This post is far from fashion advice and all about practical travel.
The Covid-19 pandemic was finally nearing an end and my older, yet much cooler sister and I snagged round trip flights for under $500 for March 2022. After being confined for so long to one "place" in the world I was dying to get out of America and head back to Italy to check on my dear friends who had certainly experienced a lot of changes since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
Nick had been traveling that year for work often leaving me with the kids for up to 2 weeks at a time sometimes. So being the amazing husband he is, he let me escape and go on a long awaited, meticulously planned sister trip. My parents were able to visit us when we lived in Italy for 6 years but my siblings, deep in school and new jobs couldn't ever make it out. This was my chance to show one of them around, and get to recharge with some meaningful hugs, food, and conversations with i miei cari amici.
There is so much to see in Italy that it is impossible to squeeze in the best parts in just a short trip. But we did our best. We flew into Milan and took a train from MXP to the city center where my friends had a studio flat where we could stay. The flat was just a few blocks away from one of our favorite relaxation spots that Nick and I would visit every now and then when we lived there for language school, QC Termemilano, a wellness spa.
Visiting the spa the day we got into Milan after traveling 15+ hours was one of the best travel decisions I have ever made we highly recommend it!
In the span of 10 days we stayed in Milan, Florence, Verona, and Venice, Italy with just enough time in each to say hello to friends and let my sister soak in the major sites. It was perfect. But this article isn't about an itinerary. I'll save that for another day.
This article is all about how we managed to travel for 10 days at the end of winter internationally with just a carry on (ok and a backpack).
Since we were hopping around so much around Italy during our trip, the last thing I wanted to hassle with was luggage. It is not a guarantee to find a spot for a larger piece of luggage on a train let alone anywhere near your seat. Then the time frames of getting on and off or traveling in the metro are stressful obstacles I would rather do without. On top of all that, checking a bag was a ridiculous fee at the time so we accepted the challenge.
This isn't the first time I've had to travel with a capsule wardrobe in winter though. Nick and I had to travel to Thessaloniki, Greece when we first arrived to live in Italy to collect all the pots and pans and luggage we had brought there on a trip a year prior...we were supposed to be moving there instead at one point. But that's another crazy story for another day.
Back to Italy. This was a special challenge because we also had tickets to Teatro alla Scala, so that meant a semi formal had to be included in our very small bags. How do you manage to pack clothing for the end of winter and include a semiformal in the mix with everything else?
I chose to bring our North Face Rolling Thunder Rolling Suitcase Duffel . We got this super quality piece years ago and I like it because the duffel aspect allow me to squish in more stuff, or squish the bag as needed into small spaces. Its "moldable" in a sense and the suitcase itself is also more lightweight. My sister traveled with a swivel rolling carry on with a hard case. I was a little jealous of the swivel feature...super easy to transport! But my North Face Roller was pretty light so it wasn't a big deal.
Here's what I did and what I suggest for traveling light:
1.) Footwear first.
In Europe, we walk A LOT. I could never emphasize this enough when people would come to visit us. As a typical American not living in the city, if you think you walk a lot, multiply that by 5 or even 10 and maybe you'll come close. So choosing quality comfortable shoes no matter the occasion is essential.
Because it was the end of winter and we would be out walking, I chose to bring my Sorel Out and About Classic Boots. They were perfect. Those boots I wore on the plane and were my main "everyday" shoe. Then I chose a lightweight black dress shoe with a slight heel for my semiformal outfit for La Scala. The Thermal Spa provided flip flops so those were taken care of. So all I needed was two pairs of shoes. I can't remember if I also had room for a pair of lightweight tennis shoes for back up...I think I did? Obviously I didn't go through this experience thinking I would ever write about it later or I would have done a better job recording things.
2.) Choose your colors.
Traveling so light means you have to stick to a color pallet that will allow you to mix and match your outfits. I went with black, gray, and rust orange. Europeans do not wear a lot of color particularly in the winter. I brought 3 pairs of pants (one I wore, the other two in the carry-on). Then being a cold natured human, I had to pack layers: a couple camisoles, long sleeve shirts (basic). then 3-4 styled tops or sweatshirts (one of course I would wear and then pack the others.) For my semiformal I packed a lacy backless jumpsuit paired with a red blazer I got in Italy years ago.
3.) Know Your "Must Haves"
Our accommodations along the way had hair dryers. No need to bring that. Most also had shampoo and soaps so I only needed to bring travel sizes of some things just in case. I packed my makeup bag and travel toiletries in my backpack along with my headphones. I decided NOT to bring my laptop...this trip was intended to decompress. I brought my warm thermal lined Columbia long hooded jacket that I pretty much wore everyday anyway (thank you PNW). And my travel documents (passport, proof of vaccination, printed tickets for backup etc.) I also packed an extra "shopping" bag that could easy be wadded up in any pocket.
In my actual carry on I had: 2 light weight pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of pjs, 3 camisoles, 4 long sleeve shirts, 4 additional sweatshirt type tops, some small gifts from the PNW for friends, and of course my undergarments. I'm pretty sure that was it. Whatever could fit into that carry on. I wore the same travel outfit there and back. That simplified things too.
Then I secretly told myself if I just had to check a bag on the way back from any shopping, I would take the plunge. But alas, I was a good girl. No checked bag both ways.
One important thing to mention here is YES, we did do laundry at least once. We washed our travel clothes in Milan the day after arrival to be sure we had them fresh for our return. Then I think we also washed some mid-trip in Verona at my other friend's house.
I understand this type of lightweight travel would be impossible for the fashion particular. Though I adore cute clothes and looking nicely put together, I usually lean more towards convenience and the cuter side of comfort. Not to mention, re-wearing an outfit is not a taboo for the average European. Italians choose well. They choose quality and they would rather re-wear good quality than have a different outfit every single day that was cheap.
Here are just a few snippets with my very cool sister from our capsule wardrobe travels touring Milan, Florence, Verona, Lake Garda, and Venice, Italy.
