what's in my holiday suitcase?
I'm now on holiday! So what better time to show you (and tell you) what is in my summer holiday suitcase .. Okay so it's not a suitcase as I use my Dakine holdall from Bagable but you get the gist. I use a holdall instead of a suitcase because it is lighter meaning I can take more and make the most of the baggage limits.
Thinking about how you're going to pack your suitcase before you start is a good idea. I lay everything out in piles on the bed before I begin, that way I know how much space each thing is going to take up so I can consider if I'm taking too much! It's not unusual for me to over pack - it's a family trait.
I've talked about my toiletries and makeup bags already so I won't go into detail where they're concerned as you can read the posts. You can also see what's in my carry on bag here.
So here's the break down and a bit of a list of what I pack in my summer holiday suitcase and how I pack it too.
hats
Hats always lose their shape in suitcases so I roll pieces of clothing and pack the head space with items that will stop it from being squashed and unwearable.
Above I have my Ripcurl trilby, Debenhams big straw hat and Miss Selfridge floppy hat
sunglasses
I have lots of sunglasses so it's a struggle to choose which pairs to take with me, I've opted for the most sensible options - those with the best UV rating and coverage. This is another thing that I pack wrapped in other things, sometimes I wrap sunglasses in a top and put the top in the hat.
Above I have Ray Ban green aviators, Next blue aviators, River Island gold & pink aviators, Ebay orange aviators, Tortoise shell wayfarers, Oasis nude wayfarers from Debenhams and H&M large tortoise shell sunglasses.
bags
If I could I would've used my Debenhams aztec rucksack as my hand luggage but it wouldn't fit everything in it. Since shooting these i've put the rucksack along with some shoes in my hand luggage instead. So I take one clutch, one casual saddle bag and one casual bag that is bigger and suitable for the beach
The orange fringe saddlebag is from River Island and the turquoise studded clutch is Rebecca Minkoff.
jewellery
I failed a little here as I forgot to shoot my jewellery before I packed it all, oops! But as jewellery creates tan lines I try not to take much with me, just layering bracelets for whilst wondering around towns and then pretty and bright jewellery for evenings that's all.
bikinis
I'm away for 16 days and I own 10 bikinis so with that in mind I'm taking 8 bikini tops and 2 extra bottoms to mix and match. This is wear my over-packing comes in. I know that I don't need them all but a fresh bikini is needed every day and I hate doing chores like washing when on holiday so this way I limit my washing. :) To pack I sit the bikini tops inside each other and into my suitcase they go.
Left to right, top to bottom is; Karen Millen, Debenhams, Asos, H&M, Pour Moi (Simply Beach), La Senza, Panache (My Curves & Me)
cover ups
When I talk coverups I don't mean the beach. This is a category for all jacket style clothing that keeps me aware of how many 'keep-warm' items I'm taking because it's not likely that many will be needed.
Left to right; Celtic & Co denim shirt, Asos silk floral biker gilet, Chiara Fashion kimono, Miso crochet waistcoat, ILWF Jumper, H&M Cardigan and New Look long lace kimono.
tops
Yes I probably have too many of these as well and i've since got rid of the crochet top and thin vest tops either side. I guarantee that every single top will be worn because in hot countries I tend to wear 2(ish) outfits in one day because of the muggy and dirty feeling you inevitably get.
Left to right; Asos aztec dip hem vest, Topshop orange vest, Peacocks crochet vest, Topshop lilac vest, New Look striped tee, Asos vneck tee, New Look cropped mint tee, Missguided white crossover crop top, New Look white lemon and mint bandeaus, Boohoo neon aztec crop, Missguided grey and black crop tanks, New Look aztec and floral crops and my favourite Topshop crop vest top.
skirts
To wear with the tops I have a variety of skirts for both day time and dressy evenings making sure that I have at least one mini, midi and maxi.
