Wardrobe | Home

Hello, lovelies!

Fall is a great time to travel. You may be gearing up for some fall travel yourself, either a quick girls' weekend or a longer intercontinental trip, so today I’m talking about one of my favorite topics: packing tips for travel. As you may have read in my post on five essentials for packing light, I’m a frequent traveler and skilled packer. I have now taken multiple 9-to-10-day trips to Europe with only carry-on luggage. Most recently, my husband and I went to Iceland and London in August. This was not an easy trip when it came to packing. I needed casual tourist clothes for both places, outdoor clothing for activities in Iceland, and professional attire for a conference in London. Packing this variety of clothing in carry-on luggage definitely took some planning. Fortunately I like a packing challenge!

These are the tops I took (plus an ivory knit top for under the poncho, which I forgot to take to the photo shoot). You might recognize the ivory top on the far left from my essentials for packing light post, where I showed different ways to wear it for day and dinner looks. The gray top is a soft comfortable fabric, which is perfect for long flights, and has a pretty drape detail that makes it nicer looking than a simple t-shirt. The ivory crepe blouse works for day or evening, and the striped poncho is a fun addition to a suitcase full of neutrals. And by the way, the outfits I'm showing you today can work any time of year, depending on the temperature of your destination.

For pants, I packed two pairs of jeans: blue and white. It is no secret that the Your Style Vault contributors are huge fans of white jeans. I think they look great with just about everything, and I will wear white denim to places where I wouldn’t wear blue. In fact, I wore my white jeans to have tea in London one day when I had told my husband he shouldn’t wear blue jeans. When he asked about this (nicely, he was genuinely curious), I explained that white jeans are frequently fine in spots where one should avoid blue jeans.

For our outdoor activities in Iceland, I took two moisture-wicking, quick-drying tops; a pair of hiking pants; a fleece jacket; and a rain jacket. Two jackets take up a lot of suitcase room so ideally I would have one jacket with rain and fleece layers that could be worn together or separately. These are commonly referred to as 3-in-1 jackets. I have been shopping for one for myself and put my favorites in my travel coats collection, including petite and plus size options.

One of the highlights of our time in Iceland was going to a glacier. The journey out there was as fascinating as the destination. In this photo, I’m wearing one of my newly discovered favorite items for active travel: a cinch sack. I don’t want to haul a backpack on a trip unless I need a bag that large and am going to use it every day. The cinch sack barely takes up any room in my suitcase and is great if I just have a few things to carry on hikes or other activities where I don’t want a purse.

For the meeting in London, I took three dresses. All three are made of knit materials so they travel well. To minimize wrinkles and save space, I rolled my dresses as well as the rest of my clothes. Rolling your clothes when packing them is one of my five essentials for packing light.

Here I am with my handsome husband in an iconic London spot. He always wears hats, and they are quite the conversation piece both in Nashville and when we travel. People regularly approach him in other countries thinking he is a local, and I feel sure it is because of his dapper headwear.

Taking as few shoes as possible is one of my five essentials for packing light. I took three pairs on this trip: trail running shoes that are great for hiking, weatherproof ankle boots, and peep-toe wedges. All three prove comfortable shoes don’t have to be ugly. Choosing neutral-colored shoes allows them to work with lots of different outfits. Speaking of which, one of these days I’m going to write about why every woman needs multiple pairs of nude shoes. Be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss any of my posts.

 

Last but definitely not least, this trench coat goes on many trips with me. One of the things I like most about this coat is that it has a detachable liner so I can adjust how warm it is. I do wish my trench coat had a hood so would tell you to consider that option when shopping. If you’re shopping for a trench coat to take on trips, consider a darker color (for example, black, navy, or camel rather than a light tan) so you don’t have to worry about it looking dirty after you’ve been on planes, trains, buses, boats, subways, taxis, etc. I speak from experience here. There are several trench coats in my travel coats collection, including petite and plus size options.

With a little planning, you can easily get several days’ worth of outfits in carry-on luggage. I hope seeing what I put in my suitcase will give you ideas for what to pack for your next trip. Please tag me on Instagram to tell me where you’re traveling and what you packed!

Until next time,

Francie