If you decide to spend your vacation at a beach resort and stay at a luxurious hotel in the Bahamas or one of Miami vacation rentals, you’ll have to pack a whole selection of swim suits, a couple of non-iron dresses plus sandals for the beach and ones for the evening. To avoid worrying that you don’t have enough wardrobe changes, take a belt, a scarf, a wide rim hat and some statement necklaces which will change your look in an instant and draw the attention away from the fact that you might be wearing the same dress you wore two days earlier.

Going on a road trip doesn’t mean you should have your trunk full of bags. Instead of leaving the house with a full car, it’s much better to go empty and return with lots of treasures found on the way. You’ll be sitting most of the time, so you need to pack comfy clothes, like tank tops and oversized shorts, maybe a pair of cute sweatpants for worse weather, and just in case you decide to have dinner at a nice restaurant instead of just grabbing some healthy snacks, pita bread or local special at a roadside diner, take a boho skirt with you. Set up like that you’ll be able to go from driving to shopping at a small antique store to sunset dinner on the deck of a nice restaurant within moments.

You could be taking half of your wardrobe with you every time you go on vacation, but your travel will be so much easier if you go with just one bag. After all, if you really need something you didn’t pack, you can go ahead and buy it. That seems like a really good excuse for shopping to me.