Packing it all in (and not just carry-on)

We are the type of people that like to experience as much as possible when we travel and for some reason, we always seem to have multiple temperature zones to deal with.  This means a wide range of garments are required, and the ability to layer. 

Even if some airlines try to encourage you not to check in luggage we are not the type of people that believe you have to be hard-core and carry your entire travel wardrobe in a carry on bag. We don't think that checking in a bag is something to be ashamed of!

Coming from New Zealand we have long had it reinforced that the maximum carry on bag is 7kg.  Once you include a camera in that carry on there is not a lot of weight available for clothing. 

While we aren't averse to checking in luggage we do want to try and minimise the weight of the checked-in luggage we take as it makes it easier to move about and gives you space for the inevitable local purchases.

Some of the suggestions we’ve been given or used, to limit the amount of luggage to take while travelling are:

• - take clothes that  can be used in a variety of situations & potentially climates and that can be layered if it gets particularly cold;
• - work out your colour palette.  It might be boring but black is very versatile, or go for monotones; 
• - try not to take heavy fabrics.  I'm notorious for packing denim which always seems to weigh a lot so I should try and limit it to one pair & take other lighter weight fabrics;
• - roll your clothes into packing cells so they take as little space as possible and are easier to locate in your suitcase.

I still haven't worked out a solution for limiting the number of pairs of shoes to pack.  We do a lot of walking when we travel whether it is a hike in the countryside, seeing all the exhibitions at the Tate Modern or walking around Venice.  This often means to only way to give your feet a break is to change shoes on alternate days, especially when temperatures are warm.  This means you are starting with 2 pairs of shoes that can be worn to walk in over longer periods of time.  

Then there are the more occasion-specific shoes - running shoes (although some can be run in and still look great), hiking boots, dressier shoes/heals depending on what you are planning while you are travelling.  

Any tips on how to select shoes that are multi situational but also look good would be appreciated!

We may try to be good with our packing but we often don't succeed as well as we would like.  With the launch of Asmuss, this should improve.