Hello! Whilst I was in Amsterdam I got quite a few questions on what I packed, or how I packed so light since all I brought for the five days was a small carry-on suitcase and a backpack so I thought today I'd have a little chat about what I brought with me, and a few little tips that helped me streamline my wardrobe.
So, what exactly did I pack into that small little carry-on bag? Well, I packed two jumpers, two striped tops, a t-shirt, a shirt, two pairs of jeans, one black and one blue, a pair of boots, a small backpack, a biker jacket and that was it! I think my packing skills from years of being a Scout might have helped me to squeeze a few more items of clothing in than someone else might fit, but nonetheless, that's still not a whole lot for a five day trip, so here are my tips:
Use yourself...
A cheap flight isn't going to stay cheap if you start adding extra baggage charges, so when I'm flying with just a carry-on bag, I like to wear my heaviest/bulkiest items of clothing onto the plane. For example on this trip, I wore my grey coat, my big grey scarf and my Old Skool Vans onto the plane.
In my carry-on, I packed two jumpers, two striped tops, a t-shirt, a shirt, two pairs of jeans, one black and one blue, a pair of boots and that was it! I also carried my heavier items, like my camera, make-up and hair curler in my backpack so that in the end, my carry-on suitcase was actually way under the 10kg weight limit.
Stick to the basics...
Probably the most helpful tip I can give you is stick to the basics. If you're trying to pack light, make sure you bring pieces of clothing you'll know you'll wear, and that will go with whatever else you're packing. A lot of the clothing I brought with me to Amsterdam was very basic and plain, meaning I could mix and match very easily to create a lot more outfits than one might think (but more on that in the next point).
When it comes to beauty, downsize...
Beauty products can sometimes be the biggest, bulkiest part of your luggage, so I find putting my foundation into a travel pot (or the free sample pots you can get in Lush) is much better than bringing the entire glass bottle since I only use a tiny amount of product on a trip anyway! I also find compact eye palettes, like the Too Faced Natural Eyes palette much better for travelling, or even an eyeshadow duo a brilliant way to cut down on the size of your make-up bag.
Travel sized toiletries are also very handy, but if you're particularly attached to a certain hair care range that doesn't offer this, Penneys and Boots have travel sets that come with clear bottles and travel pots that you can transfer your favourite products into. I did this with my Garnier Micellar water as I didn't have time to grab a travel sized version and because the bottle was clear and under 100ml, it was also security friendly too.
Planning is key...
Before our trip, I made a list of outfits, and made sure that a few pieces of clothing overlapped these outfits to cut down on how much I was bringing. For example, I only brought two 'outerwear' pieces, my grey coat and my biker jacket because I knew that they'd go with every outfit I had planned on wearing. In the end I mostly just wore my biker jacket since it was comfy and had zip up pockets that would keep all my travel cards and phone safe and secure.
Striped Top - Penneys (Similar here & here)
Scarf - Penneys (Similar here)
Jeans - Topshop
Backpack - Penneys (Similar here & here)
Sunglasses - Hawkers Co
Boots - Office here, here & here (currently on sale)
So there we have it, just a few tips on how to pack a little lighter for your next trip! Do you have any packing tips? I'd love to hear them so leave them in the comments below! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post.
Pack what you love & be practical...
When packing you have to be practical, and as well as that, packing what you love and what you know you'll wear makes sense. There's no point in bringing anything you won't definitely wear, because it's just wasted space! Like I mentioned above, on the trip I ended up mostly wearing my biker jacket, which I knew would happen as it's one of my favourite items of clothing since it goes with everything! I also ended up wearing my Vans for 90% off the trip, because they were comfy and practical and although I packed a small handbag, the backpack I'm wearing in this post was with me most days as it could fit my camera, a bottle of water and all the daily essentials for exploring Amsterdam.
Outfit Details
Biker Jacket - H&M (Similar here & here)Striped Top - Penneys (Similar here & here)
Scarf - Penneys (Similar here)
Jeans - Topshop
Backpack - Penneys (Similar here & here)
Sunglasses - Hawkers Co
Boots - Office here, here & here (currently on sale)
So there we have it, just a few tips on how to pack a little lighter for your next trip! Do you have any packing tips? I'd love to hear them so leave them in the comments below! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post.
