Time to plan your look for spring vacation

‘Tis nearly the end of February — the month that comes and goes quickly, and with Valentine’s Day out of the way, it’s time to get ready for spring break. Spring break is March 12-16 for Clovis and Portales. Unless you're staying put for spring cleaning, it’s time to start planning your look for your travel plans. Spring organizing will just have to wait.

First, the most essential items that are always on my pack list for any spring break retreat are 2-3 pairs of sunglasses, 2-3 bathing suits (indoor/outdoor pool, lake or beach appropriate) and versatile jewelry sets for night and day. But leave the expensive items at home. You never want to worry about losing something valuable on a trip and risk the chance of ruining a good time.

Instead of telling you what fashions to pack, I'll tell you how to pack them. My first and favorite wardrobe packing rule is to only include pieces that can be paired up in at least 2-3 different ways. Why? The chance of running into inclement weather is always one reason but you may very well just change your mind. You never know what type of mood you'll be in and most of us dress the way we feel. At least you'll have 3 ways to express how you feel with each outfit. Solid colors, jeans and t-shirts are always the simplest to work with.

Pack only one pair of each type of shoe. One flat shoe, one with heels and a sneaker should get you through the trip. This rule is a hard one when you love shoes but you may want to save on the heavy and bulky shoe packing especially if you're traveling in a group.

Take pics on your phone of all of your outfit pairings before you go. It makes getting dressed every day that much easier.

D’Nieka Hartsfield writes for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact her at [email protected] or find her Facebook.