Less than 3 weeks and I’ll be wandering around South Africa with my best friend! I seriously can’t wait! It’s going to be amazing. Wonderful. Awesome. Beautiful. This list could go on for a long time, so I’ll stop there for now. I’ve got so many places on my list of must-eat-here and must-go-see-that. The list that’s getting a little out of hand an the moment is my packing list. I’m absolutely horrible at packing, short weekend trip to the cabin or across the world, I suck at it. I’m always packing waaaayy too much and not the right things. Why is it so hard for me? I’ve tried making lists to manage, but those look scary. I even tried to color coordinate it, but then realize that made no sense and/or difference. At the beginning of planning this adventure I thought, “how am I going to manage that flight?” Now, I’m like, “how can I pack for something like this? 15 days? So many different situations, places, planes, temperatures…” So. Long ramble short, I need packing advice.
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blue roses
i have traveled extensively for work and for pleasure, sometimes in the same trip (a true packing nightmare) and have visited beautiful south africa.
if you plan on going on safari, i would recommend bringing comfortable clothing that covers your arms and legs; i wore stretch pants, tall knee boots, and various chambray and cotton tunics while out in the bush. you want to protect from sun and bugs, and, to be honest, you are there for seeing something so much more wonderful and wild and incredible and fashion just does not matter there (gasp! i know). still i had some classy necklaces and scarves that i wore, and sunglasses.
if you plan on going to cape town, in october the weather is dry and warm. overall, the country will be warm now, but cool in the evenings and at night. a light jacket would be good.
in general, when i am packing, i have learned to pick a neutral, either navy or black, then build around that; i never bring both. from there, creams and grays and red always works, can be worn very interchangeably, and look chic. this has worked for long trips to barcelona, paris, london, and south africa. for touring cities, flat boots are a must. you want to be able to walk and explore! especially cape town, table mountain is incredible and needs to be trekked.
have fun! and do not overpack, save space for carting home wine!
Gina
I once packed 28 items for 22 days (and that includes socks, unmentionables, outerwear and scarves), and I promise you, it worked – you can do it! Give yourself a number of items and try to hit it. The above advice to pick a neutral and build around it is crucial. It all comes down to how much time you’ll be spending where, and what kind of activities you like or plan to do. Google up street style for whichever cities you’ll be in and let that help inspire you, but don’t worry too much about looking perfect in the bush. Consider also that you’ll likely have access, one way or the other, to laundry services; plus, rewearing things a number of times isn’t the end of the world. One thing I always abide by, though, is an absolute minimum of accessories. For me, that means a single, slim silver band in place of my wedding ring, sunglasses and scarves. Play around with Polyvore – I lay out my entire suitcase contents in one frame and if it gets too hard to fit it all, I start culling.