Today’s guest post comes from J, of J’s Everyday Fashion. Since J lives in Orlando, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her on numerous occasions which made me an even bigger fan of her and her blog.
J put together an awesome guest post about what to pack for a trip to Europe which really helped me as I planned for my trip.
I hope you guys enjoy her post and find it as helpful as I did!
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Guest Post: J’s Everyday Fashion
Hi everyone! I’m J and I blog at J’s Everyday Fashion. I’m honored to be doing a guest post today for one of my favorite blogs. I love reading about Julie, Ryan and Sadie’s adventures on Peanut Butter Fingers and I’m also lucky to know Julie in person! Since Julie is headed off to Europe and fashion is my specialty, I thought I would put together a post to help her pack. Packing for any trip is tough, but only ONE carry-one for two weeks? Now that’s a fashion challenge! Here are my step-by-step suggestions.
Step 1: Pick your boots
Julie, your travel includes sightseeing in the mountains, which means rough terrain and cold temperatures. For this reason, I think you should bring one pair of flat boots. Since this will be the biggest and bulkiest item you will need to bring, I suggest picking them first and then planning your outfits around them. I would also suggest wearing the boots on your flights to and from Europe to save room in your suitcase! Here are some example outfits with flat boots to get those creative wheels turning:
A plaid shirt could be worn with shorts or a skirt for a day of sightseeing, and also looks great under a sweater for a chilly day in the mountains!
Pair your boots with skirts or a dress to get more use out of them. These looks could work for sightseeing or trips to a museum.
Throw on a fun t-shirt with your boots for the plane ride to and from Europe. It’s comfy and will keep you from melting in the Florida heat. You can also easily add a cardigan or sweater once you reach chilly temperatures in Europe.
Step 2: Pick the rest of your shoes
Now that we have your boots out of the way, it’s time to pick the rest of your shoes! Since shoes are the heaviest and bulkiest items you will be packing, I always choose them first. I would suggest 2-3 flat shoes – gladiator sandals, ballet flats, whatever your most comfy shoes are. You might want to pack one pair of heels for a nice dinner, but I would consider skipping them altogether because heels take a lot of valuable real estate in a suitcase.
Step 3: Pick your clothes
So far we have 1 pair of boots, 2-3 pairs of flats, and a pair of jeans and some shirts to go with the boots. I would suggest adding 2-4 sundresses to this list. I would go for cotton dresses that are comfy and can be dressed up or down. I also love separates, but for traveling dresses can be easiest thing to throw on and you can wear them more than once by switching up your accessories. Here are some examples of the types of dresses I would pack (note: I would wear these with flats, not with heels as shown):
I would pack 2-4 cotton dresses such as the ones above. Then I would pack 1-2 nicer dresses for a fancy dinner, something along these lines:
Step 4: Add layers
Based on the shoes, dresses and tops that you’ve selected, I would pick 1-2 jackets and/or cardigans to layer on top of everything. Choose something that goes with at least 4-5 of the outfits you are packing. Pass on a layer that only goes with one look, and stick to the basics you can use over and over again on your trip.
Step 5: Accessorize
Now that you have your shoes and clothes, it’s time for accessories. Make sure you have a great pair of sunglasses, and add some belts and jewelry to dress up your looks. This is the part where you can go all out. Necklaces take up very little room, but can dramatically change the look and feel of your outfit, so I suggest packing your accessories generously. J
Step 6: Evaluate and edit
For the last step I would go through everything you’ve packed and do three things: 1. Count how many outfits you have. Make sure you haven’t packed too many outfits, or not enough. 2. Imagine as many scenarios as possible (museum, church, mountains, dinner) and make sure you have s head-to-toe look for every occasion. 3. Pick out the outfit you will wear on the plane in both directions.
Julie, I hope this helps you pack and that you have a great time in Europe! Thanks for letting me guest blog today. And to everyone who is reading, I hope you’ll come visit me at J’s Everyday Fashion!
