The following clothing tips are targeted for women traveling to countries in autumn or winter weather, and who want to travel light.
- Bring clothes and underwear that can easily be washed and dried quickly. You can use the hotel’s dryer (hair) or heater (if you do not want to use coin laundry or laundromats) to quickly dry them especially if you use the thin ones. Invest in dri-fit pieces, these can be your inner wear and you can wash them frequently while upper layers are washed less often.
- Do not worry about not bringing many clothes, you do not have to bring one shirt or blouse for each day of your trip – you will wear your outer coat most of the time if you are gallivanting outside, so nobody needs know you are wearing the same clothes every other 3 days or so! If you do spend most of your time indoors with your coat off, the trick is to mix and match and accessorize.
- Bring clothes than can easily mix and match in color and style. I try to bring thin long-sleeved shirts which can be mixed and paired with two sleeveless pullovers or blouses so you can have that layered look. Bring clothes whose colors does not clash when you mix them up.
- If you will bring bracelets and other accessories, get pieces with a classic design or one with varied colors which can match your choices of clothes – hence you don’t have to bring a ton of accessories.
- Bring scarves. If you can afford it, buy cashmere ones. A medium shawl or wrap will also help if you want a different look. I prefer those which are reversible in their color and patterns . Cloth scarves can also double as belts or even as brassieres.
- How about a furoshiki (Japanese hanky/cloth) – it can function as a bag, a handkerchief, neckerchief, a towel, a head cover as long as you know how to fold and fashion it into such.
- Invest in a good coat which is flexible in its design – the inner layer can be zippered out if you need less bulk and warmth, and can also double as a pillow, or as padding for delicate items you need to protect in your luggage (I used mine to wrap my laptop). You can adjust the coat’s functions to what is needed for keeping warm. Modern technology has come up with some fabrics which are very light and thin but which retain the heat so you do not have to carry a bulky coat.
- Bring a “malong” or “sarong”. Multi-purpose uses – as an extra pillow when folded, a blanket to cover you whilst sleeping, a cloth to wrap around you when you are going out and lounging. I also hide inside it when changing clothes in a room with other people (such as a dorm where privacy is not always available). It can be a towel to help you dry off if all else fails. Also, if you suddenly travel to a country in the middle of your trip and go to the beach – voila, you have a beach cover-up ready to use!
- Bring a small, very easily dried travel towel – you can pair this with your malong or sarong. Packing them will be less a hassle as you do not have to wait long for them to dry out (unless you pop it in dry bags and air them out later). I just pair a small travel lite towel and my malong as cover-up. I take baths at night, so that in the morning the towel is ready if needed and I can save time.
- A good, durable pair of comfortable shoes is a must if you are planning to be walking around a lot. While boots look fashionably sleek, in the end, think of the protection and comfort of your feet. It is not fun to have blisters or bruised toes during a trip.
- Instead of bringing slippers, you can bring Crocs as a back-up pair of shoes in case of emergency. Room or bath slippers are hygienic and not all lodgings provide them so its best to bring extra footwear, but which can also be used outside in a pinch. You cannot be sure floors in wherever you stay are clean, hence this advice. I try to limit to two pairs (including what is worn) when I travel as shoes take up space, even if you stuff socks and other small items inside.
- Bring functional sleepwear that can also be worn as part of your everyday OOTD (outfit of the day). I have tank tops with or without built-in bra support (this can also mean less number of bras to bring) that can be used for sleep but can also be worn as inner blouses for dress shirts or for that extra layer of warmth.
- Bring leggings which can be paired with shorts– both can be sleepwear, loungewear, beachwear, exercise wear. This can also help keep you warm if you need layers. You can also cut leggings and use them as arm warmers if you want to be creative.
- Try to wear similar-colored clothes in a row – this will help you group your laundry if you use washing machines – e.g. if you wear fuchsia/pinkish colored ones consecutively, when you launder them after x number of days, you do not need to worry about mixing them up with other clothes or colors which may bleed and ruin your batch in the washing machine.
- Freezer bags! You can compartmentalize your items, and separate your dirty laundry quickly as the see-through plastic helps organize your clothes. The only con I have with this is if I stay in a dorm – the plastic crinkles noisily if I arrange my stuff while other people are sleeping. Packing cubes of light material is an alternative for organizational purposes.
- If you are using trains, choose a bag which can be a backpack and at the same time a trolley to be wheeled around. I personally like the polycarbonate ones but unfortunately they have not designed them yet to be used for convertible bags but only for trolleys at the time of this writing.
Specific for Japan travelers:
If you stay in a ryokan – no need to fret about lounge wear or sleeping wear. You will be provided a yukata and sometimes a haori, there will also be usually a toothbrush and toothpaste, comb and the shampoo/body soap/conditioner are also usually provided either in your room or in the public bath. Lessen the number of toiletry items that you pack unless its the only brand you can use.
Choose shoes which can easily be taken off and put back on since most temples and establishments require you to take your shoes and leave them at the entrance. Bring along very presentable looking socks.
tbc..if something occurs to me when I wake up from my needed sleep..