I just returned from an 8 day road trip with two boys, traveling from Jacksonville to New Orleans. Having grown up with two older brothers, I’m more than accustomed to being the only girl in the group. I’m an expert at changing my clothes underneath a towel (it’s all about the shimmy). I can get ready in 10 minutes. And should it be that certain time of the month, they won’t hear a peep about it — unless I choose to announce it, which I often do. Live out loud! But when it comes to what’s in my suitcase, there’s just no way I’m going to limit myself to the packing of the average male. Or so I thought.

While enjoying a heaping plate of eggs and hash browns in St. Augustine, Florida, one of the gents turned to me and asked, “just out of curiosity, for my own personal knowledge, how many shoes did you bring?” Personal knowledge? Yeah right. This was a fully loaded question and I felt the pressure like my hash brown-filled stomach pushing against the button of my jeans. I knew he was waiting for an absurd answer and honestly I have been known to pack six shoes for a three day trip, so the question wasn’t totally absurd. But in terms of footwear, I did limit myself for this trip (in terms of underwear however, I stand by the rule that you should always pack double the amount of days — you just never know). I kept in mind that heels would be unnecessary and stuck to four comfortable basics for the eight day beachy adventure. One pair of sneakers. A pair of flip flops. A pair of running shoes (which were never used). And a nicer set of sandals for nights out in New Orleans. That’s it! Nothing crazy. Yet I still felt like he thought I’d overpacked. Insecurity was taking its toll.

In the book of packing etiquette (does this exist?), I wonder, what constitutes the “right” amount of shoes for a trip? A quick Google search led me to a Glamour article where the writer confessed to packing 8 pairs of a shoes for a week long trip. Since she works in fashion and was packing for Paris Fashion Week, I’m going to go ahead and say this isn’t a “standard” packing situation, even though I 100% support it. I texted a group of five girlyfriends asking them how many pairs they would pack for an 8-day trip. The resounding answer was 3-4 pairs. I then asked a few bro-y boys who confidently said two. So, in girl world, I’m pretty average. In boy world, I’m above average. What do I make of this? Absolutely nothing other than that my packing was completely reasonable, even if I lied and actually packed five pairs instead of four and went to bed each night dreaming of when my feet would be back in five-inch stilettos. Shh…don’t tell. 

So what’s your average shoe-to-day ratio when packing for a trip?