I live out of a suitcase for 8 weeks every summer. Skipping the heat in Mallorca to reconnect with friends and family in the UK. If you’re heading off on holiday or planning a mad 8 week tour like us, here’s a few tips for packing your suitcase.
A few hours planning and foresight saves weeks of feeling scattered and thrown together on the road. Having less stuff, better planned out, is a massive time-saver AND confidence builder, day-to-day 🙂

• • Make a list of what you’ll be doing – so you pack what you actually need, not want.
  • Check the weather
  • Workshop & photograph your outfits – I spend a couple of hours trying on complete outfits, so I don’t forget the right undies, bag, or a suitable jacket. Photos make you more discerning and it’s easy to refer back to when deciding the final edit.
  • Identify you colour palette. This is key to any capsule wardrobe but essential if you’re travelling and need more outfits from less items. Colour combining boosts your mix & match potential. This is easier if you’ve had colour analysis, but aim for 2-3 neutrals & 3-5 colours. For our 8 week multi-stop trip I stuck to black, white & grey neutrals with colour pops of bright blue, pale blue, emerald green and bright yellow. This way I got maximum outfits from minimum pieces and everything easily mixed and matched, so I always felt put together and got confidence from my clothes even when I was flagging 🙂
  • Think versatility – which shoes, jacket & bag go with everything? what can be worn in different ways, dressed down AND up?
  • How good do I feel in this? If you don’t feel good in it now, you won’t feel good in it there. You are still you, wherever you go. Feeling comfortable boosts your confidence.
  • Less bottoms, more tops – tops ring the changes & get noticed more, so 3 tops to 1 bottom is a great way to streamline packing.
  • Think 5-day outfit rotation -remember you can do laundry!
  • Lay everything on the bed in outfits. Identify any duplicates.
  • Discard half of it!
  • Pack essential toiletries & a change of clothes into hand luggage in case your suitcase goes astray

Enjoy your trip!

Leesa x

Photo credit Marissa Cristina @stil