In the first part of my Smart Travel Packing Tips series I’ll share the best clothing options to help you pack light, plus one WEIRD TIP I bet you’ve never heard of before!
My husband and I just got back from an exciting and rigorous 9-day trip through several cities in 2 countries – changing hotels almost every night. Smart packing was crucial to hauling everything around, as well as making it easier to find what we needed without digging through the whole suitcase.
We traveled to Iceland and Ireland, so for these colder and rainier climates, I needed to be prepared while maximizing space as much as possible; I’ve got some clever warm weather travel packing tips for you, too.
Pack Base Layers (even for warm weather)
Preparing for ALL weather conditions can lead to packing way too many clothes! Layering can help create more options.
Base layers come in varying weights depending on how warm or cold it’s going to be where you are. For this, wool is amazing! And yes, you can wear it in summer too! We wore Merino Wool base layer shirts (long sleeve and short sleeve) under our regular shirts. It wicks away moisture and keeps you cool when it’s warm, and warm when it’s cold, and it doesn’t retain odor like cotton. You can wear a shirt 2 to 3 days before it’s “dirty”, and it keeps the outer shirt from smelling as well so they can be worn multiple days. All our shirts could be mixed and matched for a little wardrobe variety.
Choose Wool Socks
We chose Merino Wool socks because they are moisture wicking and temperature regulating. You can also get socks that are specialized for walking or hiking so your feet stay comfortable and dry with extra padding where you need it.
Pack Travel Pants vs Jeans
It rained at least a little bit every single day on our trip and we would have been miserable in wet, heavy jeans! Nylon travel pants like these are lightweight and water repellant and dry super fast. You can also layer fleece tights or wool leggings under them. These are perfect for warm weather too since they are light and easy to move or lounge in and most have a cuff you can roll up and snap to convert them to a capri.
Shoes
Shoes may be the biggest “make or break” item you will take on a trip. They need to be comfortable for a lot of walking, and they should be waterproof as well. A great travel packing tip is to only take ONE pair of shoes for the whole trip, saving tons of space! I wore these shoes and I will definitely buy another pair whenever these wear out. My feet were comfortable and dry the whole time. If you do need to bring an extra pair, take advantage of the empty space and stuff small accessories like charging cords inside them.
Packable Coat
Coats create stress for many a traveler… including me, at first. After worrying about and researching what coat to bring, I settled on this — one of my top smart travel packing tips: a lightweight puffer coat like this one that fits nicely in your backpack when you’re not wearing it (look how small it compresses!). AND it is windproof and water repellent, so when it got wet on our trip, it dried out in no time. I paired it with this lightweight travel blanket that kept me warm on the cold plane rides, and doubled as a scarf, and I was absolutely comfortable the whole time.
Heading outdoors? SPF Shirts are a Smart Packing essential
SPF shirts are essential if you burn easily and will be outdoors a lot. When we were in Puerto Rico, I wore this quarter-zip shirt while swimming and the button-down shirt (shown in the photo further down), over a dress while on a walking tour. They’re both great at wicking away moisture, and though it may sound strange to wear a long sleeve shirt over a dress in very hot weather, it kept the burning sun off my skin which did a great job of keeping me cool.
Why dresses may be a traveling woman’s best friend
Packable dresses are a great travel choice since they can be rolled up or folded tightly and don’t wrinkle. I wore this cute rayon dress in Puerto Rico and was amazingly comfortable. Plus, did I mention it HAS POCKETS! They can easily be dressed up or down depending on whether you are going sightseeing or spending a night on the town.
A Smart Packing Hat Trick (not THAT kind)
I liked this SPF hat for more shade protection. I also have a smart travel packing tip TRICK for how to pack a big floppy hat without smashing it, and while maximizing space in your luggage! Pack it upside down between 2 packing cubes, and then fill it with underwear and other small items. I actually packed it with another ball cap and visor first, and then added other fillers.
And now, I present to you the most WEIRD-but-wonderful of smart travel packing tips!
Most of the time, I am very eco-conscious – recycling and using reusable containers whenever possible. However, some trips lend themselves to a little disposability…
It turned out to be brilliant to take older underwear with us that we were ok getting rid of. It may sound funny, but being able to just throw them away rather than adding dirty underwear to our luggage was great. We also had one day (of course early on in the trip) where we would be swimming. Rather than try to travel with wet swimsuits (especially if you’re moving hotels almost every night), we took some old suits that we no longer needed and disposed of them when finished as well. As you discard items that would have gone in the trash anyway, you’ll free up extra space to bring back souvenirs!
In Part 2, we’ll talk about Smart Travel Packing Tips for Accessories! You’ll learn more awesome packing tips and we’ll talk about my favorite stuff like electronics organizers, luggage tags and slim cross-body bags!