I love to travel and fortunately over the last 10 or so years I’ve managed to master the art of packing quite well.   My wake up call was back in 2006, I went on a round the world trip to America, Italy and Thailand.  While it sounds huge, I was actually only away for 4 weeks.  I thought I’d packed pretty well – a medium sized suitcase with pieces for every destination – New York was going to pretty chilly and Thailand the other extreme.  Little did I know there were only about 10 pieces that I would really need – and there were actually only five that were on constant rotation.  One pair of jeans, one skirt, a couple of tees and a jacket.

When we arrived to our Italy leg, we were greeted by at least 1km of cobblestones to reach our hotel.  I was cursing my suitcase the whole way –  what once didn’t seem so big, now felt huge as I tackled each rocky cobblestone and realised how much unnecessary baggage I was carrying.   When we met our Intrepid tour guide who was actually from Melbourne, I wondered where the rest of her luggage was.  I assumed she must have had a stash of clothes back at our first hotel.  She was a little pocket rocket and her bag wasn’t much bigger than her back.  For me that would have just held my bare essentials.

Travel Capsule Wardrobe

By evening four and a different outfit each day and night I was super impressed by her style.  This particular night it was a simple black dress with a gorgeous silk scarf tied as a turban on her head, with a silver necklace. I was so in awe, I decided to finally ask where she was hiding all of her clothes. To which she replied, ‘oh I was wearing this scarf yesterday as a top, it’s a different side of the fabric.’  Really?!  Then I thought about this and realised each outfit was literally black cotton or jersey (a dress, pants and a couple of different shaped tops) paired with different silks.  The room this would take up in her bag was minimal.  Yet, she looked more stylish than any of us dragging our large suitcases which were sure to have broken wheels any coming day.

Then in 2016, I travelled to Europe again and my luggage got lost between Belgrade and Santorini, I  literally only had one dress, a belt and scarf for four days.  I could have purchased something new but having to purchase a pair of bathers killed my shopping spark for a good 36 hours, so I decided to make the dress work. It was such a liberating experience, I’d style it a bit differently every day, wash it over night and that was it.   While I couldn’t always travel like that it did make me realise how liberating it is to travel with less.

This completely changed the way I packed for travelling and now I usually get away with a small case or carry on bag with plenty of room for souvenirs.

Here is an example of what I would pack for a two-week holiday, to a reasonably warm destination:

  • Denim skirt
  • Black Silk dress
  • T-shirt dress
  • Jeans or drop crotch pants (depending on climate)
  • White cotton or linen shirt
  • Kimono
  • Striped tee
  • 2 x cami’s – neutral colours
  • 2 x scarves
  • 2 x necklaces
  • Belt
  • Trainers
  • Sandals
  • Hat

There are 40+ combinations in these 17 pieces!!

My go-to day outfits:

  • T-shirt dress, denim jacket (worn or tied at waist) and trainers
  • Denim skirt, cami/tee and trainers (the shirt or kimono are great to add arm coverage)
  • Black silk dress, tied white shirt, trainers
  • Drop crotch pants/jeans, tee, trainers

My go-to evening outfits:

  • Black silk dress, belt, sandals, silk scarf
  • Black silk dress, belt, kimono and sandals
  • Jeans, cami, kimono, belt, sandals
  • Denim skirt, cami, kimono, sandals

Other tips:

  • The neutral colours help to make sure everything mixes and matches, but you could easily use khaki or navy as your base colours
  • The kimono, jewels and scarves are what add the pops of colour and interest
  • Choose lightweight, breathable fabrics especially for warmer destinations
  • A silk scarf is your best friend – apart from adding depth to an outfit, it’s great to pull out when you need warmth, sun protection or need to cover up to enter a temple or church
  • Think about what you love to wear and feel most comfortable in for a day of sightseeing and ensure you have a couple of versions of this as these really will be your daily go-to
  • Accessories will help take an outfit from day to night, and just help with boredom
  • When packing, roll rather than fold it will save you room and minimise creasing
  • You really don’t need anymore than 3 pairs of shoes! Trainers, evening shoes and depending on climate, sandals or boots
  • Most of this I would actually wear on the plane – jeans, tee, trainers, denim jacket and scarf.  This means less bulk in your luggage and if you do end up losing your luggage along the way you at least have a few pieces to work with!  I also get cold on the plane so love having lots of layers with me.

Travelling soon? I can help you put your capsule travel wardrobe together, so you can focus on actually planning the trip!  Contact me at simone@stylewithsoul.com.au to find out more.