It’s difficult to pack light and look good at the same time. That’s why it’s important to pack mix and match clothing that can be used over and over again to create new looks!
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Best Travel Clothes for Women
While the cost of excess baggage goes up, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to travel carry-on only.
There are many benefits to packing light like not having to stand around waiting for your luggage to arrive when your plane lands, or not having to worry about lost luggage while in transit.
But how can you pack everything you need into one small rolling suitcase?
Well, the best way I’ve found to pack lighter is to mix and match my clothing.
So I’ve rounded up my best most versatile pieces of travel clothes for women that I’ve been wearing the past few months.
Best Mix and Match Travel Clothes
If you want to scale down your packing, think about items that have a duel purpose. I could easily go away for a week with just these items in my backpack and be prepared for most travel situations.
Read: Great Travel Organizers for Better Packing
Sporty Zip Skort
I love the Sporty Zip Skort because I can go for a walk in the woods or a night on the town wearing this piece of clothing.
If I put on a pair of running shoes or water shoes I can go on a hike or I can dress it up with some strappy sandals and be dining out by candlelight in a fine restaurant.
It’s comfortable, quick dry and light meaning it won’t take up a lot of room in your suitcase.
Zip Pocket Jeggings
They’re like tights, but thicker and more durable. You can wear Zip Pocket Jeggings as jeans on their own, or put a long shirt or dress overtop for a more elegant look.
This versatile piece of clothing is great for sightseeing at the Eiffel Tower or shopping at the market. I like wearing my jeggings on the plane.
Their so comfortable and soft, I can sleep like a baby, but still look great walking through the airport.
Classic Bermuda Shorts
Perfect for a safari or a walk in the park. I love these Bermuda shorts They are stretchy, comfortable and slimming.
I can dress these up or down. Little heals with a blouse and they look so cute. Hiking boots and a t-Shirt and I’m ready to hike.
These lightweight shorts are durable and easy to wash too.
Indispensable Skirt
Since you have the skort already you don’t necessarily need this Indispensable Skirt in your travel bag, but I love it so much.
I wear it everywhere. When I go out for a night of high end dining or a romantic walk on the beach, this is the skirt for me.
I lounge in it, I live it. Hence the name Indispensable.
Watercolour Floral Tie
I use this top to dress up my skirts or leggings. I even wear it with shorts when I know I’ll be out for a day of sightseeing in museums or art galleries.
My watercolour floral tie front top dresses up any outfit, but is ultra light and so easy to clean.
Enjoying my list of best travel clothes for women? Check out the Most Complete Travel Packing List You’ll Ever See
Cap Sleeve Easy Tee
Every wardrobe needs a T-Shirt and I like the Cap Sleeve Easy Tee because if it’s worn with a pair of shorts, it looks sporty.
If I wear it with a skirt or my leggings, it dresses up. If I want to play some sports, go kayaking or just hang out, this easy tee is comfortable and looks great.
Everything I have in my suitcase can be worn for many different situations. I never have one item that can only be worn in one situation.
Voyager Shirt
I like trekking in long sleeves and when traveling to many parts of the world, it’s important to keep your shoulders covered, that’s why something like the Voyager Shirt is an excellent choice for travel.
Because it is lightweight, breathable and quick drying, it’s perfect for a mountain trek or jungle hike but it also looks great with a pair of jeans, or my jeggings for a night out
Ballet Flats
The Ballet flats is a new addition to my travel bag and I love them. I like wearing them on the plane because they slip on and off easily making going through security a snap, but I can also wear them sightseeing.
Because of their non-slip soles, I wore them while exploring the rocks of Peggy’s Cove and felt very sure footed.
Zip off Trekking Pants
Call me old fashioned, but because we do a lot of trekking and advneture travel, I still pack zip off trekking pants.
I use them as shorts a lot, but they can also be used for mountain treks, early morning hikes and cooler weather conditions.
Being lightweight and breathable, they pack easily and don’t take up a lot of weight. They are the most versitile piece of clothing I use.
