I love to travel. Who doesn’t?

Apart from the destination I am going to hit, the part that gets me super excited is actually the packing process. Weird? Not for me. Taking a break from your everyday life means you are going to have a little extra time to pamper yourself and play dress up. Hello, gigantic hotel room bathtub!

During my "packing exercise”, I take the time to audit and edit my wardrobe. Yes, I do have some strict rules for when it comes to populating my wardrobe. Basically, I live by the "one in, one out” rule. This allows me to make the best choices when I am hunting down that elusive piece on my shopping spree abroad.

But lets get back to the packing tips.

I try to travel as light as possible, especially so when I don’t have the little one in tow. By doing this, I can make sure that I will always have space for my newfound treasures from the upcoming trip.

Boring stuff first I keep a checklist in my Evernote with all the things that must come with me:

Passport and ID
Pen and notebook
Wallet with credit card and some cash (I remove my country currency coins beforehand as I hate it when they get mixed)
Chargers and transformers for my dear i-gadgets. These are kept in a separate pouch. Before embarking on the trip, I make sure that the devices are charged so I can enjoy them during the trip
Headset for the plane trip
A scarf
Sunglasses
Pyjamas + underwear and, depending on the weather of the place I am going to, socks (all in a pouch)
An extra bag in case you find many things to take back (Longchamp's Le Pliable is an ideal one)

For The Journey

The look

Boyfriend distressed jeans
White shirt
A large cardigan (no one likes the plane blankets) and for business trip I replace the cardigan by an oversized black blazer
A soft scarf in a bright hue
Flats - Repetto are my favourite

The Bag

A large tote bag, big enough to carry my house around, light enough to not kill my shoulder and chic enough to take me from plane, to sightseeing and everything in between
A tiny cosmetic pouch with Aesop Facial spray, lip balm, sample size hand cream, eye mask, dettol wipes, kleenex
Notebook and pen
One pair of soft socks, as I always get cold feet
My iPad fully loaded with magazines and music and of course battery
My own headset that plugs on plane
Magazine that I bought at the airport just in case my iPad dies.
A mini-pouch with my valuable jewellery

STYLE IT LIGHT

I always start by laying out all the clothes I think I am going to need on my bed. I’ll also have the right-sized suitcase for the length of my trip open on the floor as well as all the shoes I can think off. Finally, on one pillow, I lay out the accessories I need, including the handbags.

And there you have it, my mood board for the trip ahead. In one glance, I can see everything that I need (or think I need) and those I don’t. Anything that does not fit the vibe, gets back into my closet.

This is when I start the mixing-and-matching game of One Top, Two Possibilities and One Dress, Three Possibilities. By keeping all my items in the same colour palette, I am making sure that I will have endless options. I also make sure that I always have a black dress as well as two pairs of jeans - one in a dark colour and the other in white.

Once this is done, I add the appropriate shoes to the lot. Finding the right shoes is always the tricky part, so I start with flats, followed by a few options for heels and then move on to what I call a "destination appropriate shoes”. This can range from open-toed sandals to boots, depending on where I’m going. In general, that gives me about four choices of footwear, which is plenty to play with, which I pack in their dustbags.

Interchangeable belt buckles is a way of having multiple belts without taking much space or weight in your luggage

When it comes to handbags, I have my tote bag, of course, and then I add one or two clutch bags for evenings - they don’t take up much space in the luggage and can change a look from day to night, in a snap.

SHOP OUR BELT SELECTION

The only thing that I don’t edit much are accessories. They are generally pretty lightweight and don’t take up too much space. My must-haves? Belts, long necklaces and earrings. I general stay away from bangles, brooches and rings as I find them less versatile.

BEAUTY JUNKIE

One pouch for make-up

Black Mascara
Touche Eclat /Concealer
An eyeshadow palette with neutral colours
Tinted lip balm that can also be used as a blush
Red Lip Crayon

One pouch for cosmetic

Whenever I buy beauty products, I usually take a lot of samples. These samples go with me on my trips as they don’t take up too much space and it’s an opportunity for me to discover a new miracle product!

I also decant some of my routine products into smaller container that I get from Muji such as

Shampoo + Conditioner
Eye Cream + Night Cream
Makeup remover: My favourite is from Bioderma. It doubles up as a facial cleanser as well.

The things that I always take in full is sunscreen, especially when I’m headed to a beach destination.

I also pack a little extra to pamper myself on the trip. After all, this is a holiday! Some things I take with me include:

Face masks samples
Little manicure kit
Body scrubs samples

Louis Vuitton Toiletry Pouch, perfect size for your cosmetics and makeup and can even double as a casual evening clutch.
SHOP

Once I am happy with the choices I've made, I start "playing" Tetris with my suitcase by placing everything in a very well-organised manner to maximise space.