In my opinion, figuring out what to pack for a trip can be one of the most overwhelming parts of getting ready to travel. You want enough options that you feel prepared for different weather, activities and occasions, but you also don’t want to arrive with a suitcase full of clothes you never end up wearing.

After years of traveling regularly as the founder of En Route to Rêverie – particularly to Europe – I’ve developed a pretty specific system for planning my vacation outfits.

I am someone who loves clothes and genuinely enjoys dressing for a destination, so what I pack is absolutely part of the fun of travel for me. But I’ve also learned that the more thoughtfully I plan my outfits before a trip, the less time I spend standing in front of a hotel closet wondering what on earth to wear.

My process has evolved over many, many trips and it helps me pack more intentionally, make better use of what I bring and arrive feeling prepared for everything on my itinerary.

If you’re wondering how to plan outfits for vacation without packing your entire closet, here’s the process I use.

How to Plan Outfits for Vacation

1. Start With Your Itinerary

Before I think about individual outfits, I look at what I’ll actually be doing.

This is one of the biggest things I think people overlook when packing for vacation. It’s easy to start pulling all the cute things you want to wear without considering whether they make sense for the trip you’re actually taking.

Go through your itinerary day by day and make note of anything that may require a specific type of outfit.

Think about:

• Travel days
• Lots of walking or sightseeing
• Nice lunches or dinners
• Museums
• Beach or pool days
• Hiking or outdoor activities
• Religious sites with dress requirements
• Shows or performances
• Special events
• Spa time
• Excursions
• Anything that requires particularly comfortable shoes

If I know I have a special dinner, for example, I want to make sure I have an outfit and shoes for it rather than realizing once I’ve arrived that everything I packed feels too casual.

You don’t necessarily need a completely different outfit for every activity. The goal is simply to know what your trip requires before you start packing.

2. Decide on the Vibe of the Trip

This is always one of my favorite parts of packing.

Every destination has a mood and I like letting that inspire what I bring.

If I’m heading to the Cotswolds in autumn, I might gravitate toward cozy knits, plaid, boots and layers that feel at home in the English countryside.

For spring in Paris, I tend to reach for trench coats, ballet flats, neutrals and classic fabrics like cotton and linen.

For a summer trip to the South of France, I may build my suitcase around breezy dresses, woven accessories, sandals and lightweight separates.

This doesn’t mean dressing like a costume or buying an entirely new wardrobe for every vacation. I still want to look like myself. I just think it’s fun to let the destination influence the way I style pieces I already own.

3. Check the Weather (But Don’t Do It Too Early!!)

Of course, seasonality matters when you’re deciding what to pack.

But one of my biggest pieces of advice is not to put too much stock into a weather forecast several weeks before your trip.

I get so many questions along the lines of, “I’m going to Paris in November. What will the weather be like?”

The truth is: I don’t know! No one really does.

Weather can vary tremendously from year to year, particularly during transitional seasons. I may have experienced beautiful sunshine in Paris one April and cold rain during the exact same week the following year.

I also wouldn’t use what you see people wearing on Instagram as a reliable weather report. As someone who creates travel and fashion content for a living, I can tell you firsthand that a photo doesn’t always tell the whole story. I have absolutely taken a photo in a spring dress and immediately put my sweater or coat back on afterward!

I look at historical averages when I’m initially thinking about a trip, but I check the actual forecast right before I finish packing and edit what’s in my suitcase accordingly.

And when in doubt: bring layers.

4. Create a Loose Color Palette

One of the easiest ways to make vacation outfits work together is to pack within a relatively cohesive color palette.

You don’t need to create an ultra-strict capsule wardrobe, but having colors that play nicely together makes it much easier to rewear pieces and mix and match for even more outfits.

I tend to travel with a lot of neutrals and then introduce a few colors or prints depending on the season and destination.

For example, your base might include:

Black
Cream
Navy
Denim
Camel

And then you could add one or two accent colors.

When your sweaters work with multiple pairs of pants and your jackets work over several dresses, suddenly you have far more outfit combinations without bringing more clothes.

This is particularly helpful when you’re trying to pack for a longer trip!

5. Look for Outfit Inspiration

Pinterest is one of my favorite tools for vacation outfit planning.