Sarong
I use a Sarong a lot. When traveling, I can pretty much make my sarong anyting. In the Middle east I can use it as a head scarf, in South East Asia, I can use it as a skirt when entering a temple.
I have used it as a beach cover, a towel and I have even used a sarong to dress up an outfit too. This is an excellent piece of travel clothing to add to anyone’s luggage.
Dave and I travel full time, so I want to give full disclosure that we do not travel carry on only.
Our carryon bags are filled with camera gear and computers, but when you look in our backpack, you’ll see that the least amount of items we bring during our travels are clothing.
We don’t have a lot of clothes because we like to pack other things to be prepared for any situation. Just a few shirts, pants, shorts and skirts and we’re good to go.
We’ve received a lot of emails lately about our travel bags so we thought a good first post to address some of your questions would be to start with sharing must have mix-and-match items that can be used for several situations during your travels and you’ll look great too!
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I m doing 2 months in SEA next spring and have a gazillion clothes I barely wear that are basically brand new. What s that Pareto rule we use 20% of the things we have 80% of the time. So I m researching my buns off to learn how to mix and match clothing to get different outfits (I m also terrible at matching so this is certainly a challenge!). Great article, thanks for the tips! :o)
Your travel wardrobe recommendations are wonderful and are helping me figure out how to reduce my packing! I tend to bring sensible items, but for whatever reason, I always have way too much of it. (Working on it though!) I agree with traveling with a jeggings type ponte pant, you can get so much use night, day, dressy or casual while on the go. Always looking for just the right flat though so I submitted an order which included the ballet flats. They are priced $26.99 right now so definitely could not pass those up! My next order will include the Bermudas and the drape knit top. Thanks again for sharing!
The ballet flat is something new to me . Thank You 🙂
Great trips. Ready to put them into practice
Great blog! Thanks for your useful tips. I will follow all these tips when i will travel to Medellin.
Have a great time !
I also love using ballet flats when I am on the road because it’s comfortable and looks nice on a photo than rubber shoes. LOL.
So true. I’ve also found they look better than flipflops. I used to wear flipflops everywhere, but now the flats look so much better in a photo and they feel just as comfortable.
Good to know we’ve got good people looking out for the well being of us lady’s appearances when we travel.
You have some great tips! I love wearing lightweight clothes when we travel and end up wearing gym clothes. It’s a real bummer when we want to take a nice photo somewhere and I look like a bum! I had one great convertible dress in black that was my go-to for when it was time to look nice. I think on our next trip I am going to try and travel with more style while still packing practical clothes.
I know exactly how you feel. We’ve upgraded our travel clothes over the past few years and I am loving our photos so much more. I used to be such a slob. Now I’ve found that I can fit in in the city and while out on a trek or hike. I don’t feel uncomfortable when I have join civilization anymore 🙂
Great blog. Thanks for your excellent list.
I am so glad to hear you say you do not travel with just carry on! I agree with your clothing advice- I try to stick to a color scheme and if the piece won’t match everything else and I can’t wear it for at least three purposes, it isn’t going. I have discovered wool clothing and I love it- good in hot or cold weather, easy to layer, machine washable, doesn’t ever smell (great for when you need to stretch it another day until you find a washing machine), comfortable and it looks great. I struggle with shoes. It is hard to find comfortable, lightweight and good looking all in one shoe! I am going to check out your ballet flat recommendation. Thanks for sharing your advice.
Thanks Elizabeth. I don’t know how people manage carry on only. I like having different changes of clothes and I like my full size conditioner and hairspray 🙂 A colour scheme is perfect. Right now I’m into warm colours and they all go well together. and yes, easy layer and odour resistant are key. We’re going on 3 weeks of travel without a proper washing machine because we’ve been moving destinations a lot, and we are thankful for that. Easy washing in a sink has been extremely helpful.
Very nice blog and best acknowledgement about travel i like this blog we regular visit here for latest updates.
Thanks for all the tips you are right the best thing we can do is to have clothes that is versatil to use with everything
Thanks Izy, I have found that with my mix and match clothes, I can have a different look each day. Accessories help a lot too 🙂