L-R; Missguided asymmetric mini, Blanco aztec embroidered mini, Missguided palm print mini, Boohoo aztec co-ords skirt, Missguided coral ribbed and mint crepe skirts, Missguided floral midi, Missguided black slit side maxi, Missguided gathered midi and New Look blush maxi.
shorts
Shorts are a must have when on holiday and most of mine are denim because I have a little obsession that I've been nurturing for a couple of years. The first floral navy piece is actually a playsuit but it's the only one i'm taking so I slipped it in with the shorts. :)
L-R; Primark red denim shorts and grey silk front beach shorts, white ripped denim shorts, Zara pink shorts, New Look coral lightweight shorts, Missguided navy floral shorts and Boohoo aztec denim shorts (which I may wear on the plane).
dresses
Dresses for all occasions are important for me but I hate that they end up creased in transit so the are always rolled before being packed and hung the second we arrive. I've decided to only take half of these dresses because I have so many other combinations with my tops and skirts for the evenings.
L-R; Miss Selfridge orange shirt dress, Asos deep v white dress, Missguided bodycon bright pink dress, Sugarlips nude box dress, Debenhams seahorse beach dress, Missguided crepe white and jersey coral and orange tshirt dresses and my Bershka beach dress.
Don't panic, I haven't packed all of these! I did but then I saw sense and cut them down by half. :)
flats
These usually go in my hand luggage because they can be heavy but I thought I'd include them in this post because I haven't yet decided which are the heaviest and which of all of my shoes will be in my carry on bag. You may see some slipper in there too, that's because the villa floor is cold in the mornings!
DC grey and lilac trainers, Vans yellow trainers, Ipanema purple flip flops, Reef bottle opener flip flops, New Look nude and gold flip flops, Toms aztec sandals, Faith metallic sandals and Mel owl flip flop sandals.
heels
The same goes for these, I popped my Clarks wedges into my hand luggage because they have a good weight to them, my coral wedges however are incredibly light which is one of the reasons why I love them so they can stay in my suitcase.
extras
Extra include things like electrical items and things to do so in my suitcase I will put my hair dryer, straighteners, speaker and a book or two along with the inflatables i've bought over here, the peppermint tea I cannot live without..just in case I can't find a good one abroad, the majority of my spending money and of course my luggage scales which will be packed last. I've included my iPad in the photo but this will come in my carry-on bag with me so that I can use it on the plane.
Once packed (minus some of the above as mentioned) my bag weighed just under 18kg.
I hope this post helped! If you want to see any of my other holiday packing blog posts click here.
Thinking about how you're going to pack your suitcase before you start is a good idea. I lay everything out in piles on the bed before I begin, that way I know how much space each thing is going to take up so I can consider if I'm taking too much! It's not unusual for me to over pack - it's a family trait.
I've talked about my toiletries and makeup bags already so I won't go into detail where they're concerned as you can read the posts. You can also see what's in my carry on bag here.
So here's the break down and a bit of a list of what I pack in my summer holiday suitcase and how I pack it too.
hats
Hats always lose their shape in suitcases so I roll pieces of clothing and pack the head space with items that will stop it from being squashed and unwearable.
Above I have my Ripcurl trilby, Debenhams big straw hat and Miss Selfridge floppy hat
sunglasses
I have lots of sunglasses so it's a struggle to choose which pairs to take with me, I've opted for the most sensible options - those with the best UV rating and coverage. This is another thing that I pack wrapped in other things, sometimes I wrap sunglasses in a top and put the top in the hat.
Above I have Ray Ban green aviators, Next blue aviators, River Island gold & pink aviators, Ebay orange aviators, Tortoise shell wayfarers, Oasis nude wayfarers from Debenhams and H&M large tortoise shell sunglasses.
bags
If I could I would've used my Debenhams aztec rucksack as my hand luggage but it wouldn't fit everything in it. Since shooting these i've put the rucksack along with some shoes in my hand luggage instead. So I take one clutch, one casual saddle bag and one casual bag that is bigger and suitable for the beach
The orange fringe saddlebag is from River Island and the turquoise studded clutch is Rebecca Minkoff.
jewellery
I failed a little here as I forgot to shoot my jewellery before I packed it all, oops! But as jewellery creates tan lines I try not to take much with me, just layering bracelets for whilst wondering around towns and then pretty and bright jewellery for evenings that's all.
bikinis
I'm away for 16 days and I own 10 bikinis so with that in mind I'm taking 8 bikini tops and 2 extra bottoms to mix and match. This is wear my over-packing comes in. I know that I don't need them all but a fresh bikini is needed every day and I hate doing chores like washing when on holiday so this way I limit my washing. :) To pack I sit the bikini tops inside each other and into my suitcase they go.
