7 Tips for Traveling Light While Staying in Style
Whether we are traveling to a tropical island for beach hopping or spending the holidays in a snowy country, there is one dilemma that many of us have to face: how do we travel light while staying in style?
This concern has been quite a challenge for many travelers, in addition to the hassle of long-haul flights, heaving our luggage around, and jet lag. While bringing bigger suitcases can enable you to fit all your pre-planned outfits and achieve your OOTD photo goals, they won’t surely make your travel convenient. On the other hand, traveling light can make you feel more comfortable and mobile, but your wardrobe will be painfully limited.
There’s good news though! Traveling light without sacrificing style is possible—and the best way to do this is to learn how to pack smart. To help you with this, we have listed down the best packing hacks to organize the perfect capsule wardrobe for your next travel!
Traveling light and in style: best hacks
Here are some travel tips and tricks to help you make the most out of your suitcase space and style.
1. Pack separates
Instead of thinking of your outfit set per day, think of your clothes as separate pieces that can be mixed and matched. By packing separates, you get multiple looks out of each piece of clothing while saving suitcase space.
If you think you are only going to wear a piece once, consider replacing it with another that can be worn multiple times and can be complemented by another piece of clothing. Bring clothing pieces that are versatile enough to pair with your other pieces and still look fashionable. Some great basics you can consider are denim skirt, wool coat, cardigan, little black dress, white turtleneck top, black skirt or pants, leather boots, and neutral-colored sneakers.
2. Stick with neutrals
Bring your neutral-colored clothing pieces but throw in some color to make it pop.
These neutral colors, which include white, black, navy, tan, and denim will tie your wardrobe together. With simplified color combos, it will be easier for you to mix and match pieces without compromising style.
If you want to keep it simple yet aesthetic, opt for a tri-color palette. For this, brown, yellow, and beige make a perfect combination as they complement each other. Yellow becomes the primary tone that will accentuate your style with brown and beige as supporting hues to spruce up your looks.
3. Wear your bulkiest pieces on the plane
Free up your suitcase space by wearing your bulkiest clothing pieces on board. If you’re traveling to a country with chilly weather, you can opt to wear your big wool jacket or trench coat, bobble hat, and chunky boots as well as carry your bulky items so you don’t have to worry about fitting them in your suitcase. Besides, you can delayer your clothes and shove them in the overhead bin to lighten your clothing load.
4. Minimize the shoes
Shoes, as we all know, are heavy and space-consuming. To keep your luggage load lighter, make sure to narrow your shoes down to one to three pairs on any trip, ideally, ones that balance aesthetics and functionality. Opt for lightweight shoes and those that serve multiple purposes like sneakers, flats, sandals, and loafers.
If you’re heading to countries like Europe, you’ll probably encounter cobblestoned streets that are lovely to stroll along. However, if you’re power walking, consider comfortable shoes to save your feet from fatigue. If you’re visiting beaches, opt for slippers or sandals that are durable and waterproof.
5. Accessorize the Right Way
Keep your accessories and makeup in sleek pouches that can double as evening bags to also save luggage space. Select only pieces of jewelry, hats, socks, and other accessories that will jazz up the clothing pairs you have in mind.
6. Pack the must-haves, not the nice-to-haves
Think long and hard about every item you wish to bring, and then eliminate anything you think won’t be functional and multipurpose. After all, quality is more important than quantity. By opting for the former, you also reduce your luggage load, making your travel more comfortable and convenient.
Pack only the pieces that you love, and need the most. If you don’t have much space, resist the urge to bring clothing for the sole purpose of “just in case” because you can always buy an extra piece of clothing in the stores. If you are on your cycle, consider also wearing period underwear for leak-proof protection while traveling.
7. Bring a multipurpose bag
Bags also take up much luggage space. To make your travel load lighter, make sure to bring a multipurpose bag that you can also wear on the plane. It can be a mini backpack, tote bag, sling bag, or handbag. To optimize your luggage space, bring a bag that can serve different purposes rather than bringing different kinds of bags that might only be used once.
Versatility is the key
To travel light, being versatile is a must.
The clothes, shoes, and accessories that you aim to insert into your suitcase should be as versatile as possible and can serve multiple functions throughout your trip. By doing this, you can have seamless and convenient travel while staying stylish.
Hope these tips help you get and stay organized and stylish while traveling! Let me know in the comments what trips you’ve got coming up in 2022!
About the Contributor
Sophia Young recently quit a non-writing job to finally be able to tell stories and paint the world through her words. She loves talking about fashion and weddings and travel, but she can also easily kick ass with a thousand-word article about the latest marketing and business trends, finance-related topics, and can probably even whip up a nice heart-warming article about family life. She can totally go from fashion guru to your friendly neighborhood cat lady with mean budgeting skills and home tips real quick.
