When it came time to decide what clothes to bring, I thought about what do I really wear on a daily basis? My travel style is to live at my destination as I do at home. I’m still working full-time. The majority of the time, I’ll be in my rental home typing, happy to be wearing something comfortable that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to answer a knock at the door in. The rest of the time, I’ll be out exploring. So I need something comfortable, chic, and which can adapt to both cold and hot weather. Thankfully, my “uniform” fits that bill.

So what’s my “uniform”? Simple. A long skirt, a top, and a cardigan. If the skirt is of medium weight, I can wear it year-round, adding leggings and knee-high socks for warmth on cold days. Skirts are a traveling gal’s best friend since they look much dressier than trousers, even when dressed down. So I picked up a couple of long black rayon and spandex skirts that will wash and dry well. Rayon does wrinkle, but is very forgiving as you can practically shake out the wrinkles. I plan to use one skirt as my “dress up” skirt and have one for daily use.

I love the design of these skirts in that the form is very flattering and it drapes well. There’s enough give that it’s not skin tight, but it also doesn’t have a lot of volume, which would look sloppy with loose tops and cardigans. The length is perfect, not so long as to trip over, but long enough to mask those days when leg shaving just isn’t happening. The front is slightly shorter than the back, a design feature meant to further prevent the odds of tripping while going up steps and curbs.

I can’t wait to start living in these skirts!

Sometimes, I like to wear jeans. So I added a very dark straight-leg pair to my list. Dark denim is, I think, the most versatile as it can be dressed up or down. These are stretchy skinny jeans, the most flattering for my apple body type.

But I also found the same style of jeans in a lighter blue for just $2.50 with a tag still on them at the Salvation Army! I have just enough space and weight allowance to bring both by making a couple of other sacrifices. The lighter ones will be for more casual things.

As another bottom, I added a pair of lightweight capris in charcoal. These are going to mostly be my hiking trousers. I debated whether to go with a hiking skirt or trousers, but decided that, really, I prefer to hike in the latter and went with something that I can wear in town too.

I had a very similar, cheaper, pair in green that finally gave up the ghost this winter so I know these will get a lot of wear!

Then, I added tops. I stuck to good quality tee-shirts in pink, purple, and black as well as three-quarter sleeve tops in dark grey, plum, and pink. I looked hard for a slightly dressier top, but failed, so that’s something I may pick up in my travels if the need comes up. I took this picture before I’d done any packing tests and the black top on the right is not coming with me due to lack of space. It’s a bit faded, so I don’t mind.

Near the end of packing, I decided to throw in this tank top. I’ll be glad to have it on a hot day hiking and it actually dresses up when paired with earrings, a skirt, and the right sandals thanks to the glitter. It’s a piece I’ll probably shed at the end of the summer, but will be glad to have in the meantime.

And, of course, my perfect travel dress is coming with me!