So, I promised I would share about how I packed my clothing for our six-week trip to Australia and New Zealand.

1. Start early.

I started thinking about what clothes I would bring months beforehand. This was important because if I wanted any new clothing for Australia’s winter in July, I would need to buy it before stores here started putting summer clothes out. I was conscious about what temperature it was outside as I got dressed each day, and thought about outfits and clothes I might like to wear in the same temperatures in Australia. I had plenty of time to assess which clothes worked with which temperatures, what outfits would be comfortable, and what pieces I needed to shop for. I also had lots of time to edit (pack items, re-think things, and take things out that weren’t actually necessary).

2. Make sure you have all the essentials.

I like to be prepared for any circumstance. It takes a long time (at least for me) to pack for a variety of circumstances and yet not bring too much. (Another reason to start early!)

Think about what situations you will encounter, and brainstorm what items and outfits you will need to be prepared for.

Here were some of the things I needed to make sure I had:

• Clothes suitable for the summer, spring, and fall, since I would be traveling through a variety of climates. Thus, I needed short sleeves, long sleeves, layers, shorts, pants, flip-flops, and boots.
• A dress and tights for church
• A good rain jacket since I would be outside often
• Comfortable clothes for relaxing and flying (yoga pants, t-shirts, sweatshirt, track shorts)
• Good walking shoes (Toms, boat shoes, and my boots which were very comfortable for walking)
• A winter jacket
• Hat, gloves, and scarves
• Bathing suit for hot tubs
• Layers (cardigan, vest, jacket, short sleeves, long sleeves)

3. Bring items that you can mix and match

Mix and match so that you only have to take as little as possible! I really wanted to bring bright colors, since I would be missing out on my usual summer wardrobe, the colors of which bring me lots of joy.

I decided one thing I definitely wanted was to have lots of bright colors, but ones that would work in the winter. I chose a few colors and stuck with those. I ended up with yellow/gold, purple, blue, coral, and green, with some neutrals mixed in. I do regret bringing as many colored items as I did, only because I got sick of having to combine the same colors over and over again. But with the clothes I had available to me, I am pleased with how my outfit selection turned out (i.e. I didn’t have to buy many things).

Specifically, these are the items I brought:

• 4 long-sleeve shirts (purple, light blue, navy striped, white thermal)
• 3 lightweight sweaters (polka dot, tan, green striped)
• 2 short-sleeve shirts (purple, black)
• 2 t-shirts (blue, tie-dye)
• 2 cardigans (mustard, coral)
• 1 dress to wear with boots and cardigan (blue floral)
• 1 pair of shorts (denim)
• 3 pairs of pants (jeggings, skinny jeans, black skinny jeans)
• 2 sweatshirts (white fleece, gray crew-neck)
• 1 pair of yoga pants (gray)
• 1 vest (green)
• 1 jacket (warm but lightweight zip-up fleece, black)
• 1 rain jacket (very packable, yellow)
• Scarves: pink/purple, light blue, gray leopard
• Shoes: gray Toms, flip-flops, brown boat shoes, brown boots
• PJs: I think I brought one pair of shorts, one pair of pants, a tank top, and a t-shirt

I think that’s it! I brought enough socks and undies to last for about a week and a half, so I could do laundry often but not feel pressed to do it every seven days.

I also ended up buying fleece-lined leggings and a scarf while I was there.

The crazy thing is, even with as few things as I brought, I never even wore one of the tops I had packed! It was a good reminder to only bring things that you LOVE. And, it just goes to show you definitely need less things than you think you do. As long as you have access to laundry. 😉

Hope this was helpful!

Read the other two posts in this series here and here.

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