How to Pack for BlogHer

I was majorly stressing about how to pack for BlogHer 12. Being that this was my first time I was completely clueless. Thankfully there were helpful posts from other bloggers to give me some tips. Most of them suggested to focus on comfort. Now that I have been there I could not agree more. However, we were also in New York City, so we wanted to look somewhat fashionable, too.

What to Wear During BlogHer

So, I am going to go with the majority and say to definitely wear what you are most comfortable in. There were people wearing every type of clothing. From jeans to dresses, we saw it all. I don’t think I saw any sweats or yoga pants, though… and that’s where I would draw the line. I know it can be difficult to find comfy, yet fashionable clothing, but it’s doable. Sundresses are a safe bet!

I did some damage at JCPenney before we left. I stocked up on some dresses that were both fashionable and affordable. I was actually comfortable in each one of them which is new for me.

Shoes are another story. If you don’t regularly wear heels, now’s not the time to start. A few of my dresses looked like crap without heels, but I ended up switching to flats anyway. Moral of the story here is to possibly plan your outfits around your comfy shoes.

How to Pack for BlogHer

A post from Amy and Haley at MomSpark gave me the idea to block out each outfit according to the event. This was brilliant. I laid out each complete outfit including accessories and placed a little tag on each one. I placed the accessories in separate baggies so it was quick and easy to just grab the whole “package” and get dressed. When you have a packed schedule of events and parties to go to, there’s no time to mess around with matching things up. This was the best advice anyone could give!

Those black heels you see in the picture were pretty comfortable. I had tweeted 6PM looking for suggestions. They promptly gave me a whole bunch of choices and were nice enough to send me my favorite. That was a lifesaver, but ultimately, I am not used to wearing ANY types of heels for an extended period of time. When you are standing and walking for hours and hours, it’s best to just go with flats.

Because my sister and I chose to drive from Chicago to New York, we felt we had license to bring an entire suitcase filled with shoes… a piece. In this picture is just my suitcase. This was very insane.

I think the shoes I wore most (which aren’t in this picture because they were on my feet) were the rope sandals that I actually reviewed some time ago. Those suckers were definitely the most comfortable and gave the least amount of blisters throughout the trip.

I think we learned a lot from this trip and next year packing will be a lot easier. Even though BlogHer 13 will be in Chicago, so we don’t really have to worry about it! Woot!

Shelley’s Two Cents:

For fun I’ll show you just how ridiculous my shoe situation was too:

I’d also like to add… DON’T FORGET YOUR BUSINESS CARDS! We brought more than enough (roughly 500) and passed at least 300 of them. While this isn’t exactly “green,” it is reality. A lot of companies were scanning our QR codes, but we were also showing sponsor love on our cards. Plus, there are dozens of giveaways around the conference that require you to drop in your card.

Another must, especially if you have a roommate, are power strips. One would probably have been plenty, but again, because we drove I felt the need to be extra prepared. 🙂 A good purse is also a necessity. I found one that can convert from shoulder bag to backpack and used it the whole time.

And, don’t forget about your gadgets! You are probably going to need to charge them so bring their chargers. Oh, and blister bandages are an absolute MUST HAVE. Even the most comfy shoes will leave you with a sore.

I think Jen and I did pretty well aside from our shoe insanity—must be genetic.

What about you? Did you attend BlogHer and learn any packing tips?

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