When I was in college, I roomed with someone who lived relatively close by, so she would spend a number of weekends at home instead of in the dorm. When she left, she made sure she didn’t pack her entire dorm room to take with her. To avoid overpacking for a two or three day break, she stuck to bringing a few items from the following categories:
For a weekend home from college, you’ll need a few sets of clothes, some hygiene products, any health items you’ll need, school supplies to do your homework, and a few electronics.
Make sure not to underpack either. To keep from doing this, you need to think about what you plan to do over the weekend and be realistic about what you’re actually going to need.
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Clothes
One sign of an over-packer is choosing more sets of something than you need, such as clothes, just in case of an emergency. An emergency like: you rip your pants or you’re suddenly not in the mood to wear a crop top. You might even have a wedding to attend or a birthday party to attend; which can make you feel like you need to pack way more than you’ll wear. Even if you have some big plans for the weekend, it’s at most a three day trip, so you won’t need to pack a lot of different options. Here are the outfits you’ll probably need to get through the break:
1. Three sets of casual outfits (try your best to be decisive about the outfits you’ll wear because you shouldn’t need to pack more than that)
2. One set of pajamas (you’re only going to spend one or two nights at home, so they probably won’t get stinky that quick)
3. One set of loungewear (if you don’t already have some at home)
4. Bras and underwear (again, you don’t need to pack extras because you probably have some at home still)
5. Optional: An event outfit (if you have a special event to attend, only bring the outfit that you’ll need)
By the way, I have a detailed Thanksgiving packing list available too!
Hygiene
If you’re going home to relax, then I can’t imagine that you’ll be doing anything to get super sweaty. Even so, don’t forget to bring these hygienic essentials:
1. Toothbrush, toothpaste and floss
2. Face wash
3. Body soap
4. Lotion
5. Shampoo and conditioner (If you have a two day weekend, you may not have to bring these. Three days? I suggest you bring them)
6. Necessary hair products (you don’t have to bring everything, just anything that’s essential to keep your hair healthy)
7. Shower cap (if you don’t plan to wash your hair, then you’ll need this to easily keep it dry)
8. Deodorant
9. Shaving razors (if you wanted to take the fuzz off of your legs, but weren’t in the mood to do it in the school bathroom, then now is a good chance to shave it off)
10. Shaving cream
11. Pads & tampons
12. Brush & comb
13. Flat & curling iron (only if you plan to style your hair)
14. Hair dryer (only if you’re not going to air dry)
Health
This is one of the categories you won’t want to skimp on. Bring what you need to bring, even if it is just a weekend. Here are some suggestions to get you started, but only you know what you truly need:
1. Medicine and Vitamins (these come in handy if you’re feeling a little under the weather and are hoping to bounce back during the time off. Trying to recover while on campus can be very annoying. If anyone is available to help nurse you back to health, like a mom, it’ll save you from having to be Ms. Independent and nurse yourself )
2. Contacts or glasses
3. Anything else you need to stay healthy
School Supplies
Alone time away from your roommate and the rest of your classmates is a good opportunity to really focus on your assignments. Especially if you have difficult projects or tests to study for. If you can get some guaranteed silence at home, then take advantage of that and get ahead in your studies. On the other hand, if you did all of your work and just want to chill, then don’t worry about bringing any of this:
1. Textbooks (I suggest that you don’t plan on doin work for every single class. That would mean packing every single textbook. Instead, I suggest choosing one or two to catch up or get ahead in. This way, you’ll save some space in your luggage while still getting work done. If your books are digital, however, then that’s a completely different story. Take as many as you need via your laptop)
2. The Binder or folder that you keep your assignments in (I’m not just referring to a physical folder. If you keep some school work on a hard drive or a flash drive, then don’t forget to bring those. Whatever you used to store your work, don’t forget to pack it both on your way home and on your way back)
3. Any items needed to complete the assignments (I’m not sure what your major is so this is all I can say)
Electronics
Since you won’t be at home for too long, you won’t need to bring all the tech that you have. The things I listed should be enough to help you get work done and have fun:
1. Phone
2. Laptop
3. Chargers
4. Headphones
5. One handheld gaming system (gaming is an easy way to destress and have fun)
How To Prepare Your Dorm Room Before You Leave
Before going home for the weekend, you may want to do a bit of maintenance in your dorm before leaving for a couple days. This will not only lighten the load on your roommate, but it’ll be nice to come back to a clean and tidy dorm after spending time at home.
