Shoes = Rothys. Super comfortable (though if you need arch support you will want an insert), wear like iron, dress up/down, completely washable (machine or in the hotel sink if necessary), recycled & recyclable.
Wrap = lightweight cashmere wrap (I have one from Gossamer that is $$ but is perfect for traveling). Crosses climates like a champ.
Same here. One time I unexpectedly bought some nice clothes at a church thrift shop near our Cape Cod house rental and had to do a different plan. Wore my long Fresh Produce jumper over the top of long pants.
Went to Europe this fall and took way too many clothes. Never again.
I am not fashionable so I mostly go for comfort. I do like compression socks on the flight. Help my legs not ache.
Great topic. Patagonia makes wicking, lightweight, quick dry women’s crew shirts (long and short sleeves)that are great for days and not bad to dress up a bit for dinner. Fabric breathes and is comfortable. I like to wear a uniqlo Airism cap sleeved under layer for my warm weather travel tops; they easily wash and air dry quickly, while extending the number of wears of the outer top. When colder, I have long sleeved heattech tops (uniqlo), that are thin, quick dry and lightweight, but add warmth. If traveling to a warm climate when it’s cold at home, i pack a heat tech crew for the return flight. Adds significant warmth for the trip home from airport and takes up little room.
Favorite shoes for my low volume, highly fussy feet are ecco, ara and Aquatalia.
I didn’t realize it was a cruise you were on. DH really wants to,do one. Which company and trip did you do? Did you enjoy traveling like that?
Is this fir warm or cold weather travel?
the thread is for ANY weather travel - just tips on what works best for you and your suitcase and ends up being useful/versatile!
We loved our river cruise. Will definitely do another one.
It was just so easy. They pick you up at the airport and drop you off. You pick out the things you want to do and every day after dinner, there was an itinerary and tickets telling you which time to show up. We like to be busy and it was a great way to get a taste of the area.
We went on Viking. We were on the Rhine. I think it was a good first cruise.
We went to Italy a few years ago and although we had a great time, it was a lot of planning. And we weren’t sure of what was the best thing to do.
On the river cruise you can do as much or as little as you want. There were guides each day to give you an overview and then you can explore on your own.
LL Bean Cresta mens hiking pants. They are 100% synthetic, they take up no space, look really nice (don’t LOOK like hiking pants when on, if that makes sense), dry very quickly when washed in a hotel sink. Also the zippers on the back and cargo pockets add a layer of security.
My go-to pants when packing for vacation.
Do you stay in port overnight anywhere? If you wanted to stay for dinner in a certain city, is that an option?
I have recently purchased the small one but am wondering if the 2L is a better choice?
I’ll share some links to things I have found useful on trips.
I have it in black and wear it 2 ways. Folded over it works as a purse. Extended, it can hold both my iPad mini and kindle along with other things. It isn’t too big or too small and has safety features.
I bought everyone in our family an ultra light down jacket many years ago. We still use them. They roll down and fit in a pouch. They’ve come in handy when we’ve gone on warm weather trips but plan a cold temp excursion. (We took them on Hawaii trips, for Haleakala/Maui and the observatory on the Big Island.)
The material is so light weight and has sun protection. I especially appreciate it for the afternoon to evening transition in warm weather.
I like the 2L better. Isn’t too big across the chest (I wear it slung across my chest) and allows me to chuck a pair of sunglasses as well as a phone and cards into it easily. I don’t need to spend the day playing tetris if I want to access stuff in the bag.
I agree with the packable ultra light down jacket suggestion. Eddie Bauer has a pretty good version as well which when packed down can be connected to your luggage via a carabiner if you don’t have space inside your bag and want easy access.
You can usually find them on Eddie Bauer’s re-adventure website where they offer gently used/like new clothing and gear at a significant discount.
https://readventure.eddiebauer.com/products/womens-microtherm-2-0-down-jacket
Whenever I travel overseas I usually bring the most comfortable elastic waist pants that I buy at Costco in addition to a couple pair of nice slacks. At the end of the trip, I tend to throw away the Costco pants to make my bag lighter.
Shoes are always an issue. We are going to Japan next week, including going up north to Hokkaido where there will be snow. I’m not taking my Sorrel snow boots! Right now the plan is new Merrell booties, old Merrel moccasins and I’m going back and forth about whether I need a nice pair of shoes for a fancy restaurant. This is the boot
As for the rest of my clothing. I usually opt for plain t-shirts with scoop necks or turtlenecks. I have a black cardigan, and will probably also bring a slightly lighter weight athleta sweater. Black pants with a wide leg for dress up, one pair of jeans and one pair of corduroys. I’m not a legging person. I’m thinking about buying something in a Japanese fabric while we’re there. I have a small black baggallini crossbody bag which I bought when we were in Hong Kong it’s big enough to squeeze my Kindle in and has a billion pockets.
Don’t forget that Asia doesn’t heat their indoors as warm as we do here. I find I need a fleece vest in addition to a sweater while indoors. Enjoy your trip.
Uniqlo for the win when it comes down to packable puffies.
And I’m always cold! But good reminder to bring my silk undershirt too late I think to get a few more, but maybe I’ll look and see if Amazon carries them, I think I got it from EMS originally, but our store closed.
