What I Packed: 3 Weeks & 3 Countries

All the details of what went in my carry-on for 25 days of travel

Happy Sunday Friends,

I’m back with another packing + outfit itinerary newsletter!

You all seemed to love the one from my Cophenhagen and Norway trip and for those who haven’t read it, I recommend starting with this as it includes all my best packing + travel tips! I’ve gone ahead and removed the paywall for just this week if you want to check it out.

Unpacked: My Best Packing Tips

Today I’ll be sharing everything I packed in my carry-on for my 40th birthday trip back in November which included stops in:

• NYC (2 days)

• LA (4 days)

• Sydney (6 days)

• Melbourne (4 days)

• Auckland (3 days)

• Sydney (3 days) + an unexpected trip extension by another 3 days due to flight cancellations…no complaints, there are much worse places to be stuck!

Shoutout to my husband, Chris, who surprised me with this special trip as he knows I’ve always wanted to visit Australia. With everything we do, including our wedding, he builds the basic structure and logistics (flights, hotels, airbnbs, basic trip itinerary) and then I come in and fill in the little details (day-to-day activities, museums, shops, and restaurants). It’s a great balance that has come in really handy for planning our trips.

Row 1 // My trusty carry-ons. I’m a total bag lady - my large tote is filled with smaller bags which are filled with even smaller bags Row 2// Some of my travel must-haves: international magazines (by the time I leave, I am usually carrying like 5-6 to bring home) and some skincare essentials Row 3// Suitcase unpacked! Icebergs at Bondi Beach has been on my vision board many times over the past 15 years so it felt like the perfect place to celebrate turning 40 and starting a new career!

I thought I would try including some video alongside the usual text and photos. I find for myself, sometimes I like to watch vs read or vice versa so please do share your feedback in the poll at the end of this newsletter so I can continue to format in the way you most prefer.

For this long and varied of a trip, I will usually give myself a few weeks to slowly pack and start to plan out my outfits but life was super hectic leading up to this so I actually ended up just quickly packing within two days.

**Tip: If you want to document your outfit and packing details for a trip, try to do it in real-time or immediately after! I ran out of time to do it before and we flew back into a big winter storm so it didn’t feel like the right environment to film summer outfits.🥶

It was much harder than I expected having to retrace my steps writing this months later! Also, try to imagine me at least 5 shades darker with my Australian suntan :)

I’ll spend the first part of the newsletter breaking down what I packed and how I styled my looks and the second half will be a visual outfit + travel diary for those interested!

My Carry-On Details:

All in all, I packed:

• 22 pieces of clothing, including 4 pieces I wore on the plane

• 6 pairs of shoes (mainly sandals)

• 1 carry-on tote, 1 everyday tote, 2 small crossbody bags

• 2 swimsuits, 1 Belt, Jewelry

• Toiletries, undergarments, book, laptop, flat iron and curling iron (a non-negotiable with my hair!)

• Longchamp packable bag that I always pack to bring back purchases

Video breakdown of what I packed + my thought process:

A visual of everything I brought. No new items were purchased except for jelly flats as they were something I was really craving post-summer for some texture and interest in my shoes. Target Rib Tanks (similar) // Oversized Tee // Re/Done x Hanes 1950s Tee + Leset Margo Tee // AYR Button Down // Donni Sweater // COS cashmere cardigan // Madewell Blazer // Pixie Market Field Jacket // Beare Park Silk Top // Aritzia Cotton Top // Bode Pattern Shirt // J Crew Sequin Skirt // Comme Si Boxer + Gap Boxer Short // Dissh Dress // Massimo Dutti Slip // Splits 59 Stirrup Legging // Pistola Lexie Jean // H&M White Jeans // COS Trousers // Donni Taffeta Pant // Havaiana Flip Flops // A. Emery Sandal // Massimo Dutti Heel // Jelly Flats // Adidas Sambas // Zara Suede Slides // Vintage Belt (similar) // Bode Canvas Tote // Celine Cabas Twist Tote // All Saints Patent Clutch // Celine Clasp Bag // Vintage Chanel Crossbody

Packing List Breakdown:

• Foundational Basics

  • Items like rib tanks, white tees, button downs, jeans

  • I always bring the same pieces on almost every trip so it takes very little guesswork for me at this point + 90% of my outfits are built around these pieces.

• Elevated Staples

  • Items like trousers, a blazer, neutral dresses

  • These bring polish to daytime looks but also help carry me through the evening. As I stick to mainly neutrals, these work back to all my foundational basics + statements.

• Statement Pieces

  • I usually bring 2-3 of these just to add a bit of fun to my looks when I want them. This trip was a silk pattern shirt, a sequin skirt, and some jewelry.