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Oh I love this post! And so right about picking shoes first – they take up SO much space. I love the idea of bring a bunch of necklaces/accessories to change your look. Awesome tips – thanks for sharing!
You are the best, J! 😀
These tips are great for any trip! I’ll keep them in mind the next time I travel!
I will definitely check back at this post when I take a trip — lots of great ideas here!
I love this post, and I love those boots! So versatile yet super stylish at the same time. These are such great ideas! Thanks J! 🙂
Amazing post! I don’t ever think to wear my boots that many ways! Apparently I’m closed minded with my clothes! HA! Thanks!
Great tips! I’m a terrible packer & always bring WAY too much so I will definitely keep these in mind next time I travel. Thanks! 🙂
That was amazing! Such good tips, you have a great sense of style! Totally will be checking out your blog, fo’ sho’.
Great tips! Layers are sooooo essential in Europe. You’ve always got to be prepared to enter and tour a church- no bare shoulders! : )
I agree–great tips. Packing for trips overseas can be so tricky!
I’m a serial overpacker so I will surely be using these tips on my next holiday!
Great post! I am not going to Europe any time soon, but these tips be applied to any sort of travel (like my upcoming trip to Cabo). 🙂
Love these tips..and love your style!
Great tips! I’m going to be packing for my trip to Mexico next week and these tips will come in handy for sure! I love all your looks! So cute!
Great guest post!!!! Awesome tips!
I think this is why I don’t read fashion blogs, I don’t even own any boots, dresses, or belts. lol
CUTE clothes!!! I wish I had style like that. I mean, I could..but I’m way too cheap when buying my clothes. I’d definitely love to get a cute pair of boots and more dresses, though!
What awesome tips for any day or trip. Thanks 🙂
Okay, since I promised myself I’lI hold no shame in asking where someone got something when I fall in love with an item on someone else, you’ve gotta let me in: where’d you find A, those brown boots, and B, those ripped jeans? Both SUPER cute.
Court, I share ALL the details on my blog – where I buy everything and how much I paid (I even break down my monthly budget for you)! The boots are from Bakers, real leather, and $90. I bought them around Christmas, but Chinese Laundry makes some that are almost identical so you could check there. The jeans are from American Eagle, $33. They still have them in some sizes, here is the link: http://www.ae.com/web/browse/product.jsp?catId=cat90120&productId=0432_7994
Adorable outfits! You just have to be careful that the jewelry you take on trips is of the more cheap variety because you don’t want a more expensive piece lost or stolen!
Great point Mel! All my jewelry is from H&M and Forever 21 so I never would have thought of that!
Love these ideas! J is hot 🙂
Great tips! I’m definitely an over-packer. I love having as many options as humanly possible when I’m picking out my outfits in the morning, so I tend to go a bit overboard.
Fun post and fab tips for travel! I travel a lot and I love when I travel to places where I can wear boots because I wear boots ALL the time in SF already and have lots to choose from! 🙂
Julie enjoy your trip to Europe, how exciting! Not sure where you are going while there, but plan ahead when sight seeing.
Certain very popular tourist attractions have strict dress codes, depending on where you are going. She went on some cruises and went on day tours of the Vatican, Paris, Italy, Egypt and other areas a few years ago.
fun post! but like someone else said above, be careful with the jewelry and don’t take anything that you don’t mind losing or having stolen. you never know what can happen when you’re travelling! (this is speaking from experience…having stuff stolen is no. fun. at. all.)
what a helpful post, J! And i echo what everyone says about leaving fine jewlery at home.. it’s not worth the risk of being stolen!!
I have the pleasure of working with the wonderful Julie and, while she has always been an adorable dresser, I can’t help but notice how creative she has been with her layering and accessories lately! She makes some super cute combos with all those Marshal’s, Banana Outlet and RueLaLa deals she finds 🙂 After perusing J’s blog I am seeing where you might be getting some of your inspiration and am glad you shared her on here, Julie! So cute!
Hope you are having a great trip! It’s not the same around here without you. Oh and your bday balloons are still flying high haha!