Spring is upon us, which means it’s time to bid farewell to cold climates and venture off into the sunshine. Traveling to a warm or tropical destination offers the perfect opportunity to bring out fun, bold, and flowy styles. Of course, the sunshine can also create a host of sweaty fashion failures. To bring out the best of your closet for your warm weather vacation, explore these planning tips and outfit ideas below.
What You Need for a Warm Weather Vacation
The Necessities
Before we get into outfits, here is a list of some basic travel necessities for any warm weather vacation.
- A comfortable outfit for travel days at the start and end of your trip.
- Enough clothes to mix and match for the length of your trip.
- Some comfortable close-toed shoes for adventures and excursions that you’re not afraid to scuff up!
- A few cute bathing suits and cover-ups to go with them.
- Sandals or flip flops for the pool or beach.
- Sunglasses and a baseball cap, sunhat, or even a sun-shirt.
- A beach bag and quick-drying towels.
For beauty essentials, you will always want to have sunscreen on hand. You should also pack a travel-sized hairspray or texturizing spray that works well for your hair in the hot and humid weather.
Packing a Suitcase Like a Capsule Wardrobe
Packing for a vacation can be a similar process to forming your own capsule wardrobe. That means picking out pieces that are re-wearable and match with a variety of other pieces in your wardrobe/suitcase. It is a minimalistic approach that helps you easily throw together outfits because everything has the potential to work together. Plus, it prevents you from hauling around massive suitcases everywhere you go.
I love matched sets, like a blazer and pants or a matching skirt and top. I often build mini capsule wardrobes around sets when I travel. I use this technique in my overall wardrobe as well, so I can make lots of different outfits from a few carefully chosen pieces. Try searching through your closet for a a couple pairs of shorts, a few pants, a variety of tops, and a couple skirts or dresses that you can mix and match. Also consider which jewelry you can match to multiple of your outfits.
Fashionable Fits for Fine Dining and Special Occasions
If you have any fancy dinners or special events planned on your vacation, be sure to pack some fun and refined outfits. Florals and flowy, feminine dresses always shine in the warm weather, especially in tropical destinations. Dramatic maxi-length dresses are trendy on the internet, but they’re also classy and absolutely summery. If you love summer dresses as much as I do, you can’t go wrong with splurging on a floral maxi-dress for your trip.
Be thoughtful about the shoes you bring on vacation. It can be hard to pack more than a couple pairs of shoes in a suitcase, especially without any squishing or scratching. You have to be selective, and that’s where the capsule wardrobe comes in once again. You’ll need one set of comfortable shoes for daily activities, one pair of flip flops or sandals, and one pair of nice shoes or heels for special occasions. If you have room for more — lucky you!
Le Suit Crepe Two-Button Blazer & Pants, $225
Always Pack These Just In Case…
Even if you’re vacationing in paradise, you can still be hit by cold-fronts, wind and rain. Oftentimes travelers forget to bring a sweater or jacket. I always recommend packing a light jacket and a couple of long-sleeve shirts in case of an unfortunate change in the forecast. These also make for good airplane clothes, as the cabin temperature tends to run cold.
For something fashionable, try out a cute blazer, cropped Chanel-inspired jacket, or a baseball-style jacket for those who like a more casual look. Many people even style shorts with blazers. When you put together outfits for your warm weather vacation, try a pairing shorts with a blazer to update and elevate your shorts and t-shirt outfits. Choose a jacket that can be worn with denim, shorts, and dress pants. We also see blazers over dresses, so be sure to try that too.
What About Your Carry-On Bag?
I always pack a swimsuit, pair of shorts, t-shirt, and a change of undergarments in my carry-on. Once, I lost my luggage while traveling for a tropical getaway. I had to wear my travel clothes for two days! It was hot and unpleasant. Of course, just when I started thinking about buying something from one of the tourist shops, the airport notified me that they had found my luggage. If I had come prepared with some basic necessities in my carry-on, it could have saved me days of discomfort!
Be sure to check out the video below to get all my travel and packing tips.
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