1. Wash Your Sheets And Make Your Bed
When you come home from a trip, what’s the first thing you’ll want to do? Probably lay on your sheets and relax a bit, right? We should make sure that those bedsheets are fresh and smelling good. Pop them in the washer and add some scent beads so that they come out smelling citrusy, sweet, fresh or whatever smell you prefer!
After they’re nice and clean, make your bed so that when you open your door, it’s the first thing to give you a warm welcome back to campus.
2. Take Out Your Trash
Speaking of smells, you don’t want the scent of fresh garbage to be the first thing to greet your nose when you open the door. Pick up your trash can and carry it with you around the room as you look for any wrappers, unfinished food, empty bottles, etc. to throw away. After you’ve taken care of that, take the trash out and replace it with a new bag.
3. Throw Away Any Food In The Fridge That’s About to Go Bad
Unlike preparing for winter break, you don’t have to clear your fridge of all leftovers, just the ones that might not be edible when you get back. That, or any kind of food that might leave a scent in the room while you’re away. While we’re at it, toss anything that you don’t plan on finishing.
4. Do Your Portion Of The Shared Chores
You don’t want to stick your roommate(s) with your share of the chores while you take a trip back home. You should get them done before you leave so that you don’t come back to a dirty room. You’ll also want to do it to avoid roommate drama. Some chores you might be responsible for are cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming the floor, restocking the toilet paper, emptying the recycling can, etc.
5. Clean Your Dirty Dishes
Unless you and your roommate agreed to take turns washing all of the dishes, then you’re the only one responsible for washing yours. Make sure not to leave them dirty, or else they might attract ants and other bugs. If you only use disposable dining ware, then make sure to throw them away outside of the dorm before going home.
Remove Anything From Your Dorm That You Don’t Want Anymore
Since you’re taking a short trip home, you might not have to pack a lot of stuff. If you have extra space in your bag, you should fill it up with anything that you don’t need in your dorm room anymore. Maybe some decor that didn’t fit with the room, some supplies that you didn’t end up using, some clothes that you plan to give away, etc. You can free up space in your dorm and make your small room feel a bit bigger by doing this.
Be Courteous To Your Roommate
When you decide to leave campus for a couple days, there are a few things you should do for your roommate before you go. The first is letting them know that you’ll be gone for a little bit. It could be confusing and worrying for them to find that you’ve suddenly disappeared. Let them know at least a day in advance that they’ll have the room all to themselves for a weekend.
The next thing you should do is ask them if they need any help with the dorm duties before you leave. If you two normally collaborate on cleaning the room, being left to do it all alone might make them resent you. Make sure to leave on good terms so that you don’t come back to drama.
Speaking of coming back, you should text your roommate when you’re on your way back to campus and when you’ve arrived at the dorm hall. This should help prevent them from getting unexpectedly walked in on. My roommate during my sophomore year did this for me whenever she went away, which helped take the guesswork out of how much time I had all to myself.
Unfortunately, I didn’t receive the same courtesy during my freshman year, so not knowing when she would walk through that door made me a bit anxious. Just remember to give your roommate a heads-up when you’re on your way back.
Set Boundaries With Your Roommate
Since your roommate is going to have the whole dorm to themselves over the weekend, it’s important to let them know what you are and aren’t comfortable with them doing while you’re gone. This may sound high and mighty, but you’re paying to live there too, and when living with someone else, compromise is always a must.
If they seem like a social person and like to have people over, let them know what you’re not okay with their guests doing. For example, if you’re not okay with their guests sleeping, lying or sitting on your bed, tell that to your roommate. You should also say if you’re okay or not okay with your things getting borrowed or messed with while you’re gone. You don’t want to come back to school to find that half of your favorite cereal has been eaten.
Remember to be polite when you set these boundaries too, or else you could unintentionally cause drama between you two.
