This summer I'm going on two long weekend adventures, the first is a weekend to France which will involve sitting on the beach or by the pool, and a few nights out in the local town. The second is slightly longer and is a city and beach break in Italy - more tricky to pack light for but I'm up for a challenge!
As I'm flying with Easyjet (a budget airline who make you pay extra to check luggage). I wanted to get a decent carry on suitcase that wouldn't break the bank. I'd been looking at this
Berghaus one for a while after reading some good reviews on Amazon and found it half price on
Field and Trek.
Berghaus Optimus 40 bag, £35
Now I have never been one to pack light, but I was surprised that I was able to do this once before on my trip to Berlin, so I'm convinced I can do it again - bring it on!
First things first, when you're taking carry on most budget airlines won't let ladies take a separate handbag (I've seen this go both ways, it's really at the person at the gates discretion). With this in mind and seeing as I'll need to get more use out of any potential handbag I'm going with a simple tan clutch. The one I have is from
Fossil and is a good size. It can fit all of these items below in it and can slot in the front compartment of the case.
So you have all of the items that you'll need immediately. On top of this I usually buy a magazine at the airport but again, this could slip into the case (look how much I'm planning on 'slipping in the case' already). All you really need to carry are your passport, tickets and money. Kindle and iPhone for entertainment on the plane, face spray for inflight moisturising and sunglasses for landing and looking fabulous at the other end!
So onto the main event. What do you take when you haven't got much space? I find what takes up the most space in my case (apart from shoes) is toiletries. If you're staying in a nice hotel where shampoo, conditioner, soap, body lotion etc are provided then great but if you're staying in an apartment or a hotel where those things will probably not be included then you'll need to bring your own. Firstly, I would get yourself some travel bottles - you cannot carry on bottles with over 50ml of liquid so that's your biggest container. Saying that, you can carry as much as you like as long as you put it in see through plastic bags to be checked at security.
I decant my shampoo, conditioner and shower gel into these bottles. My face moisturiser is usually a 50ml container so I don't need to worry about that. Ordinarily I would take my travel sized cleanser and toner but space is all important so this time I'm opting for face wipes. Another plus is that these have multiple uses (great for freshening up) and although aren't great for long term use, it's only a few days so your skin can probably cope!
I don't personally wear less than spf 50 on my face when I'm on holiday. Whenever I'm in the states I stock up on the Coppertone stuff, it isn't too thick and is good for sensitive skin. When selecting my holiday makeup I try and go for palettes, blusher/bronzer palettes are great and there are some lovely summer eyeshadow palettes around at the moment. Alternatively, you could make your own at MAC stores. I also really like this Clarins mascara. You can wear it over your own mascara to make it waterproof, or on its own. You may notice the lack of suncream - you can't pack a full sized tube but you can buy it at the airport, ok it'll be a bit more expensive but it solves your problem and I'll probably get through a bottle between Peter and I. (As it's for both of us, in his hand luggage it goes...)
Now onto clothes. Ideally I think about what items can double up. If you're going out on an evening you're really only wearing those clothes for a few hours, that top for example can easily be worn during the day the next day. Also take into account what you can wear on the plane journey. I usually wear my heaviest/biggest shoes so they aren't taking up space in my case. I'll also bring a scarf or wrap as these are great for the cooler evenings.
So you have your day wear, this could be for going to and from the beach or walking around town depending on the type of holiday you're going on. For the beach, I like kaftan's - this Missoni one is particularly gorgeous, but equally you could wear this with the shorts. Mix it up!
I love these floral shorts from Topshop, they are smart for evening wear and would look great with the black crop top - not that I'm a crop top kind of girl but hey...
Footwear, you already have the wedges which were worn on the plane - to save space in your case. I love the sparkly flats because they are casual but can be dressed up. The black flip flops are essential for the beach and take up no room, and if you're planning on doing any amount of walking then you need a pair of shoes that offer some support. Nothing worse than getting blisters from walking too much in flip flops...
So ideally, this is all going to fit into my cabin sized case - wish me luck!
I suppose if all else fails I can sneak another pair of shoes into Peter's case... ;)
