Originally posted: February 2019
Hello lovelies!
Thank you for stopping by! Like I mentioned, this blogging thing is new to me but traveling is not. So I hope to get some of my best tips and favorite memories out there in hopes that your travels may be more organized, more inspired, or perhaps more fun.
To dive in, I’ll just start with what I’m dealing with in my current reality: packing for a trip to Scandinavia in February.
Why are we going to Finland in February you may be asking (or maybe not). Let me tell you anyway: long story short, my husband and I have a deal to keep things interesting on vacation. We alternate hot trips with cold trips. This time, we are up for some chill, even though it will be awfully cold in New England in February….We are first traveling to Paris and then to Western France and THEN to Finland, so it’s not all going to be Arctic Circle mania. Nevertheless, we have to pack for a ten (10) day trip, prepared for the Arctic Circle.
Therein lies the challenge: how to pack for a 10 day trip to the Arctic in only a carry-on suitcase [enter dramatic music].
Believe it or not, it’s not as hard as it sounds. I have a proven successful track record of packing for ~10 days into one half (1/2) of a standard European sized carryon. I only get half since I am sharing it with the hubby (not a joke).
FAQ at this point may include:
- Will I be doing laundry every day? No.
- Do my husband and I share clothing? No.
- Are you both 4ft tall? No.
- Are you one of those people that wears the same clothes every day for a week? Not usually.
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Here’s what I’m packing for 10 days in France and Finland in February:
- White v-neck Tshirt
- BW stripe long-sleeve
- Print button-down
- Cashmere sweater
- Pink chunky turtle-next sweater
- Patterned blue knit sweater
- Teddybear fleece zip up
- Tan Eddy Bauer leather jacket
- Gray winter parka
- Skinny Target midwash Denim
- Black trousers
- LL Bean Winter Boots
- Low heal chelsea boot
Notice the variety of items, some decently large an bulky. However, there are precisely 13 items (not including underthings).
How could this possibly be enough?
I’d like to introduce you to capsule wardrobes. If you haven’t heard about this, take a moment to Pintrest away. The basic idea is that everything you wear, must be able to be worn in multiple outfits, and more importantly, everything you wear, you love. This is usually adopted as part of the minimalism movement to downsize wardrobes to a select number of items, sometimes 30, sometimes 10 total pieces of clothing. However, for seasonal closets, capsule wardrobes are trending. And this is really really handy for traveling.
STEP ONE: Pick a color scheme. Do you look best in black, white, or navy blue? Choose one and proceed to build a collection of colors that all coordinate.
STEP TWO: Find pieces in this color scheme that are versatile that will accommodate your needs for your trip. They must fit, be comfortable, and make you feel good/confident/fabulous/[insert appropriate adjective here].
STEP THREE: Start creating outfits. If a piece is a one-wear item, delete it from the drawing board. Try to make pieces do some heavy lifting: a t-shirt can be worn by itself, under a cardigan, with jeans, dressed up with a shirt, under a romper, etc. Blouses can be tucked into shorts, worn under sweaters, tied into a crop top. Choose complete outfits that can be mixed and matched. If the pieces all coordinate, they will most likely be easy to mix and match.
Finally, STEP FOUR: Less is More. Honestly, you aren’t going to wear that one dress that would be perfect in that one particular (usually really specific) situation while on vacation. No, you don’t need four (4) pairs of shoes for a week-long vacation. Do you want to pay to bring a ton of extra clothes with you and then have to cart them around? Maybe you do, but I sure don’t. By creating outfits ahead of time, I know what my options are and if I change my mind and want to switch it up based on the occasion or weather, I know anything I choose will match with at least three other things, cutting down significantly of getting ready and leaving more time for sightseeing or getting tasty food!
Tips for maximizing space in your suitcase:
- Wear your bulkiest items on the plane
- Choose up to only two (2) shoe selections: ie. one flat and one heel/ one pair of boots and one pair of sneakers/ one pair of sandals and one pair of trainers. You can do a lot with those two options.
- Stuff socks and other accessories into shoes
- Put things you don’t mind getting a bit wrinkled into ziplock bags and compress them. Upon arrival, hang in the bathroom when showering to release wrinkles.
- Limit beauty products to truely what you NEED. Remember, you can buy small soaps/conditioners/shampoos on location.
- Trial and error: I usually pack and repack a few times to get the most in my suitcase without going over the weight limit. Think of it as a puzzle.
If you are feeling anxiety of potentially not having everything you might need, review what you are bringing and reassure yourself that you have planned outfits for the duration of your trip and that everything looks good on and is versatile. And if all else fails, if there is something you need while traveling that you don’t have, perfect excuse to go shopping!
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Does this help at all? I know it sounds crazy but it works and for me, I like not having to pay for checked luggage or managing multiple suitcases when getting around.
If you try this out or have any additional suggestions or tips, add a comment below!
Until next time,
Shine on! ♥
♥
Addicted Adventurer 