TRAVEL PACKING MADE EASY with the three R’s

Whilst packing for my recent U.S road trip, I had a genuine lightbulb moment. It occurred to me that I apply the same rules of REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE from my daily life, to my travel wardrobe. Although the ubiquitous eco slogan technically refers to reducing consumer waste, it also relates to holiday packing too! You may wonder how that works exactly?

Let’s take a look at it step by step…

1. REDUCE – In order to REDUCE the size of my suitcase, I have more than halved the amount of clothing, shoes, and bags I take on holiday. Why? Erm it’s a pain in the arse to lug multiple suitcases especially if you have kids. Also, if you take cheap flights like me, you pay for baggage. Ergo this will save money for more Mojito’s.
2. REUSE – For this system to work, I must continue to enjoy my sartorial Summer break. There’s no point packing light if I feel like a big fat dag. What I wear on vacation correlates directly with how I feel so style is still very important. The trick? REUSE every single piece I pack. No superfluous clothing or shoes I didn’t wear and how many handbags does one need on holibob really dahling? How is this possible, you cry?
3. RECYCLE – It’s easy, just RECYCLE  3 or 4 complete outfits in various combinations to wear a different ensemble every day. Yes it takes a little effort when packing although the pay off is well worth it once you’re away. Bear with me, I shall elaborate further on…

A MONOCHROME TRAVEL CAPSULE

Stick to two base colours so you eliminate the faffing about once you’re away yet still have an array of fabulous outfits. Each piece you packed naturally pairs well and let’s face it, nobody wants to waste precious holiday time getting ready to go out. Matching hues should be easy if your wardrobe is already as finely tuned as mine. Everything you own mixes organically, it’s simply a matter of deciding on your colour pallette for the trip.

If you’re still working on your wardrobe collection that’s O.K too. Take out your favourite summer pieces and lay them on the floor. For arguments sake choose three tops, three bottoms and one or two dresses. Obviously this is a rough guide, an extra dress or tee won’t make much difference to the size of your case. I generally go with two complementary colours or two contrasting colours. When in doubt, black and white is perfect. This is a marriage that will never fail, so go forth with confidence. You will look Positano chic no matter where you are, trust me.

Lastly, add a third choice to the mix in the form of pattern. This could be stripes, print or floral. We just want to occasionally break the monotony of monochrome. Easy peasy right?

Here is the combination I pulled out of my wardrobe, most of it is old. Indeed the black top is 20 years old! It goes back to my sincere belief that shopping for clothes thoughtfully, with purpose and plan, is literally curating a wardrobe for life. In any case I linked to similar items below where my version has long since sold out.

MY BOTTOMS – White linen pants / white skirt / denim mini

MY TOPS – White T / white linen shirt / black one-shoulder tank / random T-shirt for bed

MY DRESSES – Flora maxi / 2nd maxi (not in this post, shown here)

THE TRAVEL HERO HOLDS IT ALL TOGETHER

This is a little nugget I only just figured out myself, to be honest. The hero that holds everything together and will get you out of a jam if the weather turns, is the humble white linen shirt.

Yep, this basic of all wardrobe staples is now my best friend on holiday. I wore it on repeat but it never once looked tired. Although I did iron it one time it needed a refresh, I never had to wash it in the two weeks we were away! Moreover, the simple white linen shirt will equally protect you from the scorching sun as warm you on a cool alfresco evening.

TRAVEL WITH 2 PAIRS OF SHOES & TWO BAGS

Three Summers ago I challenged myself to only take a single pair of shoes on holiday. Eeek!

That same year, after much deep thought, I splashed out on a pair of Ancient Greek Sandals. Now I realise £200/$250 is a lot of money for a pair of flat, barely-there footwear however this investment has paid off big time. What is essentially casual daywear quickly became my go-to summer shoes, both casual and dressy. In fact, I’ve worn these sandals so much, I’m considering a black or gold pair too!

Because they’re so well made, they always look classy and due to the natural leather they literally go with anything. From a chic floor-length maxi dress to denim shorts and everything in between. So it goes without saying, the single pair of shoes I decided to take on holiday that year was this pair of Ancient Greek Sandals. Suffice to say my challenge was met without a hitch and I never felt I needed any other shoes the entire time. It was quite a revelation for someone who used to pack an entire suitcase just for shoes and bags!

I still dressed up for dinner every evening that year although if there was one thing I vaguely missed it was a heel. Even just a low heel adds a touch of glamour, doesn’t it? So with that in mind, this time I took two pairs of shoes. Naturally, my Ancient Greek Sandals are a no brainer and for the heeled pair, I chose my new ATP Atelier strappy mules.

Remember ATP Atelier from this post? I adore this brand, their ethos and aesthetic are right up my street. It turns out these shoes were just as versatile and comfortable as my Ancient Greek Sandals so I wore them more than I ever expected. Again, I’m tempted to purchase a second pair from ATP Atelier with cost per wear this low it’s criminal not to!

When it comes to versatile handbags, you can’t beat a Chanel 2.55 mini. It’s vintage, it’s classic and retro all rolled into one! Therefore it goes with absolutely everything and as a crossbody, it’s perfect for holidays. In contrast and for sheer volume, I also took my Ikea basket bag. Hmm, Ikea and Chanel what an odd pairing? But it worked and I was completely covered. You’ll find this Ikea basket in the storage section of Ikea since it isn’t actually a bag I just think it looks great as one. In fact, I took it into the city yesterday with the kids. It holds a lot of stuff and looked cute with my outfit. Yes, I wore my Ancient Greek Sandals again.

COMING SOON…

The sustainable way to a new outfit every week without buying a single piece.

More holiday inspiration here – Happy travels gorgeous ones! xx