A capsule wardrobe has always had my interest, however I don’t think I could ever downsize my wardrobe to just 10 items that I would love. I have so many individual pieces inside of my wardrobe that spark that so-called joy that I couldn’t get rid of. However, a capsule wardrobe does seem like an interesting approach to me if you’re off on a city break. That’s why I decided to dip my toe into minimal packing for my trip to Lisbon this weekend and talk you through how I prepared and picked my items for this trip.



I definitely am not a light packer, and whenever I go on city trips I always have to really think about what I want to bring with me. My cousins and I are in Lisbon for 3,5 days. We arrive tomorrow evening and leave on Sunday evening. That means I will probably need about 8 outfits in total. Four for when we go exploring by day and four for when we go out for dinner. I tried to really keep my stash for those 8 outfits as minimal as possible. So I went for 10 clothing items in total, this obviously doesn’t include underwear and pyjamas and stuff. I was actually trying to strive towards 8 items, but that’s not doable for me, as I also am bringing quite a lot of white items. I happen to know myself quite well and know I will have at least one food spill down myself while I am in Lisbon, since I am also planning on wearing quite a lot of white, I thought it would be better to bring just two more backup items.

Check the weather app

The first thing I did, as I think we all do when we go abroad, is check the weather app. I was really hoping for some lovely summer-y weather, and the way it’s looking right now – as I am typing this blog post – it’s supposed to be 21-23 degrees Celsius, which sounds like an absolute dream to me. Once you know what kind of weather it will be at your destination, it becomes so much easier to pack your stuff.
I was actually still quite confused as to what I should pack on my day of travelling there, as it’s still quite chilly here in the Netherlands, whereas in Lisbon summer pretty much has arrived. However, I know that Lisbon is quite a tricky city as it can get quite windy and since it’s not officially summer yet it can also feel quite chilly there. That’s why I decided to be sure and bring two jackets, one super light camouflage jacket and my leather jacket which I will be wearing on my flight with my jumper since it’s still quite cold here.

Plan your outfits

Another thing that is quite obvious is to start planning outfits you would like to wear while you’re away on your city break. There are always a few items you know you want to bring because they are new pieces, summer pieces you haven’t worn that much yet or because you know they look good on you. I always pack the items I feel excited about first. In this case that was a jumpsuit I had actually bought in December but didn’t get around to wearing yet and my linen trousers I bought during summer last year that I was super excited to get out again.
There is a pair of trousers that I wore in this blog post, that I would love to bring too but I already have 10 items, so I am pretty sure I am either going to leave those at home or swap one of my pairs of trousers out with that pair. Anyway, I decided to have a little clothing party earlier this week. I got lots of my items out of my closet and just started putting items of clothing on to see what would look cute with these outfits. I also checked to see what shoes I wanted to wear with the outfits.

Comfy shoes

You know you are going to be doing a lot of walking when you’re on a city break. I at least always do whenever I am away. One of the most annoying things in life is wearing a wrong pair of shoes while going away on a city trip. This has happened to me once while I was in Edinburgh and let met tell you, I was not that great of a company to my friend. Comfortable shoes are everything while you’re on a city trip. In my case comfortable shoes are always going to be a pair of trainers. I am going full 90’s dad tourist style because I am bringing my ‘ugly’ ‘dad’ trainers from Adidas. I know they are super comfortable and I can easily walk in them for hours.

I actually ended up bringing two pairs of shoes as I just don’t want to end up being denied access to a restaurant or club when we decide to go for drinks in Lisbon. That’s why I also decided to pack a pair of brogues I have had for absolute ages. I know these are my most comfortable ‘fancy’ pair of shoes that I know I can walk around for a bit.

Bring some tote bags

A little tip I have learnt from my cousin is to always bring at least one tote bag with you while you’re away on a city trip. Not only are these tote bags great as shopping bags when you’re having a little shopping spree, they are also super handy to use as a camera bag, as I always do. Besides using it as a camera bag, I also love to put a pair of shoes in them to protect my clothes from the shoe dirt or to use them as dirty laundry bags. Definitely bring some on your trip, barely take up any space and are so handy to have!

Don’t over pack

Back in the day, okay no 1,5 years ago I wasn’t a smart packer at all. I have had a couple of trips in 2018 and discovered it’s just not smart to over pack when you’re still at home. I am still not great at cutting it down a lot, as I know I will need backup items for when I spill food or drinks down myself. But what you don’t know is if you’re going to fall in love with something while you’re at your city break destination. That’s why nowadays I always try to leave a bit of space in my suitcase. This way I know everything will fit into my suitcase again, as well as my liquids bag and a small handbag. This way I know I don’t have to stress about fitting everything into my 1 piece of luggage on a budget airline flight.