• Layers

  • Even if it’s going to be hot, I like to bring some sweaters and an outer layer for the plane, indoor moments, and evenings.

• “In-Between” Pieces

  • For this trip, I just brought boxer shorts but if it was colder, I would also consider a soft knit pant.

  • These are items that I like to wear for the moments in-between all the major activities like grabbing breakfast at the hotel, hanging out in the hotel room, or running out to a 7-11 for snacks.

  • I find these so helpful as I don’t want to be in my pajamas but I also don’t want to be fully dressed in my “regular” clothes.

Some of the pieces that didn’t make the cut

• And for what I didn’t bring…

  • Items that took up too much space

    • An open knit tank I love for warm weather and my Apiece Apart maxi but they are both quite bulky so there were easier options to bring

    • Extra kitten heels which I would have loved to bring but just wanted to save some space

  • Items that felt more limited and not as practical

    • An open back halter top (sometimes I don’t want to expose my back) and a white denim maxi skirt (I imagined myself moving in/out of cabs and walking up stairs and felt like this would be annoying to wear)

  • Mental Blocks

    • Sometimes things are very practical to bring but your inner voice keeps saying no. I love my Agolde denim shorts and wear them a ton in warm weather but I don’t think I was mentally ready to be wearing summer clothes in November so I felt a lot of resistance to packing these as I knew I would probably opt for trousers, jeans, or boxer shorts when needed.

  • Items that need a break

    • My favorite COS cotton trousers…they are incredibly light and easy to wear but after wearing them a lot over the summer and packing them for my last 2-3 trips, I was getting a bit tired of them.

    • I think it’s just as important to give your favorite clothes a break sometimes so you can get excited to wear them again!

  • Items that felt like dressing for my fantasy self

    • A crochet maxi dress…it’s one I bring to any beach vacation so I pictured myself wearing it at Iceberg’s in Bondi Beach for my birthday but realistically, I would only wear it once and it takes up a ton of space

  • My summer bag…mainly because it doesn’t fit enough to be used as a personal bag for travel

• Post-Trip Learnings

  • I’m happy overall with what I packed! Yes, there were some pieces that would have helped offer additional variety in my outfits but it wasn’t worth bringing if I couldn’t get it into the carry-on. There were a couple pieces I only wore a couple times but they made sense for specific weather and didn’t take up a lot of space so I didn’t regret it.

  • I would have probably removed my suede slides or sneakers and brought an extra pair of kitten heels. I wear these often for the evenings so I feel like I wore my one pair down so much this trip!

And if you are like me and wondering how I got all this into a carry-on, I re-tested it out for you! Note I use both the flat lay and roll method when I pack depending on the item.

Outfit Styling Breakdown:

• Showing some of the looks so you can see how I styled during my trip.

• TBH, I didn’t put much thought into the actual outfits in advance of the trip but I did a quick mental check to make sure each piece could be styled at least 2-3 ways with other pieces I was bringing OR I was planning to wear multiple times throughout the trip (like my crop blazer which I just wore with the same jeans each time).

These aren’t all the outfits I wore…just the ones I could think of styling for this recap! You can see I just make small tweaks and swaps to create different looks.

3 high-level styling notes:

1. Making the most of what you have is all about repetition + iteration

I say this a lot throughout my newsletters but I truly believe that the fastest way to get to know your style is through repetition and iteration AND a sign that you’ve found your personal style is when you feel really comfortable and confident outfit and item repeating constantly.

This is regardless if you are traveling or not! Figure out your key go-to pieces you feel the most “you” in and find new ways to style them to create layers, texture, and contrast.

2. Going from casual to dressy is all about intentional tweaks

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel each day, or even as you move through the day. I rely on my internal feelings for how I want to feel and make little swaps to articulate that through my styling decisions.

3. Don’t forget your supporting players

Lean on key supporting players like shoes and accessories to switch up your look and meet the vibe you want to execute. For this trip, it was a statement necklace, statement earrings, and bangles. Rather than trying to pack more clothes that felt “statement” or “dressy”, I relied on small accessories with big impact.

Video breakdown for outfit styling + thought process:

ps - Have an upcoming trip and don’t know what to pack? Do you always tend to bring way too much and want help editing and streamlining into a carry-on? I’ll be opening limited spots for 1 hour styling sessions in the coming weeks. It’s one hour dedicated to whatever you need clarity, education, or a fresh perspective on. From styling your “how to wear” pieces, figuring out your gaps, what to pack, understanding proportions and preferences - I can help! Kind of think of it as the above examples but using pieces from your own closet! I’ll be giving paid subscribers first access along with a special promo code so stay tuned this week for the email!