I love packing. Everyone thinks I am really strange, but I genuinely love to gather all my clothes for a weekend away, and neatly pack my things into packing cubes and admire my work!
I have just been away to Rome which was probably the best place I have ever been in my life. I have completely fallen in love with Italy, and cannot wait to go back and explore some more!
I wanted to write a post on packing, as so many of my friends and family ask me for advice when going away.
My tips are really simple, but effective, so I thought I would share them with you.
Tip number one: Look up the local weather
I found it quite difficult packing for Rome as, like England, the weather can change at a moment’s notice, and I wanted to take a small carry-on case so I definitely didn’t want to over pack. The weather in Italy in January is around 10 degrees Celsius, so only slightly warmer than at home. Being a similar climate makes it a lot easier, as I can imagine what I would wear here and just tweak it slightly.
Tip number two: Plan your outfits by each day you are away
This is so you can ensure you have enough, but also so that you can wear certain pieces multiple times. I started off writing a list of the days I was going, and planned outfits for each day. I decided to go for basic t-shirts each day with items I could layer in order to stay comfortable, and to cover all weather bases!
Saturday (flying out, sightseeing)
Leggings, long sleeve t-shirt, plaid shirt, scarf, coat, boots
Sunday (sightseeing)
Jeans, long sleeve t-shirt, jumper, coat, trainers
Monday (sightseeing)
T-shirt dress, leggings, plaid shirt (for layering), boots, coat
Tuesday (flying home)
Leggings, long sleeved t-shirt, jumper, coat, trainers
Tip number three: Try to re-cycle clothes across the days
This is to ensure that you are taking as little as possible, this I found really easy, as jumpers and shirts can just be re-worn over new t-shirts each day, and worst case scenario, can be worn together for extra warmth. I then make a list of everything I need to pack.
Tip number four: Try on the outfits you are planning to wear
I do this to make sure I am definitely happy and comfortable with my choices, as I have a habit of thinking that I will wear an item on holiday that I haven’t worn in about 2 years, and if I haven’t worn it at home, why would I think I would want to wear it when I am away?!
Tip number five: Write a list of the outfits you have planned
This is more so if I am going away on a longer holiday, but I do find it helps to minimise the ‘I have nothing to wear’ panic on the day. As this was only a few days, I didn’t bother this time.
I also like to swap certain items depending on the weather. In this case, I wanted to wear my striped t-shirt dress which I normally wear with tights, however as I know it is going to be cold and I will be outside most of day, I picked up some fleece lined leggings from Primark (the best and softest things ever), and wore the dress with these instead – another handy hack!
My ultimate tip – use packing cubes!
If you haven’t used them before, get some now! I bought mine from Amazon and I could not go away without them. I love to use packing cubes as everything stays nice and neat, and you can put different items in different cubes and keep them organised.
The accessories I packed were a hat, hand warmers, and a scarf to keep warm, and I didn’t want to double up on any of these as they go with all the other clothes I packed. For jewellery I did the same, and wore a chunky necklace from Topshop to wear each day, minimising how much I need to take with me.
I worry about taking too much jewellery away with me as I don’t like to leave it in my apartment or hotel room just in-case, so opting for a cheap Topshop necklace was perfect.
Once I have packed away my clothes into their cubes, I packed my toiletries and weighed my bag! Luckily I was underweight phew, very unusual for me, and I was good to go!
If you are going away soon, let us know where you are off to, and if you have used any of these tips, or even better, if you have any that I haven’t mentioned – I love learning new packing tricks!
Thanks guys, enjoy
Emma xx
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