I didn’t realise that kiwis are migrating birds, but apparently we all leave NZ at least once over Winter, am I right?
We are so lucky to have so many gorgeous destinations so close, Aussie is only 3 hours away, as are most of the beautiful Pacific Islands so why would we not leave the cold, grey New Zealand winter days behind us and escape for a break?
One of the most fun, or the most stressful things about travel, depending on who you are, is packing. I LOVE it, but I also may be a serial over-packer, so this blog is definitely for me!
When traveling, you want to make sure you have the right amount of clothes, not too many, not too few (Goldilocks anyone?) so when the guys at Booking.com came to me with a great travel deal for my readers (if you’re keen to book somewhere soon, hold tight, I’ve got a link that will save you $40 thanks to Booking.com coming at the end of this blog) I thought it was the perfect opportunity to put together a wee little blog on creating a travel capsule wardrobe!
Now with so many choices of where to go, I’m going to pretend we are all heading across to Aussie for our holiday (we can do a separate island holiday one later ok?).
Whether it’s Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, here is what you need to pack to keep your travel wardrobe on point….
IN YOUR SUITCASE: Witchery Ponte biker Jacket $199.90 | Cait & Co denim jacket $79 | Cait & Co Miracle Dress $75 | H&M knit $49.99 | Betty Basics 3/4 tee $39 | Max linen shirt $74.99 (on sale)^ | Forever New puff sleeve blouse $69.99 | Decjuba Luxe Pant $69.95^ | Decjuba Luxe jeans $99.95^| Cait & Co scarf $35 | Pulp Noir boots from Hannahs $129.95 | Deuce trainers from Merchant 1894 $149.90 | Ruby Olive Carnivale Rocket Drop earrings $35^ | A Dozen Ideas necklace from Cait & Co
So, now you’ve got yourself just 14 pieces to pack in your suitcase (plus the usual socks and jocks etc), but the trick is HOW many ways can you wear the combos! Here are just a few examples of the combos you can create, and what situation that look would work for….
You want to wear your heaviest shoes on the plane, but also be comfortable. No jeans needed as the boots dress the drape pants up slightly. Adding a scarf will help with warmth and tuck the tee in at the front if you want to make your legs look longer.
Dress up the Miracle Dress for lunch with boots and the biker-style jacket. This Witchery number is great because its made from ponte, so it looks like a leather jacket, but has a little more stretch to it.
Strolling around downtown, layer up the button-up shirt under the knit – the shoes and necklace tie in the on-trend blush pink tones but you have your comfy shoes on so you can walk a mile! If it’s extra-cold, take the ponte jacket along for the ride too.
Dress up your skinny jeans with a pretty blouse and the ponte jacket. The boots and earrings add a little bit of wow just incase you score last minute tickets to a show.
Throw a knit on over the Miracle Dress for a more casual look when you head out to hit the shops. The trainers will be comfortable for walking around, and the necklace adds a little somethin’ somethin’ to the casual look.
Wear the linen shirt open as a jacket over the white tee (tucked in of course) for a casual Sunday breaky. The draped pants are way more comfy than jeans (plus the elastic waist lets you eat what you want) and the scarf adds a bit of colour and warmth.
Yes you saw that right, you can tuck the Miracle Dress into pants and wear it like a top (see this blog for the visuals). Add trainers and necklace for a casual, just-hanging-around-the-town look.
Made some new friends (or meeting up with old ones?), if you want to head out for some late arvo drinks, why not pair your comfy drape pants with the fancier items you’ve packed and dress them up a little. Just make sure you tuck the top in! It will make everything feel more polished.
It’s finally time to head home on the plane so throw all your comfies on. The great thing about all these items is that they are comfortable, but still stylish, so you might even get a cheeky upgrade if you’re lucky 😉
Cool! So now you know exactly what to pack, where exactly are you going?
The good news is that my lovely friends at Booking.com want to make it super-easy for you to take a mid-winter holiday. They are giving you $40 cash back on any accommodation booking you make over $80 using this wee little link.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR SUPER-AMAZING $40 OFF!