I’ll search for destination and season-specific outfit ideas or reference boards I’ve already created. It helps me visualize the overall wardrobe I’m trying to build and often reminds me of things I already own.

You can search phrases like:

“Paris outfits fall”

“London outfits spring”

“South of France summer outfits”

“Cotswolds outfits autumn”

I’ll also save outfits I like on Instagram throughout the year. I do so in folders specific to the destination. For example “Paris Outfit Ideas”. 

The point isn’t necessarily to recreate someone’s outfit piece for piece. Instead, I look for styling ideas and am especially looking for ways to wear what’s already hanging in my closet.

For example, maybe I’m reminded that I love the combination of a button-down under a crewneck sweater. Maybe I see a silk scarf styled with a trench coat and remember I own something similar. Or perhaps I realize the loafers sitting in my closet would work perfectly with several outfits I’m considering.

Use inspiration as a jumping-off point and then shop your own closet.

6. Shop Your Closet Before You Buy Anything

Once I have a sense of the aesthetic I’m going for, I start pulling pieces from my closet and I start a running list in my Notes app of pieces I already own that I am 90% sure I want to pack.

By starting with what I already own, I’ll rediscover pieces I haven’t worn in a while and think about new ways to style longtime favorites.

I’ll lay everything out and begin looking for patterns.

Which pants work with several tops?

Can I wear that sweater with jeans during the day and over a dress at night?

Does one blazer work with three or four outfits?

Can the same pair of shoes work for several different days?

Only after doing this do I start identifying actual gaps in my packing list.

7. Fill the Gaps Thoughtfully

I certainly shop before trips — I love clothes and doing content shoots with what I’m wearing is a part of my job, after all! But, I try not to use a vacation as an excuse to buy an entirely new wardrobe.

Instead, I look at what my existing wardrobe is missing.

Maybe I realize I need a lightweight jacket that works with nearly everything I’m packing. Perhaps I’m missing a comfortable shoe that can handle 20,000-step sightseeing days but still looks polished. Or maybe I want one new dress for a special dinner.

Those are purchases that serve a real purpose rather than things I’m buying simply because I’m going somewhere.

I also prefer investing in pieces I’ll continue wearing once I’m home.

8. Build Complete Outfits Before You Pack

This is probably the single most important part of my process.

I don’t just pack individual pieces I like. I plan actual outfits.

I put everything I’m considering bringing on my bed and start putting looks together.

I’ll try things on as needed, particularly anything I haven’t worn recently. There is nothing worse than bringing a pair of pants you haven’t worn in a year only to discover at your destination that you don’t actually like how they fit anymore.

This is also where I eliminate duplicates.

Do I really need three similar pairs of jeans? Probably not.

Which pair is the most comfortable? Which works with the most shoes? Which can I dress up and down?

That’s the one that comes.

9. Plan to Rewear Pieces

You do not need a completely different outfit for every day of vacation. In fact, some of my best-packed trips are the ones where I’ve successfully worn the same pieces multiple ways.

Bottoms, jackets, sweaters and shoes are particularly easy to repeat. I am very strategic about which ones I bring.

A pair of trousers might be worn with a button-down and loafers one day, then with a sweater and sneakers another.

A blazer can work over jeans for sightseeing and over a dress or skirt for dinner.

A cardigan can be worn buttoned as a top, open over a T-shirt or layered over a dress.

When you’re evaluating something for your suitcase, ask yourself: Can I wear this at least two ways?

The more yeses you have, the more versatile your suitcase becomes.

10. Be Strategic About Shoes

Shoes can quickly take over a suitcase, so I try to be particularly thoughtful about them.

I usually want some combination of:

• A comfortable walking shoe
• A polished everyday shoe
• An evening shoe
• A weather-appropriate option, if necessary

Sometimes one pair can serve multiple purposes.

Your exact lineup will obviously depend on where you’re going. A summer trip to Greece requires something very different from Scotland in November.

The most important rule? Don’t bring shoes you haven’t properly worn before.

Vacation is not the time to discover that your new loafers give you blisters after 20 minutes.

11. Write Every Outfit Down

This is the part of my packing process that has probably saved me the most time while traveling.

As mentioned, I plan my outfits in my iPhone Notes app.

I make a running list of everything I need to bring — including the very unglamorous things I’m prone to forgetting like pajamas, lingerie, charging cords and hair tools — and then create a separate section for outfits.

