I’m not a very organised person and often pack for holidays the night before I go. (This could also be down to the fact that I like a spontaneous trip..)
But for once in my life, I’ve booked holidays A LONG time in advance and I’m already outfit planning for it. I haven’t been on a proper holiday in almost two years and I’m really happy to have the chance to go away.
Last summer, I was working Monday to Friday in an internship and working a part-time job at the weekends. It was zero craic…
But this year, I’m going away for an entire week to Biarritz and San Sebastian and there’s no way I’m paying for a check-in bag.
10kg is PLENTY for this outfit-repeating gal!
I’ve already put together a rail of items to bring and hopefully there will be some space left for new purchases 😉
Looking through the clothes I already have, I realised I don’t really need many new items.
So far, I have one light summery jacket, a pair of white jeans, a playsuit, a dress, a skirt, five pairs of shorts, a bikini, two one-piece swimsuits, two t-shirts, one camisole top, one dressy off the shoulder top and two crop tops. All of these pieces mix and match pretty well together.
I may bring another bikini or substitute one of the swimsuits for another one, we’ll see.
Holidays are a good time to experiment with colours you don’t normally wear, for instance I normally steer clear of yellow as I’m very fair-skinned and it doesn’t suit me. However, I love these fluorescent yellow shorts for a holiday and have tops with yellow detail to match.
I don’t wear a lot of white or cream either, but white looks way better in sunshine so I’ve included some white and cream tops to wear with my blue denim shorts.
If you’re going on a sun holiday, casual clothes are more important than fancy clothes, so bring more casual dresses, shorts, skirts, t-shirts and swimwear. Hence, my five pairs of shorts!
Leave your heels at home and bring a nice pair of neutral sandals for night-time. Â For day time, bring another pair of sandals or flip-flops for the beach and a lightweight pair of runners for exploring.
Heels take up too much room, they’re an awkward shape to pack and your feet may swell on holidays making them even more uncomfortable! (Haha jokes on me I broke my ankle a month after this and spent my holiday in a moonboot).
You can bring a couple of nice outfits for going out to dinner or a night out but try and bring items that double up as daytime wear also.
For instance, I’m bringing a stripy loose -fit playsuit and a floral dress. These will work just as well during the day, unlike a tight bodycon dress or sequin mini-skirt.
I have included my lilac faux leather mini-skirt but the rest of my clothes are cotton or cotton-mix to stay cool.
When going to the airport, pick something to wear that you can utilise in your holiday wardrobe also.
For instance, I usually wear a light jacket, a t-shirt, jeans and light runners. Comfortable but easy to shed a layer once you get there. You should always aim to wear your heaviest or bulkiest items, i.e. jeans and runners to keep your suitcase light.
The first time I ever went on a girl’s holiday to Turkey, I went mad and bought loads of new things, several pairs of heels, three bikinis and loads of going out clothes.
Apart from the shoes I barely wore any of the items again. I was only there for three or four days..mad or what?!
One pieces are great as they double up as a bodysuit with shorts.
You’ll need to leave room in your case for underwear, socks, PJ’s and a small handbag for going out.
I always bring a tote bag to throw all my essentials into, i.e. purse, passport, cosmetic bag, camera etc.
This may not be everyone’s idea of a “capsule” wardrobe as it already contains 19 items before I add shoes but I am going away for a full week,
If I decide to leave anything out, it will probably be some of the dressier items.
With three pairs of shoes, it takes me up to 22 items in total but I will be wearing one pair on the plane.
Let me know your thoughts on packing for holidays, do you stick to a capsule wardrobe or not? I’ll be putting up a swimwear post soon so keep your eyes peeled.
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Edel
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