Left to right, top to bottom is; Karen Millen, Debenhams, Asos, H&M, Pour Moi (Simply Beach), La Senza, Panache (My Curves & Me)
cover ups
When I talk coverups I don't mean the beach. This is a category for all jacket style clothing that keeps me aware of how many 'keep-warm' items I'm taking because it's not likely that many will be needed.
Left to right; Celtic & Co denim shirt, Asos silk floral biker gilet, Chiara Fashion kimono, Miso crochet waistcoat, ILWF Jumper, H&M Cardigan and New Look long lace kimono.
tops
Yes I probably have too many of these as well and i've since got rid of the crochet top and thin vest tops either side. I guarantee that every single top will be worn because in hot countries I tend to wear 2(ish) outfits in one day because of the muggy and dirty feeling you inevitably get.
Left to right; Asos aztec dip hem vest, Topshop orange vest, Peacocks crochet vest, Topshop lilac vest, New Look striped tee, Asos vneck tee, New Look cropped mint tee, Missguided white crossover crop top, New Look white lemon and mint bandeaus, Boohoo neon aztec crop, Missguided grey and black crop tanks, New Look aztec and floral crops and my favourite Topshop crop vest top.
skirts
To wear with the tops I have a variety of skirts for both day time and dressy evenings making sure that I have at least one mini, midi and maxi.
L-R; Missguided asymmetric mini, Blanco aztec embroidered mini, Missguided palm print mini, Boohoo aztec co-ords skirt, Missguided coral ribbed and mint crepe skirts, Missguided floral midi, Missguided black slit side maxi, Missguided gathered midi and New Look blush maxi.
shorts
Shorts are a must have when on holiday and most of mine are denim because I have a little obsession that I've been nurturing for a couple of years. The first floral navy piece is actually a playsuit but it's the only one i'm taking so I slipped it in with the shorts. :)
L-R; Primark red denim shorts and grey silk front beach shorts, white ripped denim shorts, Zara pink shorts, New Look coral lightweight shorts, Missguided navy floral shorts and Boohoo aztec denim shorts (which I may wear on the plane).
dresses
Dresses for all occasions are important for me but I hate that they end up creased in transit so the are always rolled before being packed and hung the second we arrive. I've decided to only take half of these dresses because I have so many other combinations with my tops and skirts for the evenings.
L-R; Miss Selfridge orange shirt dress, Asos deep v white dress, Missguided bodycon bright pink dress, Sugarlips nude box dress, Debenhams seahorse beach dress, Missguided crepe white and jersey coral and orange tshirt dresses and my Bershka beach dress.
Don't panic, I haven't packed all of these! I did but then I saw sense and cut them down by half. :)
flats
These usually go in my hand luggage because they can be heavy but I thought I'd include them in this post because I haven't yet decided which are the heaviest and which of all of my shoes will be in my carry on bag. You may see some slipper in there too, that's because the villa floor is cold in the mornings!
DC grey and lilac trainers, Vans yellow trainers, Ipanema purple flip flops, Reef bottle opener flip flops, New Look nude and gold flip flops, Toms aztec sandals, Faith metallic sandals and Mel owl flip flop sandals.
heels
The same goes for these, I popped my Clarks wedges into my hand luggage because they have a good weight to them, my coral wedges however are incredibly light which is one of the reasons why I love them so they can stay in my suitcase.
extras
Extra include things like electrical items and things to do so in my suitcase I will put my hair dryer, straighteners, speaker and a book or two along with the inflatables i've bought over here, the peppermint tea I cannot live without..just in case I can't find a good one abroad, the majority of my spending money and of course my luggage scales which will be packed last. I've included my iPad in the photo but this will come in my carry-on bag with me so that I can use it on the plane.
Once packed (minus some of the above as mentioned) my bag weighed just under 18kg.
I hope this post helped! If you want to see any of my other holiday packing blog posts click here.
♥ abby
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