How To Travel More Freely

Maybe some travelers feel like such a fish out of water when they are in a new place that they feel they need to feel like they’re at home to enjoy their trip. I’m not sure. I just know that it’s much easier to be comfortable in a new place, to me, if I get out and see what the locals are doing and get a lay of the land. I don’t expect my destination to be like home, nor do I want it to be, otherwise, why travel at all? 

Think about what you’ll be doing and not so much the “what ifs’, because, chances are, you may not even get to everything on your list of things to do, much less those what if opportunities. After walking for 8 or more hours during the day, are you really going to want to put on some fancy shoes that are barely comfortable for an hour when you have just been sitting on your couch all day? Bring some flats or wedges that are cute, but go with everything you have brought with you, so you can look dressed up and not want to cut off your feet.

In lieu of a formal dress, that you may only wear once (if that), why not pack a pair of black jeans? Not only will they work for everyday wear, but can look dressy and work with any number of different tops. Of course, if you travel with an LBD that you wear during sightseeing (I have a great one from Prana), then you can dress it up with a few well-placed accessories to take it from day to night, like I did with this GoLite dress (no longer available, but this gives you a good idea on how to pack one dress for multiple activities – here’s something similar).

The more you think about it, the easier it is to travel lighter and still have many of your favorite items with you on your trips so you aren’t feeling so much like you’re out of your element and not quite yourself. You can still have a clothes personality with fewer items. For more help on how to stretch your wardrobe, check out this post. Figure out what you absolutely can’t live without – maybe it’s simple and useful like your iPad, maybe it’s something more basic and personal like your fuzzy slippers – and then leave the rest at home. For me, it’s my laptop for work and playing games/streaming movies, warm socks or booties for the room, and a few random snacks from home.