HOW I PACK AS A "MINIMALIST"

My wardrobe has changed immensely since participating in a minimalist lifestyle, especially this past year. I own little, and travel with less. Crazy but true fact: We’ve never checked a bag! We always fit our travel attire into one carry-on each! I travel with the same versatile items, and have loved the predicability. I never stress about packing for a trip! 

​For me, the trick to owning less was to identity a “uniform.” Now, you won’t see me wearing the exact same black turtle neck (I’m no extremist rocking the “Steve Jobs”) on the daily. I certainly crave more variety than that! However, you will see me rocking several renditions of the same few outfits. This concept has saved me time and mental energy each morning. These outfits are predictably comfortable and flattering, so I know I’ll feel confident throughout the day. This concept makes packing and dressing easy!

Generally, I have three types of outfits:
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• ​Athleisure 60%
• Casual 20%
• “Dressy” 20%

ATHLESUIRE

We are rather active when we travel (and at home) so you’ll typically finding us in athlesuire. We love being prepared to embark on long walks without having to go back to the Airbnb/hotel to change. I used to want to be dressed “cute” all the time while traveling, but have come to realize that I would much rather have the flexibility to hike, walk, or wander around comfortably. Plus, athlesuire is becoming more acceptable. No longer is everyone expected to show up to brunch in a sundress and brimmed hat. Lululemon will do just fine. In San Diego and Hawaii especially, the more causal, the more you fit in! These are my favorite high end leggings. I recently just fell in love with these as well, at a lower price point (the only two brands of leggings I rotate). I bought this tank in Hawaii and wore it all week (loved it tied in a knot!). Lastly, I have this shirt in gray, navy, and light pink. 

CASUAL

If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll ditch Lululemon for a cardigan! Typically, my casual look consists of my favorite jeans, linen pants, or leggings, a soft T-shirt tied in knot, and a Cardigan. I’ll add sandals or my favorite tennis shoes. I am in LOVE with these T-shirts (I own 4 colors of the short sleeve, and just bought my first long sleeve....so incredibly soft, inexpensive, and have worn wonderfully over the past year!). This sweater blazer is great for nearly any occasion!

“DRESSY”

Lastly, it’s always fun to “dress up” for dinner or drinks. While I never pack anything formal, I like to throw in a fun jumpsuit and patterned sundress. Rather than packing a multitude of dressy outfits, I dress up casual outfits with accessories. I only packed one jumpsuit, which I wear ALL the time, and one dress, but I linked a few more below. (unfortunately, I cannot locate a link to my banana leaf dress!)

ACCESSORIES

Lastly, my favorite new sunglasses (which I bought immediately after seeing my cute cousin in them), trusty backpack, and small purse come on every trip! I packed two pair of shoes for this two week trip : sandals (which go with sundresses, dressier outfits, and beach outfits) and tennis shoes (for athlesuire, and occasionally with jeans). Before minimalism, I would pack 5+ pairs of shoes. I’ve learned that as much as I like to wear heels with a sundress, it’s not worth lugging them miles through the airport and over the Pacific just to feel 10% cuter at dinner, twice. Sandals work just fine and take up a quarter of the suitcase space. 

I truly love all of these things and have selected them based on comfort, practicality, and fit.

I hope this helps you ditch the extra pair of heels and third sweater you probably won't wear for practical pieces that you love! 

​HJJ

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