Capsule Wardrobes: Capsules on Vacation

I have written about vacation packing before. You can check out the post here. This post I wanted to be a slight different variation. In the past my packing posts have been focused on a specific type of trip like the beach. However learning to be a good packer and using your capsules skills when packing will benefit you in everything from business trips to girls weekends to family vacation. So episode 4 in our capsule wardrobe series is making a vacation capsule.

Story Time

In 2006 justin and I took a trip to Italy for 15 days. It was epic and the best trip we have ever taken. However we packed WAY too much stuff and it ended up being a BIG problem.

People had told me that when you are traveling in Europe you need to pack light. I thought that I knew what this meant and I packed, what I considered, to be light. Wrong. I brought an enormous suitcase and had to truck it all over four different cities. My suitcase didn’t fit well on the trains and the smaller taxi’s didn’t want to cram it in their trunks. Our luggage honestly was the only fight we had while we were there. It was a miserable part of our trip.

We were traveling from Rome to Florence and we got on the wrong side of the train. We were creating a traffic jam in the aisle and we were both so mad at each other and weren’t working together. I think this couple on the train could see the rage in our eyes and the gentleman stood up and said, Ti mostrero’. He brought us to the back of the train and showed us a place to store larger luggage. He literally saved our day… and our marriage probably.

Learning to be a light packer

When we came home I made a goal to start being smarter about how I packed for a trip. I was always trying to cram as much as I could into a bag rather than thinking about what I was going to be doing and what kind of weather I would be experiencing. It’s about Packing Smarter.

So what do I do to pack smarter? Here are few things.

• I ask myself where I am going and what will I be doing when I am there.
• I take into account what the weather will be when I travel. Warm, hot, raining, snowing, etc…
• I think about how many outfits will be worn for a short period of time and what I can re-wear
• I also think about what kind of luggage I want to bring. Am I doing a road trip and space is limited? Am I flying and I want to avoid checking a bag?
• Packing Cubes. I cannot tell you how much this makes my life easier and more organized. They keep your packing minimal while making your suitcase more organized and using the least amount of space.

Packing for Trips

So I am going to outline so examples of what I would pack for each trip. I am basing all of these off of 5 day trips just to give you a baseline. This way you can add additional outfits for your days if needed. All of this should fit in a carry on or small suitcase.

Packing for the Beach

• 2 to 3 swimsuits
• 2 coverups (the ultimate packing hack would be to use items you packed as outfits for coverups.)
• 3 tank tops or tees
• 1 pair of shorts
• 1 skirt
• 2 sun dresses
• 2 pairs of shoes (sandals and flip flops

Packing for the city

• 3 bottoms (shorts, skirts or jeans)
• 5 tops
• 2 dresses or evening outfits
• 1 lights jacket or cardigan
• 1 rain jacket
• 1 pair of sneakers
• 1 pair of dress shoes

Packing for Europe

• 3 bottoms
• 5 tops
• 1 dress or evening outfit
• 1 light jacket or cardigan
• 1 rain jacket
• 1 pair of walking shoes
• 1 pair of flats

Packing for a Business Trip

• 3 work blouses
• 3 work bottoms (pants or skirt)
• 1 blazer
• 1 dress
• 1 pair of jeans
• 3 casual or evening tops
• 1 light jacket or cardrigan
• 1 pair of work shoes
• 1 pair of evening shoes

Additional Items

• 1 pair of sneakers
• 2 workout outfits

Packing for a Girls Trip

• 3 swim suits
• 2 coverups
• 1 pair of shorts
• 2 tees or tanks
• 3 dresses or jumpsuits (think evening)
• 2 sun dresses
• 1 athletic outfit
• 1 pair of sandals
• 1 pair of sneakers
• 1 pair of flip flops
• 1 pair of platforms or heels for evening

Making packing easier on yourself is definitely going to make prepping for travel more fun and less stress. Believe me! Anything I can do to make traveling simpler I am going to do. Bonus I am going to follow this up with a kids packing post soon.

XO,

Tiffany