Being an accessory Queen I have always travelled with more than I wore, here’s a way to cull down.
1 – Small hats, or better yet, foldable ones, can be packed into a cube and then you can stuff your scarves or jewellery purses inside it to help keep its shape.
2 – Hair bows, headbands, clips. If you have short hair you won’t need them. If you have long hair take a couple of each in the same colours as your clothes, or better yet, just take the one clip, hair tie, scrunchie or headband and wear it all the time.
3 – Sunglasses, you either take the one pair, or pack several into small purses and then stuff them into your hats or with your jewellery in strong cubes or bags. Remember, you may lose them or have them stolen so don’t take expensive ones.
4 – Limit jewellery as the risk of theft is less. Either wear your gold/silver and wear it 24/7, or only take pieces that won’t matter if you lose it or it’s stolen. If you want colour, make pieces or sets match the colours in your capsule. The less colours in a clothing capsule, the less jewellery you need to take. So make a jewellery capsule to go with your clothing capsule.
5 – If you aren’t taking a lot of clothes and like scarves, match your scarves to your clothes or add in a colour that will combine the ones you picked quickly and easily.
6 – Belts can be places around the inside of the case, but I have also rolled them and put them in containers or purses.
7 – Handbags can be a bugger of a thing to pack, and depending on what you’re going to be doing on holiday you may only need two. A bag for daytime, either a handbag or small backpack, and a bag or clutch for evening. Just remember there are thieves out there so the safer the better. And try a silver, gold, or black one to go with everything you’ll be wearing.
8 – Limit shoes. You may love them but they add weight to your luggage. Depending on where you are going and what it’s for, stick to three or four pairs. A good pair for going out, a sensible pair if you’re walking or working, and sneakers if you run or prefer them for getting around town. Of course the season will also make your mind up for you. Boots for winter, sandals for summer, flats for all seasons. Either way, wear a pair on the plane/train/bus and then you only have two or three pairs to pack.
9 – Limit the amount of cosmetic bags or purses you use for your accessories. All jewellery should fit in one, all sunnies in another. If you’re taking almost no accessories at all, maybe you have a purse that has pockets or sections that will fit everything do you take.
10 – DO NOT pack socks into shoes. Considering shoes will smell why would you put anything in them to smell as well? Ugh, Yuck! Pop socks in with your underwear in its cube or bag.
The hardest thing for me to limit is shoes, being a Shoe Shrew. I also usually bring way too much jewellry that I don’t end up wearing. But I’m heading out on a 2 week vacation to Europe (tomorrow, actually) and I’ve done really well … only bringing walking shoes, flats and a pair of comfortable sandals. I also like to wear scarves when I travel, as these can add color to different outfits and also double as shawls when it gets cool.
Nancy, exactly!
I always took a set of jewellery for every outfit, but now, with all the jewellery I do have, that would not be possible and I wouldn’t want it stolen or lost, so cull, cull, cull!