I write down complete daytime and evening looks.

And so on.

If I’m unsure about bringing something, I’ll put question marks beside it. Then if my suitcase starts getting too full, those pieces are the first things I reconsider.

While I’m traveling, I reference this Note constantly and check off outfits as I wear them.

It means that even when I’m jet-lagged and getting dressed in a hurry, I already know what works together.

Some people I know also like to create collages of their outfits in Canva and then refer to those as they travel. It’s a good idea as well but I just travel too often to do it personally!

12. Don’t Forget Your Travel Day Outfits

I always try and remember to plan what I’m wearing on the plane or train, too.

Travel day clothes need to be comfortable, of course, but I also like to be strategic about what I’m wearing versus putting into my suitcase.

If I’m bringing a bulky blazer, jacket or pair of boots, I may wear them in transit so they don’t take up valuable luggage space.

I also think about where I’m landing. If I’m leaving warm weather and arriving somewhere cold, I’ll make sure the coat or sweater I need is accessible rather than buried at the bottom of a checked suitcase.

You can see more of my favorite Easy Travel Outfits and don’t miss ideas for What to Wear on a Long Flight.

How Many Outfits Should You Pack for Vacation?

I don’t think there isn’t one perfect formula because it depends on the length and style of your trip.

Personally, I like knowing I have a potential outfit for nearly every day and any specific evening plans. That doesn’t mean every outfit consists of entirely different pieces.

For a one-week trip, for example, I might bring enough pieces to create seven daytime looks and a handful of evening options while repeating pants, jackets, sweaters and shoes.

For a longer trip, rewearing becomes even more important. If I’m away for several weeks, I’m certainly not packing a month’s worth of completely unique outfits.

Instead of thinking, “I need 10 outfits for 10 days,” think:

What pieces can create 10 outfits?

That little shift makes packing much easier. Considering pieces that make up a capsule wardrobe of sorts is always a good jumping off point I think.

How to Avoid Overpacking for Vacation

Even as a very frequent traveler, I can absolutely still overpack.

A few questions I ask myself when I’m trying to edit my suitcase:

• Do I have a specific occasion or outfit planned for this?
• Can I wear it more than one way?
• Does it work with shoes I’m already bringing?
• Do I feel good in it right now?
• Am I bringing something very similar?
• Would I actually be upset if I didn’t have this on the trip?

If I can’t picture when I’m going to wear something, it probably doesn’t need to come. I keep a “maybe” pile as I pack and those are the last pieces I’ll make room for or they get left at home.

I also remind myself that in most destinations, if I truly forget something essential, I can buy it there.

My Vacation Outfit Planning Checklist

Before closing my suitcase, I make sure I’ve considered:

• The itinerary
• Daytime activities
• Dinner reservations and special occasions
• Destination and season
• The current weather forecast
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Layers
• A cohesive color palette
• Pieces I can wear multiple ways
• Travel day outfits
• Undergarments for each look
• Accessories
• Pajamas
• Workout or swimwear, if needed
• Any destination-specific items
• A rain plan, if necessary

I also do one final try-on of anything I’m not completely sure about before it goes into my suitcase.

Vacation Outfit Planning Gets Easier With Practice

My packing process is admittedly thorough, but I’ve found that putting in the work before I leave makes my actual vacation so much more enjoyable.

I don’t have to spend 20 minutes every morning figuring out what to wear. I don’t realize halfway through the trip that I brought six tops that only work with one pair of pants. And I don’t end up wearing the same comfortable outfit over and over while half my suitcase goes untouched.

Instead, I arrive feeling pulled together, prepared and excited about what I’ve brought.

And for me, what I wear has always been part of the joy of traveling. I love letting a destination inspire me, finding new ways to style things I already own and having outfits that make me feel good while experiencing somewhere new.

The goal isn’t to create a perfect vacation wardrobe. It’s to make getting dressed one less thing you have to think about once you’re there.

Because you’ve got much better things to do on vacation.

Shop My Travel Favorites

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More Travel Packing Tips:

• Everything I Pack in My Carry-On.
• Comfortable + Easy Travel Outfits.
• What To Pack For A Trip To Europe.
• What to Wear on a Long Flight.

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