I hate, hate, hate packing for winter vacations! I just can’t seem to fit in all my sweaters, scarves, leggings, and accessories in my suitcase(s). I am a huge over-packer in general and the cold weather just makes that so much worse. Although I did a pretty good job in packing for my family’s Christmas Vacation in Germany last year, there are a few pieces I didn’t need and I brought two suitcases plus a huge purse. 🙁 My goal is to whittle this list down before our next vacation.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on items for purchase I can receive some compensation…BUT I shop a lot second hand so none of the links are exactly what I have on.
Jacket(s)
I know you’re only supposed to bring one jacket…but I’m an over-packer so I brought two: one wool winter coat and a black ski jacket. I feel that when it’s winter your jacket is in nearly every photo so you want to make sure it is good quality (to keep you warm) and add some variety so your photos don’t get dull.
The Layers
So I know packing wisdom says to layer, and I am all about that but I do love a good chunky sweater! I brought two thick sweaters: a tan one and a cream robe-like one. In addition to the two chunky sweaters (that took up too much space in my luggage!), I also packed some thinner, lighter sweaters and thin zip-ups that could be layered under vests. I brought two vests, again probably too much: a fur-lined tan vest and a Columbia fleece vest. I also had a rotation of long-sleeved shirts and tank tops underneath everything, layering extra as needed for warmth.
Pants & Leggins
Everyone and their mother (except my mother thankfully…) lives in black leggings nowadays! I swear by Hot Chilly leggings when in a northern climate. These are meant to be worn under jeans in extremely cold weather but I love how sleek they look alone. In addition to leggings, I also packed one pair of jeans, unfortunately I didn’t pack my jeans that tuck into boots well. 🙁 I also packed black, khaki, and white pants. I really could have left the other pants at home and packed another pair of jeans though. The white and khaki pants fit awful (I bought them a week before we were leaving…so dumb!) and the black pants just looked like leggings but not as comfy. Yeah…I needed to rethink my wardrobe a bit here.
The Accessories
I packed three pairs of scarves: a grey chunky infinity scarf, a black scarf that I ALWAYS travel with in cold weather, and a giant yellow knit scarf that was totally unused except for the one day it keep me alive and toasty in Dachau.
In addition to scarves, I brought a few athletic headbands (for the days I didn’t want to do my hair but not look crazy), my diva sunglasses (for days I didn’t want to do my make-up lol), a fabulously floppy hat (see the hair comment above), and an assortment of jewelry. My ridiculous fur trapper hat was totally useless…until we froze our asses off at midnight on New Year’s Eve in Munich. It was totally worth it for those few hours! One for the win!
Read more: Travel Style: Looking Polished While Traveling
Shoes
My sister told me to leave my ballet flats at home. She knew it would be too cold so I only brought my black riding boots and new fur-lined duck boots (above). I was super nervous ordering these online but they were perfect and so toasty!
JMF
P.S. all the links are to SIMILAR items to the ones I own, I buy a lot second-hand so it’s hard to find the exact product online.
