When the “Take only what you need” motto results in three XL suitcases 😉
First things first, why am I talking about travel all of the sudden? Well, remember I’ve been talking about a mysterious adventure (?) that will take place on February? Okay, I was referring to, tan-tan-tan-taaaan, a two-week trip to the South of Argentina, my country, with my long-distance boyfriend. Yeah, I should’ve probably told you that I’m in a long distance relationship first :/ Don’t worry, that’s how I tell stories in real life too, not necessarily in chronological order, lol! So, I’m not gonna get into details because there’s still a part of me that’s reluctant to share everything online. Plus, I know I’d fail miserably at any attempt to properly describe anything related to our story cause it’s quite an unusual one (and crazy, and unique, almost like a novel). Trust me, it’s pointless trying to describe feelings when they exceed the meaning of the words. <3
So, enough confession time, let’s talk travel. 😉 From February 1st to the 15th we’ll be exploring different cities of Argentina but these days I’m all about my packing list. After multiple jokes from bf about how much luggage I’m gonna be carrying (they were funny, tho) I decided to play wise and narrow all the options down to a capsule travel wardrobe. Combining a bit of my experiences and some Google research hah, I came up with these tips for packing wisely. Just remember, most of these tips apply to a warm destination!
First of all: Get to know the weather of your destination. It sounds obvious but it’s not enough if you know the general like “summer -> heat 24/7”. Some places surprisingly have really chilly nights. In some others like in my city for example, summer is also rainy season. So, checking on weather forecasts for the time you plan to spend in your destination is a must if you want to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Don’t take with you any items “just in case”: if the selection of an item begins with the phrase “what if…” then you won’t wear it. Most likely, you won’t even need it. Would you really need a beautifully tailored blazer when going on holidays? No, even if you want to look nice “in case” you go out for dinner in a restaurant. Fabric and weight might not be travel-friendly. Out. 😉
Pick up a color palette: the point of building a capsule wardrobe is making the most out of a limited selection of items. That being said, your items should combine in color and style. The easiest way to do so is picking a color palette and sticking to it. That can include patterns to! If the pattern has four different colors in it you have more chances to combine it with more items.
Following the color palette tip, when in doubt, choose neutrals: If planning one week of outfits based on a color scheme is too difficult you can always rely on the good ol’ neutrals. You can totally build a travel capsule wardrobe with white, khaki, navy, cream, nude, light gray, camel, olive and beige. Or use some of them as addition to the color scheme you already picked.
Choose the fabrics wisely: Avoid fabrics that wrinkle easily and/or doesn’t allow your skin to breath. I compiled a list of travel-friendly fabrics as a quick easy-to-remember guide:
Breathable/Moisture wicking: Bamboo viscose, Merino wool, cotton (careful! Cotton doesn’t wick moisture well, dries slowly, wrinkles easily, tho), linen and silk (but both wrinkle easily), rayon.
Wrinkle Resistant: Nylon, Lycra, polyester, Lyocell (also known as Tencel), rayon, denim.
Lightweight: Nylon, polyester, linen, silk.
Quick Drying: Polyester, nylon, rayon, COOLMAX, linen.
Shoes: Obviously this will vary a lot depending on what part of the world you’re heading to and the purposes of your trip. If you’re packing for your summer holidays make sure to bring the comfiest footwear you own –and probably one pair of heels (I’m certainly doing that cause bf and I are planning something nice for Valentine’s Day, hehe). Flat sandals and Converse sneakers or chucks are my go-to option. Espadrilles are also a fun and trendy twist to the classic ballet flats.
Accessories: Sunnies are life when it comes to travelling. Apart from making you look cool and chic, a good pair of UV-ray-protection sunglasses will be your eyes’ best friend during daytime, just like sunscreen is to your skin. As for bags I’d recommend backpacks or a satchel, all cute but nothing too fancy. It’s all about practicality.
Underwear: Given that female underwear is quite small, I personally prefer packing 1 undie per day. It really doesn’t take up a lot of space and it saves you all the turmoil of laundry and stuff cause ain’t nobody got time for that when travelling! 😉 For this two-week trip I’m also carrying three bras (including a super comfortable sports bra) and 6 pairs of socks. Little bonus: two bikini sets.
BONUS: HEARD BUT NEVER TRIED
I once read this tip from thegoldengirlblog.com: “when packing, roll your clothing.” It is said to give you significantly more space than folding. Plus, it minimizes wrinkles. Have you ever done this? Did it work for you?
Travelfashiongirl.com says that if a few stubborn wrinkles still remain, hang the garment in the bathroom whilst you take a shower as the steam will help smooth the creases.
I hope you found this list useful and I’d love to know some tips from you! So let me know in the comments below if you have some other tip for packing wisely or something that definitely didn’t work out for you 🙂 Everything will be appreciated.
xoxo
Deb
PD; Mil perdones por no llegar a traducir en español este post. Iba a quedar interminable 🙁 Perdón!!!
