Packing for Sydney and Manila was actually really difficult. In August, it’s winter in Sydney (high 50’s to low 60’s). In the Philippines it’s always hot and humid. So I had to pack for 2 climates which made for more items to pack – yikes.
I have a general packing list that I keep in Evernote. It has anything and everything I can think of that I personally take with me on trips. Everything from my laptop, to my in flight entertainment, to my undies lol! 😛 To see my current packing list, click here.
So, how’d I do it?
Well, I wanted to travel as light as possible going to Australia. I knew we were going to take the train from the airport to our Airbnb. I LOVED our Airbnb by the way, I don’t think I could ever travel any other way. But more on that later.
So our plan was to take 1 carry on and 1 check bag each to Sydney, fly to Manila with said bags, and buy/borrow an additional check bag each on the way back. Side note: we always buy A LOT of stuff in the Philippines so a 2nd bag each was a must.
That being said, we needed to pack as light as possible. But how do we do that packing for cold and hot weather?
I knew the hardest thing to coordinate would be shoes and coats. I wanted a pair of flat boots to wear in Sydney and sandals in the Philippines. I knew I wouldn’t need either in the other place, but I knew those were a must. Coats were another must in Australia that I wouldn’t need in the Philippines, but no choice. So in they went.
Next was my wedding attire. We were traveling to Sydney to attend my brother-in-law’s wedding. So in went my shoes, my dress, another formal outfit, and my jewelry. I also needed all make up and hair stuff since I was doing my own. So in those went.
Now that all the must have’s were packed, time to plan my outfits. I figured the best strategy was to dress for the summer and then layer up in the colder climate, so that’s how I planned my outfits. I think it worked out really well. I packed a lot of t-shirt dresses, leggings, and t-shirts. I then paired those with boots, scarves, beanies, etc. in Australia and stripped those off and work the dresses with sandals in the Philippines.
Voila!
A couple tips that I learned packing for this trip:
- I over packed, I always do. But the thing I want you to know is that I overpacked on the wrong things. I brought too many pairs of shoes. 1 pair of boots would have been enough, I brought 3 lol.
- This time around I used my carry on as an emergency kit. I packed an outfit or 2, an extra pair or shoes, and my bridesmaids dress in there just in case the airline lost our luggage. Thank God they didn’t but you never know, and if they do, you don’t want to be clothes less until they find it. So pack whatever it is that you can’t go on a few days without in there.
- Make space for shopping! You know you’re going to do it, so you might as well make space for yourself and the gifts you’re going to be taking back home.
- Use grocery bags for shoes. I was shopping for shoe bags and then realized, WTF WHY?! Grocery stores use thick plastic bags now-a-days, why not use those! I mainly use them so that my shoes don’t just lay on my clothes and get them dirty so I don’t need anything fancy!
- I love packing cubes. Is that what they’re even called? I don’t know, but they’re awesome! They saved me so much space in my luggages. Highly recommend!
- Check baggage requirements by your airline. Dimensions and weight restrictions vary from airline to airline (and sometimes departure city as well) so make sure you do your homework and check!
That being said, here are my top things on my list that I recommend purchasing/using if you’re planning on traveling.
Passport Wallet. Mine was from Ban.do but here’s a really cute one I’d use
Packing Cubes. This is what I was talking about!
J Pillow. I really like this pillow. The other ones still make my neck hurt.
Travel Adapter. We have this one, worked like a charm.
Happy traveling my friends! Already planning our next adventure. I wonder where we’re going to end up next! 🙂
xoxo,
