My work slows down significantly during the summer months, so for the last four summers I’ve taken advantage of this time to travel with my family. For four weeks, my husband and I work remotely while our sons (7 and 9) spend time at a local camp—this year, they went to a French-language multi-sport camp in Biarritz. The rest of the time is our official family vacation and we put on our OOO messages.
This summer we did a road trip around Sardinia and southwest France. We picked up our rental car at Charles de Gaulle and drove down to Nice, where we caught a ferry to Sardinia. We drove the circumference of Sardinia, ferried back to Marseille, and made our way through the Pays Basque, Bordeaux and Cap Ferret before heading back to Paris. From there, my husband and sons caught a flight home to Toronto, while I took the train to Chamonix for a 7-day hike around the Alps (Tour du Mont Blanc). My family took the bulk of my luggage home, and I left two day’s worth of clothes at a friend’s place in Paris that I could come back to after the hike.
What’s your go-to luggage for this kind of trip, and why?
The amount of luggage we can take on a trip like this is limited by how much fits in a typical European rental car. I usually need one medium-sized suitcase for myself, while my husband and two sons share a large suitcase amongst the three of them. We also take one carry-on bag for weight distribution in case the other two bags are too heavy, but it’s usually not full on the way there or back. My husband and I like to laugh about how rolled luggage is a relatively recent invention and yet so obvious in retrospect. It’s hard to believe that in the ‘80s we were still carrying our suitcases!
For my hike, I took a single 40L ultra lightweight backpack of the absolute bare-bones necessities—I literally wore the same clothes everyday.
How do you approach the basics?
I wrote a comprehensive packing guide in my Substack last year. It’s a list of the questions I go through for all my trips, whether I’m packing for a weekend in New York or a six-week extended family vacation in Korea. Some of the questions I ask include: How long will I be going for? What activities will I be doing and in what kind of environment? What’s the temperature and climate? Will I have access to an iron and/or laundry machine? Are there any cultural norms to be mindful of? Will I be bringing anything back? What modes of transportation will I be using?
Our summer vacations are usually very casual, active and outdoorsy. For the most part we buy groceries and make meals at our rental and the restaurants we go to are family-oriented. I choose pieces that are low-maintenance, i.e. that don’t need to be ironed and are easy to wash and wear. I plan all my outfits in advance using versatile pieces that I’m able to make multiple outfits with. This year, I packed five pairs of shorts, four skirts, two dresses, a range of tops, and one jean jacket. Some of the pieces are beachwear that double as city wear when paired with more elevated pieces. Even though our vacation is casual, it’s still my vacation, so of course I want to wear some fun outfits! I brought a few “going out” tops that I toned down with casual khaki shorts or denim bermudas so that the overall vibe still leaned casual. Knowing the outfits in advance also means I know exactly what undergarments (bra and underwear cut) I need. For a long vacation like this, I pack one week’s worth of underwear and running socks.
Are you a roller or a folder?
It’s been a journey: I used to be a folder, then a roller, then a flat-layer, and now I do a mix of all three! I roll things that are wrinkle-resistant, fold and flat-lay things that wrinkle easily or can’t be folded. Space isn’t usually an issue when I’m checking luggage, but if I’m using a carry-on, I’m also a stuffer: I stuff bags with underwear and other garments which I then stuff into other bags.
What’s your shoe strategy?
This summer I packed five pairs of shoes. Two of the pairs I wore 80% of the time—a jelly shoe that doubles as a shoe I can walk around a city in and can wear to the beach, and a pair of black strappy sandals which I can walk all day in but are on the dressier side, so they elevate an otherwise casual outfit. I also packed one pair of running sneakers for working out, a pair of Adidas Miss Stan sneakers (which I barely wore), and the Arizona Love pearl trekkies, which I didn’t wear much because I ended up wearing my jelly shoes!
How do you think about accessories?
I keep them simple as well. I packed two bags: a white pleated Issey Miyake carry-all tote (the best, it’s compact and machine-washable) and one black leather APC crossbody bag. Both straddle the line between everyday and refined, so they worked with everything I wore. Hats are mandatory in the sun, so I interchanged between one black baseball cap and one raffia bucket hat. I brought a stack of necklaces with different vibes that I could interchange with my outfits.
Do you have a great travel hat?
