Short three day trips or weekend getaways can be nightmares, in terms of packing. Last weekend, I attended my Peace Corps MST Conference. I wanted to go light and not carry a big bag, on local transportation, all the way to the Peace Corps office, in Yerevan.

For this trip, it was all down to travel bags.

For my main bag, I went with a Herschel backpack. The Herschel Supply Company makes quality products, with a fine regard for details. A locking detail wasn’t included with my backpack (or I’m too clueless to figure it out). Wait for the hack, below.

I love traveling with packing cubes. This expandable cube from REI is very forgiving. You can really stuff it. And as most cubes can be locked, this one became the security hack for my backpack.

For this trip, I packed three small travel bags for my beauty items. The first was a free Clarins bag that came stocked full of little samples. The second bag was purchased from MINISO.

The final beauty bag was a clear REI TSA bag for airport liquids. There’s not much room for bulk, but it’s great for any small items that might spill or ooze during travel. The bag is also easy to clean.

Along with my backpack, I also wanted to bring a small purse.

My Isaac Mizrahi crossbody has an exterior front zip pocket, along with two slip pockets and a second zip pocket inside. My iPhone 6+ fits inside and my card holder fits in the slip pocket.

Speaking of card holders. They always seem like a lot of money, for such a small item, and then they always turn out to be something you look at and use every single day. I’m very happy that I picked up my Victoria Beckham Flat Card Holder, while visiting her Dover Street store in London.

What’s your best travel tip for a weekend trip? Let me know in the comments section below. GGT