A Fashionista’s Guide to Packing
All my friends know I only travel with one carry-on international-sized rollaboard and a tote bag, even on long trips – I recently traveled with that same luggage configuration for 2 weeks in Japan, followed by a month around India, onto a few days in Dubai, and ending with a conference and gala in Milan (where airline disaster struck and I was SO GLAD I didn’t have large luggage to deal with and worry about!)…. Add in my former career as a fashion designer, and you’ll know why all my friends are always begging me for packing tips!
How does someone who wants to stay fashionable pack lightly? And, still have room to bring back all sorts of goodies?!?
1. Color scheme. Choose a black, brown, or navy scheme, not pieces of both because you will find yourself double packed. Shoes and handbags take up a lot of room in luggage – by only having to pack one set that you can mix & match you save a lot of room for other things!
Eg. carry-on large black purse in your tote, wear largest black shoes onto plane you are planning to bring, pack a small evening clutch, black pumps or high-heel sandals if the weather calls for it. I also like doing metallics, so they can match back to anything (bonus metallic – mixed gold and silver! It goes with everything!)
Sure, you may miss out on bringing that great purple dress to wear to dinner because you chose the brown scheme instead, but, trust me, you will be the only person to notice. And you can wear it as soon as you get home. A metallic purse that mixes gold and silver but isn’t too shiny, like this one, is also great because it can go with black OR brown schemes and work with gold OR silver jewelry! I keep one set aside for travel-only use, pre-packed with travel must-haves!
2. You DEFINITELY need less than you think… My mother always packs two large suitcases every time she comes to visit me for 3-4 days, and then complains about how heavy it is and that she NEEDS it all- it boggles my mind! She doesn’t wear 1/3 of it and ends up shopping while she’s visiting anyway!
There’s no need to EVER bring more than 2-3 pairs of pants (wearing one of them on the plane), 3 dresses, 4-5 tops (once again, wearing one on the plane), and 2-4 swimsuits if needed (never just one unless you are only going for 2 days – putting on a wet swimsuit is no fun!) And remember, you will most likely be doing at least SOME shopping while you’re away and you’ll want to wear what you buy!
3. One thing to NEVER forget is a good cardigan sweater that works with your chosen color scheme (brown or black) and if you’re away for over 5 days throw in a white or bright one, too (depending on season). Wear your cardigan on the plane to save room.
4. Laundry. When you travel for any amount of time be sure to utilize your hotel’s laundry services. During my month in India I had brought 3 pairs of pants, and had them washed once a week. I made friends with the hotel staff and was even able to get deals on the laundry, so I wasn’t charged for all of it!! Underwear can easily be washed in the sink, too!
5. To save yourself the heartache of forgetting something at home, keep your travel must-haves pre-packed in a travel tote bag.
I keep pre-packed in my tote: a travel spoon (my travel fork got confiscated after it’s 100-something trip 🙄), my passport, a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, a nice pair of metallic leather flip flops, a hair brush, flat-iron, hair rubber bands, ear plugs and sleeping mask, travel (faux) jewelry, worldwide adapter plug, spare toothbrush, a travel wrap or ruana, small make-up bag with my set of travel make-up (that MUST have a nail file, tweezers, band-aids, a few safety pins, and a disposable razor!), insect repellent WIPES (so they don’t count towards your liquids limit or leak), deodorant, OTC medications that might come in handy (Advil, immodium, etc) and my 1 qt liquids baggie with SPF 50 sunscreen, toothpaste and Neosporin (VERY important for on-the-go cuts & scrapes!)
6. Don’t underestimate good luggage! The best is cantilevered, so it won’t tip over, even when you place heavy & odd-shaped bags and things on top, and is SIGNIFICANTLY lighter weight than the cheap stuff!
Since they generally come in all-black, I either get mine monogrammed or tie a brightly colored ribbon on mine, just in case. Mine also features a compression compartment on half the clamshell design – it just zips closed, but essentially acts like a vacuum sealer, getting all the air out and saving you a ton of space.
7. Put an a Duty Free or Hudson News plastic bag in your carry-on. If you start to overflow for any reason, you can put some items in here and it will just look like you shopped at the airport, so you won’t have problems carrying on the extra stuff.
I usually put chargers, converters, cords, headphones, and other things I want quick access to in these bags, since they are easy to get at (especially if I’m sitting in the bulkhead and need to put things up and down in the overhead more than usual). One note, on discount carriers (like RyanAir or EasyJet) this might not work – they can be a bit militant about number of bags.
8. Fold Clothes together, like in this diagram – You’re basically wrapping clothes around each other instead of folding. I usually put my softer wovens that wrinkle on the outside and jeans and knitwear towards the center. This gives each pair some cushion where you’ve folded it so they won’t crease or wrinkle in the folds.
9. DHL. When I travel to remote places I like to buy antiques ( like the large Kashmiri mirror I just hung in my living room or the giant hand carved Thai cart ornaments that decorate my windows). You don’t want to carry these home – it’s expensive to ship these items but worth it because they are safer that way (the shippers insure the items) and you don’t have to lug the around – as an added bonus, if you bought clothes or have things on you that you don’t need you can ship those back, too – recently, my husband padded of box of some Himalayan antiques with his already-worn underwear!!
Ready to pack your bags for your next adventure? Let us handle the travel planning while you focus on what to bring! Contact Elevate Global Luxury Travel today for personalized trip itineraries, insider tips, and stress-free packing advice tailored to your destination. Let’s make your journey unforgettable!
Yes… 🫣 Those are my bags, too 🫣 … In my defense, I was moving to another country during Covid, so containers and shipping cost a TON at the time, and this cost much less after my free bags from being a American Airlines loyalty member!
Bonus tip – I often do VIP airport meet & greets that pick you up at your plane’s gate and whisk you through immigration and customs (even driving you across the tarmac in a private van, if needed!), which I did this time, too, plus I pre-arranged extra private baggage handlers. Even if you don’t have a ton of luggage, they really save time and headaches to get out of the airport quickly. Let me know if you need any, I’m always happy to arrange them!
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