How To Pack Light This Summer

Does anyone else stand at the check in desk at the airport, holding their breath and crossing everything in hope that they don’t hear the dreaded words ‘excess baggage’? Many a times I have been left unpacking my suitcase in front of an airport full of strangers, trying to work out what I can wear or stuff into my hand luggage.

Not any more, I’m happy to say I think I have finally nailed this packing light malarkey and sometimes I even have a couple of kilos to spare! So here’s my top tips on packing light this summer and how to avoid any excess baggage.

COLOUR MATTERS

Pick a colour scheme and plan your outfits around it. It can be any colour you like but just make sure that all the items you pick work together, that way you will have more options and be able to pick n mix your clothes to create multiple outfits. For example, this summer I’m going for pink. I have a pink co-ord, pink shorts, pink skirt and two pink tops. Once I have added in some neutrals such as a white vest, top, shorts and skirt I have already created multiple outfits to see me through the holiday.

SELECT YOUR SEPARATES

Pack more separates than one pieces such as dresses. Separates such as shorts, skirts and tops will give you so many more styling options and you can repeat wear items but style them in a totally different way to create a new outfit. Co-ord sets are great for this, there are so many lovely sets around this summer to suit every taste and budget.

SMART ACCESSORIES

Choose accessories that are neutral and will go with ALL your clothes, don’t be tempted to take one particular pair of shoes that go with a particular outfit, before you know it you will be taking 14 pairs of shoes. I simply pack a pair of gold sandals and a gold clutch for the evenings and a pair of tan sandals and a basket bag for the daytime as I know they will go with all my clothes.

VERSATILITY

Consider versatile items that can be worn in multiple ways, such as a shirt can be worn over swimwear as a cover-up, with a skirt in the evenings and over a dress if you need an extra layer.  Sarongs are also great for this as they can be worn as a dress, skirt or a wrap if needed.

IT’S ALL IN THE PLANNING

Plan, plan and plan again. You need to pack for your itinerary not every eventuality. Work out how many outfits you need, write a list of what you plan to take and stick to it. Don’t be tempted to throw in lots of ‘just in case’ items at the end. These will only come home unworn. 

I hope these tips have helped, please do let me know if any of them have worked for you. 

Most importantly, have a wonderful holiday wherever you are off to.