I mentioned before how I tried to pack a basics and layers. But what exactly does that entail? This seems like a cop-out, but I think it will be a bit different for everyone. I happen to generally prefer skirts to pants, so I packed several of those. I knew I had to throw in some stripes and a couple of button downs. I also happen to enjoy and be fairly comfortable with pattern mixing, so I threw in some fun patterns that I knew I’d be willing to put together. I also love my red pants dearly and almost consider them a neutral (who ever would’ve thought red pants could become a neutral?), so decided to throw them into the mix. These are all items that I knew I loved wearing by themselves, that travel well (nothing that wrinkles really easily or needs to be dry cleaned!).International (or any) travel is not, in my opinion, the time to try out a bunch of new trends you’ve been considering – you want outfits that will make you feel comfortable, happy, and relaxed; that will let you enjoy all the activities you have planned; and that you’ll be willing to wear several times. For us, since I knew we’d be in several different climates, I needed items that could be layered on top of one another for more or less warmth – a bunch of tees wouldn’t do, either.
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I also discovered THE most comfortable travel outfit – a maxi dress with a sweater. I’d always traveled in my skinnies with a bit of stretch, but after hopping on the maxi bandwagon after making mine a month or so ago, I had to try it out. And let me tell you – I will never get on an airplane in anything else. I mean, no waistbands! The ability to sit in whatever position you want without flashing anyone! Material as comfy as your favorite pajamas but not looking like a hot mess upon arrival! I’m sold.
So that’s how I picked out my basics. So, drumroll…
5 Tops
Blue striped button down, white lace over-tee (I figured I could wear it over other shirts to change them up), birds blouse, white button down, & aqua striped shirt
3 Sweaters
Navy pullover, mustard cardi, blush cardi
2 Pants
Denim skinnies, red skinnies
One Dress
Gray striped maxi (made by me)
3 Skirts
Green scalloped pencil skirt, orange gingham skirt, knit gray striped skirt (made by me)
3 Shoes
Flip flops (disregard how icky and old they are…they were for beach purposes only), boots, yellow flats
So, all in all, 14 items of clothing and 3 pairs of shoes for 20 days. Keep in mind that I wore the maxi dress and navy sweater on the plane, so there was basically no way I could wear them again until they were washed (think lots and lots of snacks to keep the baby occupied on the plane). So that dropped it down to 12 items. We were able to do laundry once, which was glorious. Stay tuned for how I put them all together!
ooh!! I cant wait to see!! Good job only bringing one dress. I dont think I could survive
Sara
http://seventwentysomethings.blogspot.com/
only 3 pairs of shoes? I need to take notes. Half of my luggage is always shoes.
This is brilliant! And I'm always packing at least five pairs of shoes too.
I always fly in a skirt and leggings, much of the same benefits of a maxi dress! I'm spending six weeks in the US this summer for research purposes for my PhD and am trying right now to put my backpack together, so a post like this is perfect timing for me!
Also, I traveled to Jordan last year, and only brought one pair of shoes. That killed me, surprisingly. It was only two weeks but towards the end I was dying to put my feet in something else. So lesson learned there!