I came across a travel blog the other day and thought that I'd share this woman's packing advice. It's not so much a how-to but more of a style guide.

http://www.seeknewtravel.com/ladies-this-is-how-you-pack-clothes/

This blogger's style is suited for the traveler who dresses on the casual side, which is why it appeals to me. I don't travel for work and my trips rarely involve a fancy-dress occasion, so I can make do with simple outfits. I'm hoping to incorporate some of her ideas for my upcoming trips to break myself out of the jeans, tee and flip flop rut! Truth be told I'm happiest in those three items but change is a good thing, right?

Very cute! But, she packs so many shoes. I do wish I wore dresses.

For 2 weeks in Europe, I do have my clothing items down to 2 pair of pants (wear 1 on plane), 1 pair of convertible pants, 2 short sleeve blouses, 2 short sleeve t-shirts, 1 3/4 sleeve t-shirt (to wear on plane), 1 scarf (wear on plane), 1 jacket (wear on plane), plus undies, shoes, toiletries, etc.

I might add a sweater, not sure, will look at weather closer to the time of travel.

Shoes used to be my hang up. I'd want flats, heels, dressy boots, hiking boots/workout sneakers, casual sneakers, sandals AND flip flops LOL

Now I plan ahead and usually stick with two pairs, maybe three if the trip calls for it. One pair is usually flip flops or flats of some sort, which thankfully take up little space.

I think that a sweater of some sort is always a nice option. Cardigans are great. I'm fond of the ones that are just open (no buttons). They look nice over dresses, pants or jeans.

Thanks for this link. I wasn't going to click on it as I've seen too many websites purporting to have great packing tips, only to be disappointed. Kit has actually given me a few ideas. Time to go shopping!

Thank you for that site. I like seeing bloggers wearing their clothes for show.

I have a black shawl cardigan that goes with everything I take on trips, like you CoCoYoYo, I prefer it to button style and it looks nice and different with jeans, leggings, jeggings, trousers etc.

I am also a casual dress traveler, I have come to dislike regular jeans and now wear jeggings, LL Bean cotton knit slim leg pants or stretch knit jeans........it has a lot to do with age and comfort. ;-)
I have now invested in several Magellans travel shirts of different colours, I bought them oversized and tunic length, I layer under them if necessary. I dislike wearing tight fitting clothes (probably another age thing and I get hot too easily). With some jewellery and a scarf I can dress up my casual look for a nice restaurant or the theatre.

Next year will be a problem with shoes. A four week trip, three countries, all casual except for one day, attending a Sunday church service and reception for an RAF Veterans reunion..........>sigh< Oh well, I've got 13 months to think about it.....no worries.

Shoes can be a challenge but I find if I choose carefully (Frank, avert your eyes from the onebagging heresy that follows!), I can fit up to three pairs in a carry-on bag, for leisure travel, without compromising the rest of my packing list. I always throw in a pair of flat sandals that pack as flat as flip flops and a pair of ballet flats (sometimes I wear these rather than packing them). To that I would add walking shoes for most trips unless I know I won't be walking much and usually a pair of dressy heeled sandals as well. The key is choosing shoes that pack flat and are lightweight (eg strappy sandals usually pack more efficiently than closed-toe heeled pumps). I normally don't bother with workout shoes. Despite my best intentions I rarely manage to maintain my exercise routine when I bring them!

Thanks for the recommendation CoCoYoYo! As Eileen pointed out, I do pack *a lot* of shoes. I like having flexibility when choosing my outfits and shoes are my weakness. I'm even packing more nowadays than when I wrote that post (I'm up to four pairs - TOMS, hiking shoes, flip-flops and flats) and I still manage to fit it in a carry-on: http://www.seeknewtravel.com/the-complete-digital-nomad-packing-list/

My point is we women don't have to sacrifice fashion for function, if we don't want to. It can be done! :)

You got me thinking back on my footwear history when travelling, (my parents and I did a lot of touring around Europe in my teens). I'm old enough to say that walking shoes, trainers and other specialised shoes weren't common in ordinary shoes stores back then, all I had was a pair of white plimsolls for school sports.
I packed a pair of flip flops for the beaches and wore a 2" heel pair of tasseled loafers for sight-seeing. Bear in mind that shoes really did have to be broken in back then, not like the comfortable, well made ones of today, so I wore on holiday, what I wore every day at home.
I think my first pair of walking shoes were purchased in my 30s, heavy clod-hoppers and thankfully I've evolved from those to more lightweight styles that Skechers and Rockport sell.
I did have a time (of heavy suitcase lugging), when I packed more than one alternate pair of shoes, or I bought more pairs whilst abroad. One trip had me lugging six pairs of shoes (three I had bought). I don't do that anymore........thank goodness! ;-)
Nowadays, I wear a pair, pack a pair and if going to coastal areas, will take flip flops and also use them as slippers. I once tried just taking one pair to wear for the whole trip......gosh, my feet hated me for it!

Thank for the link CoCoYoYo. It's one of the more enjoyable and more applicable (to me) blogs on traveling that I've read lately.

I also tend to bring more shoes. I usually have 3 (flip flops that double as slippers, comfy walking shoes and ballet flats/heels if formal occasion) I find that rotating my footwear helps prevent sore spots and rejuvenates my feet. I also always bring orthotics.

I've never got below packing three pairs myself.The current lineup is sporty styled mary-janes or light leather lace-ups for gym and general walking, low-heeled sandals/dressy flat/boots(depending on the season) for "nice" and thongs(flipflops) for slippers/pool/beach/public showers etc.

I'm planning for a four week trip in July to Honolulu, Washington, New York, and a slow drive through Maine, Vermont etc and flying home from Canada. Current picks are bright pink Stegman slip-ons, violet strappy wedge sandals and black beaded thongs.

These should see me through a convention, two formal dinners, lots of museums and galleries (Look out Smithsonian - here I come), theatre, restaurants and gentle strolls in areas of beauty or interest...

Planning on taking wide and narrow-legged black trousers, two pairs of leggings, a reversible skirt, three tunics, three tshirts, two vests, a jacket (matches skirt), a long dress, a fine merino twinset, pashmina and an embroidered sarong.

All of that plus undies, bathers, narrow microfibre towel, washing kit for me and clothes, jewellery roll, electronics, medications and cosmetics fit easily into my new Caribee Skymaster carryon and a leather messenger bag, with plenty of space for souvenirs, even if I decide to add in a sparkly top.

Definitely pack that sparkly top! I'll bet it weighs almost nothing.... :)