The Struggle of Packing for A Year Abroad

Would you be able to pack clothes for a whole year abroad in just one suitcase? 3 years ago I wasn't, but now I've come a long way and I have some tips for you.

The first time I ever lived abroad was during college when I went on an Erasmus exchange to Ireland.

It was only for one semester and yet I packed a BIG suitcase, a piece of hand luggage AND I also sent by ordinary mail a VERY big box full of clothes.

All that for just 5 months. It just sounds insane to me now 😅

It was, actually, over there in Ireland when I first came across what Slow Fashion is and when I started reading about the impact of Fast Fashion on the environment and workers' lives.

I'll come back to this later.

I graduated from college, and a couple of years later I decided to quit my job and move to Canada on my own.

I had learned from my previous living abroad experience (and also I was moving much further so sending over a big box by ordinary mail was super expensive 😅) so I decided I had to pack one year's worth of clothes in just one suitcase and hand luggage.

What a challenge.

Packing for all four seasons in one suitcase.

After 6 months, I came back home to Spain for a Christmas visit and I came with a full suitcase.

I had realized that I wasn't using half the stuff I had brought!

I had a job that required a uniform, so I barely used regular street clothes. And on my time off, I usually went hiking which meant wearing leggings and comfy and warm clothes.

So, in the end, I wasn't using almost any of my casual, street clothes!

I swapped my suitcase for a backpacker bag and I went back to Canada with empty luggage ✌️

When I came back home after my time in Canada got to an end, I definitely was a different person and that applied deeply to the way I consumed fashion.

It was in Canada that I really started researching Slow Fashion: I would read blogs, research brands, I started my first Insta project, I even found myself a job in the local Slow Fashion active-wear brand Daub+Design (which was such a beautiful and amazing experience).

I learned a lot.

How did what I had learned about Slow Fashion affect the way I packed?

One of the things I learned that caught my attention was the concept of a capsule wardrobe.

To me, this is basically the marriage between minimalism and Slow Fashion.

I will make a post about this in detail. But for now, a capsule wardrobe is reducing your wardrobe to a very small number of items. Some say 37, some don't specify...

It is about putting thought into each item you have, using everything, being clever in the way you style them so you can use one item for more than one outfit, etc...

"Capsule wardrobes push us to think more about what clothing we actually wear, and whether we truly need each piece in our closet" by Audrey Stanton on The Good Trade

So when I came back to Spain to spend the summer before going off traveling again, I decided to take that opportunity to get to know my wardrobe better.

I decided I would wear everything that I owned.

I wore everything that was in my closet repeating items as little as possible.

This project was life-changing.

I went through every piece of (summer) clothing that I owned, and I realized how my style was, what I felt comfortable with, and which items I cherished the most...

And, most importantly, this exercise was SUPER HELPFUL when I had to pack again for another year abroad.

It was just soooo easy deciding what I was going to bring for my travels. And this time I only traveled with my backpacker bag and a smaller backpack with all the important and electronic stuff.

In the end, reducing your whole wardrobe to what fits in a suitcase is basically creating a capsule wardrobe, isn't it? 😉

So I didn't pack too much and I really put thought into what I was bringing and all the different uses for each item.

But, even though I packed in a very smart way, there still were a few things that I only wore once or twice during my year in New Zealand!

In conclusion

Just a few things to keep in mind when packing for a new life ✨

• Think about if you'll be using a uniform, what kind of activities you'll do on your days off, or if you'll be staying home most of the time... All this will define the number of clothes you need for each activity.

• Keep in mind the capsule wardrobe concept: grab a few basic items that you can combine and create many different outfits!

• I like choosing clothes that can be used both in winter and summer: for example, summer dresses can be worn in winter with a shirt underneath!

I'm moving abroad again soon 🤩 So I will come up with more simple and specific tips on how to pack for a new life and I'll add some pictures of the clothes I'm choosing!

If you got to the end of this post,

thank you ✨

And let's keep learning together! 💛