Travel In Style: How to Pack Without Sacrificing Fashion

This is the second part of 'How to Pack like a Pro;' where the first post gave more general packing tips, this one will focus in on packing clothing and planning outfits. I'm a big fan of style and accessories. You definitely don't have to give up fashion just because you're traveling. Here are my tips for planning and executing the best outfits while you travel.

Pick a Color Scheme

After looking at the weather forecast, I like to start my packing by brainstorming a couple pieces that I want to bring. Pick more than you need and see if a color palette starts to emerge. I usually like two colors, a neutral or two, and a metal. For example my palette for Cancún was Pink, Navy, Tan, White, and Gold. From there, start to pick pieces that go with that scheme or the pieces you have selected.

Layers

Layer in the winter and fall because you really don't want to pack a bulky winter coat unless you really plan on wearing it everyday. Layer instead, tank tops and t-shirts and long-sleeves and sweatshirts. Long socks and long-johns and leggings. Keep warm during those colder seasons.

Layering also applies to those warmer seasons. Bring pieces in the spring and summer so that you can layer for different looks.

Variety

If there is anything I have learned from the countless packing pins on Pinterest, it is that you have to vary your bottoms (skirts, shorts, pants, capris) so that you can get more use of of your tops (blouses and t-shirts). If you vary your bottoms you can vary your outfits. But if all you pack is denim then you can only really get one kind of outfit out of that (jeans and tee). Throw in a colored skirt and a pair of patterned shorts, and then, by golly, you can mix, match, and layer pieces to get multiple different looks.

The key then, is making sure that your tops can match your bottoms, which is why the color scheme comes in handy. As a general rule for trips under two weeks, if a top cannot be paired with two or three bottoms (and vice versa) then don't bring it. You want to pack versatile pieces. I believe in you.

How much to pack

So I've given you all this great advice (seriously these are gems) but how does it all pan out? How much do you realistically have to pack? Well the three basic, basic, pieces to pack are tops, bottoms, and shoes. Ladies also have the option of dresses, which I think are great for travel.

The chart below show how much you should try to pack of each based on how many days you're traveling. This chart is definitely more geared towards girls than guys, because that's what I know how to pack, but the first two numbers are pretty solid. If you're a guy, then you can probably ignore the dresses part, and I believe most guys don't need or pack as many shoes as their female counterparts, so maybe subtract one or two from that number depending on how many days your packing for.

I included skirts in the bottoms section but you can change some dresses to skirts if you're not a big fan of either and pack more pants or shorts.

Tops includes everything from tank tops and tees to sweaters and cardigans. Colder weather packing is going to require more clothes and more space and I definitely recommend layering instead of bringing a bulky winter coat if you can manage it.

Note: I know 113 seems like a random number but that is how long I am going to be in China, including travel days, so I wanted to put that in the chart.

In Practice

Although I have been packing like this for years, I have only been blogging for a couple months now so I don't have a lot of pictures of my past packing. Here's what I do have, some pictures of clothes combinations and images of some of my favorite travel outfits. Here's a glimpse at what the whole system looks like in practice.

Happy Packing,

Challis Hackley

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