And with over 1.3 million places you can stay around the world (including over 5000 in New Zealand), you’ll want to book all your holidays for the next year now!
So whether it’s a girls shopping weekend in Melbourne, family holiday to hit the theme parks on the Gold Coast, or even just a quick long weekend down to Wellington, Booking.com makes it easy to decide where to stay, and I’ve got you covered with what to pack – bon voyage!
Are you heading away soon? Where are you going? Tell me so I can be jealous of you and start planning my own holiday (and holiday wardrobe of course!)
Until Next Time, In Style & Love Always,
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Hi Cait
Love the ideas – off to Brisbane in 3 weeks!
Got the scarf too, thank you – the colours are gorgeous and now I know what to wear it with. Will def be in my bag for Brizzy.
Cheers Christine
oh yay! Glad you love the scarf – perfect for Brissy!! Enjoy your trip x
Hi Cait, just tried to book at Hanmer Resort Motel for next Friday 14th through your link and clicked confirm booking then nothing happened? I rang them to book in instead as it wouldn’t send me confirmation of my booking online, even though I had filled everything in ….. so I have missed out on my $40 discount 🙁
Thought you should know there might be a problem with the way the link is set up? It said I would get a $40 reward not a $40 discount too.
If you could shed any light on how I can still receive my discount would be awesome!
Cheers
I tried it too and after I booked it said I would get a $40 credit towards my next holiday when I checked out??
Hey Mel, my understanding is that you get the $40 back onto your credit card once your booking is complete. I will double check that for you with the team on Monday though
Cheers Cait
Hi Hayley, so sorry that happened. You would not have seen the discount initially as it gets credited back onto your card once the booking is complete as far as I understand.
I have sent your email onto the team at booking.com though to see what we can do
Cheers
Cait
Hi Cait, just tried to book at Hanmer Resort Motel for next Friday 14th through your link and clicked confirm booking then nothing happened? I rang them to book in instead as it wouldn’t send me confirmation of my booking online, even though I had filled everything in ….. so I have missed out on my $40 discount 🙁
Thought you should know there might be a problem with the way the link is set up? It said I would get a $40 reward not $40 discount too.
If you could shed any light on how I can still receive my discount would be awesome!
Cheers
We are going to Bali, keen on the hot weather wardrobe too. Xx
there is one in the works! 🙂
Perfect timing. Off to London for 3 weeks soon and I always pack far too much then Struggle to pull an outfit together! Will definitely be giving booking.com a go for accomodation.
yay!!! have a fab trip!
Long time lurker, first time commenter: Great travel capsule, very stylish and easy! We’re away on a six-week-one-suitcase-between-a-four-person-family south east asia trip soon; my share of the suitcase is tiny and I’m panicking about what to take that is versatile, minimal, and still stylish (and good for 30degree max humidity!! Any tips would be great thanks x
Thanks for this, Cait. I’m headed to the U.S. in August, and always find I overpack! Have saved this link for my packing prep! You rock! Xo p.s. Coffee soon?
glad to help! yes please to coffee soon, at Shore City this week but not so crazy-busy after that x
Gorgeous – and clever combinations! I’m heading to Aussie for the first time in ten years in September and will definitely use this as a guide. BUT I’m also off to Fiji next month for a family gathering (I know, I know – 2 trips – but actually I haven’t been out of the country or even really anywhere within NZ since having kids 9 years ago, so I reckon I deserve it 😉 ). So a big YES PLEASE to tropical holiday capsule ideas!
oh how exciting!!!! you’ll have a fab time in both places I’m sure 🙂 Holiday capsule coming right up x
I’m heading to Fiji in October and I would love to see a tropical holiday capsule wardrobe at some point. I have no idea what to take. I know it’s ages away, but I don’t want to make silly purchases of clothing I will never wear again. We are staying at the Hilton too, so Kathmandu chic is a no go! 🙂
It’s on my list for sure Pip!
When can you post the island holiday capsule wardrobe? I always pack too much!! & July school holidays are beckoning……..
haha there is definitely one in the works Mel!