I LOVE dramatic hats! Hats like the Jacquemus Santon hat, which is such an amazing statement but so cumbersome to travel with and actually wear—one gust of wind and it’s gone! For the past three years I’ve been wearing Janessa Leone’s packable Felix bucket hat and it has served me really well.
What’s always in your Dopp kit/toiletry bag?
I used to laugh when I saw nail clippers in souvenir shops, but now I understand! For longer trips, don’t forget your nail clippers! And tweezers for your brows (I use Tweezerman).
I’m not fussy about my face products, so I use this opportunity to use up the many samples I’ve collected over the past while. My go-to baseline is the reliable and affordable French brand La Roche Posay, so if I ever run out of my samples, I know it’s available at every pharmacy. Aside from samples, I always have LRP Anthelios sunscreen, prescription tretinoin, my nixit menstrual disc (if you haven’t tried it, it’s a game changer), at least three lip balms because I’m always losing them, a few hair ties, bobby pins and Q-tips. Shampoo and conditioner are usually the first things I end up buying on the ground.
I wear little to no make-up at home, and on vacation wear even less because I don’t like how it feels in the heat. Nevertheless, I’ll bring some basics just in case. This year I packed Sweed Miracle Powder, Iris & Romeo mascara, a MAC blush, and a few glossy lipsticks that I picked up in Korea.
On a plane, what essentials does your carry-on bag always contain?
Moisturizer and lip balm because my skin gets so dehydrated on flights—Carmex is a perennial go-to and lately I’ve been using Molly Sims’ Like A Gloss. Essential medications in case my luggage gets lost. Toothbrush and mini toothpaste, especially for long-haul flights. My padded sleep mask if I want to sleep. Earphones (see below) and chargers if I plan on using electronics.
Any wisdom on traveling with electronics?
Years ago, an airline gave me an earphone case and I’ve been using it ever since. It fits a few pairs of earphones (at least one pair with a standard airline jack), as well as earphone splitters (key to avoid fights when you have two sons close in age!) and headphone converters.
Do you have a travel uniform?
I try to choose an outfit from whatever I’ve set aside to pack, and I usually include my bulkiest outerwear. For this trip it was my denim jacket, Adidas sneakers and a tee. I always like to wear long pants on a plane even in the summer. Lately it’s been a pair of jogging pants—I picked up a pair of men’s Nike sweatpants at a local consignment shop for $10 and they’re my go-to. For everyone who says that it’s gauche to wear sweatpants on a flight, I say too bad!
OK, we’re dying to know how you managed to pack for one week in one 40L backpack! What did you bring?
It was essential that I kept the total weight below 10 kg as I was carrying it the whole way. Daytime temperatures can climb as high as 30C and lows can drop to 7C, especially at elevation. Rain is always a possibility. You need to be prepared for these conditions even if they ultimately don’t happen because, from experience, hypothermia is real. 10 kg adds up really quickly, so you need to be very strategic. I wore the same Lululemon running top and Adidas running shorts every day! I sink-washed them every night, and hung or blow-dried dry (where available).
I packed:
- Outerwear: 1 rain jacket + 1 rain pant (and thank goodness, because it poured for three days!), 1 fleece zip-up jacket, Aritzia baseball cap, Janessa Leone Dakin hood, Uniqlo cashmere gloves, sunglasses, glasses.
- Bottoms: 1 pair of full-length leggings (I only wore them at night), 1 pair of running shorts (I wore these everyday!).
- Tops: 1 short-sleeve running tee, 1 sleeveless running tank (didn’t wear)
- Undergarments: We Norwegians long-sleeve wool top and leggings, Hod Paris set as pajamas, 6 pairs of wool socks, 8 pairs of underwear, 1 sports bra, 1 bra.
- Shoes: hiking shoes, Arizona Love pearl trekkies (for indoor hut use).
- Bare minimum toiletries (all travel sizes): face wash, moisturizer, sunscreen, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, medications, Polysporin, bandaids, hair elastics.
- Others: travel towel, hiking poles, travel CPAP machine (ugh!), sleeping bag liner, iPhone, Apple Watch + chargers and converters, water bottle, snacks, toilet paper, 3 ziplock bags, wallet, passport.
I used every single thing, although because I didn’t end up sleeping at elevation, I could have probably skipped the wool top and leggings.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.