What I Packed: 7 December Days in London
A 7-day work trip to London in early December in, you guessed it, one backpack. Cold weather travel makes packing light a challenge but I’m proud to say this was my smartest packing to date! Read on for my full packing list, what I overpacked, and my most valuable piece (MVP)!
Travel Specifications
LOCATION
London, UK
TIME AWAY FROM HOME
7 days, 6 nights
TIME OF YEAR
Early December
LAUNDRY
Hand washed some undies and under shirts in the bathroom sink.
WEATHER
Chilly—but I got by well with my long wool coat, sweater/blazer as a layer, hat, gloves, and scarf.
PACKING REQUIREMENTS
Two days of conference attire
Host 3-hour marketing workshop
Layers to stay warm while exploring the city
Something nice to see Wicked
What I Packed
This is the least I’ve packed on my recent trips 💅🏻
Travel Gear
BACKPACK
My backpack is the Everyday Backpack 30L from Peak Design. I did tons of research before purchasing because I intend this to be my one and forever bag. I’ve traveled with this bag on 6+ trips and I’m thrilled.
TRAVEL POUCHES
My travel bags are from the Spacepak System:
Flight 001: clothes, toiletries, liquids/makeup
Amazon (exact styles not available): clothes in dots or stripes, toiletries, undies, makeup
Amazon (exact styles not available): clothes in dots or stripes, toiletries, undies, makeup
DAY BAG
My day bag is the Joshuvela Baja Backpack (use coupon code "THANKS10" to get $10 off) to carry all my gear. It's sturdy as hell, looks great, and is produced ethically in San Francisco. My favorite feature is that it can be carried as a tote bag to look dressy for client meetings, or slung over my shoulders for ergonomic walking without making me look like a college student.
Wardrobe & Accessories
CLOTHES + SHOES
4 Tops:
Maroon motif shift top—M.M. LaFleur (this was previously a dress that as years passed felt too short so I had it hemmed into a top—it’s now one of my favorite pieces again!)
Short-sleeved mock neck top—Madewell
Sheer sleeve paisley top—Madewell
Floral oxford—J. Crew
T-shirt—Everlane
1 Graham Longline Plaid Blazer—Anthropologie (I like this one too)
Long and lean travel shirt—Athleta (not pictured, but I wear this every time I travel)
5 Bottoms:
Blue jeans—Everlane
Black jeans—Everlane
Black slacks—Everlane
Brooklyn ankle pants—Athleta (I wear these every time I travel)
Leggings—Athleta (for warmth and pajamas)
2 Shoes
OUTERWEAR & ACCESSORIES
Yarn hat—Madewell
Scarf
Black leather gloves—Nordstrom Rack
TOILETRIES
Makeup (tinted moisturizer with SPF, brows, mascara, eyeliner, cheek tint, lipstick)
Hair brush—my hair is officially too long to get away with not brushing it. Womp womp.
In Two Minds face wash, toner and moisturizer—Aesop
Deodorant—Native (forgot to pack this, got stubborn and didn’t buy any, then regretted it)
Toothbrush and Bite toothpaste bits
Coconut oil for removing makeup
Buttermask For Lips—Kiehl’s (my new go-to for chapped winter lips)
Street Style
SOLO TRAVEL = MIRROR SELFIES
Whatever I pack, everything has to match with everything else.
Between hosting/attending a conference in London and leading a 3-hour workshop, I was in the spotlight a lot. I needed to be comfortable moving around on stage and being on my feet all day. I was also trying not wear the same thing twice on stage so that the photos of me speaking look like separate events, and not just a lot of photos of me at one event. The conference world tour has so far included: New York, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and London!
Laundry
Hand washed some skivvies and undershirts in the sink, rolled them in a towel, and hung to dry.
When I’m traveling in the states, it’s really easy to find a laundromat that will do a 1-day wash and fold which usually costs about $12 (cheaper than checking a bag!). But in the UK for some reason laundromats like that don’t exist (or at least I haven’t found them). On my first trip to Ireland, my packing list had banked on finding a laundromat which didn’t exist, but I’ve since learned to look on Google Maps ahead of time. Either way, nothing a little hand wash in the sink can’t solve! Just pack items that dry fast so you don’t have to wear damp stuff.
What I Overpacked
SCARF/SHAWL
I did extremely well this trip and only overpacked one item. The scarf I packed is more like a shawl and was just too big and bulky to lug around all day so I left it in my hotel room and bought a normal-sized scarf in London.
Most Valuable Pieces
M.M. LaFleur top—I wore it to see a matinee of Wicked and to the opening day of the conference.
Anthropologie grey duster coat/sweater—I wore this almost every day (same as my Boston and Chicago trip!). It’s the perfect balance between casual and professional and kept me warm indoors and out.
Headband—I wore it a lot. It’s super cute and keeps my hair out of my face which has the added benefit of not needing to wash my hair as often.
This was my smartest packing trip to date!
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