In my ongoing education in strategic packing (you wouldn’t believe my inner turmoil over making a packing list for Camino), I’ve managed to narrow it down to about five clothing items I take with me on every trip. It’s hard for me; I adore adore crazy patterns and bright colours.

On the other hand, pattern mixing tends to be the trend these days. I figure 20 years from now I’ll look back and wonder what the hell I was doing with my life. Stripes and polka dots in one outfit?! The madness! Perhaps it’s the equivalent to tear-away pants and platform sneakers in the 90s. I so wanted to be a Spice Girl.

I try to categorize my outfits into Comfortable Items Suitable For Endless Walking, Appropriate Dinner Attire for Surprise Dates, and Comfortable Lounge Wear For When I Don’t Give a Damn.

The Appropriate Dinner Attire for Surprises Dates is the most laughable of these categories. In all my years of travelling, a Surprise Date scenario has only ever happened once with a cute German man in Montenegro.

Anyway.

Lyst.com, a fun shopping app, asked me to write about my five key clothing items for travelling. These are my “must have” items, no matter the season. Rain or shine! Maybe not a raging blizzard, though.

A Colourful Shirt or a Casual Dress

In a world of solids, be a crazy colour coordination mess. If you were ever to take a look inside my closet you’ll probably observe how much bright clothing I own. It’s a curse.

But for shorter trips I pack solid colours. Usually. A little bit of colour “pop” goes a long ways.

Perhaps even throw in something with a little cleavage for that Surprise Date with the Aussie guy you met at the hostel bar while throwing back Jagerbombs like it’s your 19th birthday.

 Black Flats

I knowwwww. Black is so boring, right?

I think shoes are my biggest enemies while travelling. I’m never quite certain how shoes will deal with hours of walking until I actually do hours of walking, ya know?

And I am certainly, certainly not a heels person. I look like a newborn fawn teetering on shaky legs when I wear heels.

I usually go with black flats for my shoes of choice. I can wear them with anything – dresses, jeans, leggings, shorts, etc. They never let me down.

On the other hand, flats are also not an item you wanna be picking up at Ardene’s for $10. Make those babies last.

In the winter months, I go for tall boots or wedged heels. Tall boots are just the greatest thing ever.

Black Leggings

I hate pants with a fiery, passionate rage. Likely because I can’t afford good, comfortable jeans.

Black leggings are my saviour. I don’t mean those leggings that are transparent every time you bend over, either. That just won’t do.

Invest in a good pair of leggings and you’ll be happy for life. Diamonds are not a woman’s best friend, leggings are.

Mine are more like a leggings/dress pants hybrid, so they’re suitable for fancy dinner parties and endless walking. I don’t even need a long shirt to cover my behind because the pants aren’t transparent. Huzzah!

A Fancy Scarf

I have maybe a dozen scarves I’ve picked up along my travels because I’m always drawn to their insane patterns and colours. If I’m travelling light with plain t-shirts and tank tops, a nice scarf can really sexify things up a bit.

Plus they serve a more practical element when it’s chilly out. And I think a bright pop of colour peeking out of the neck of a jacket is rather fetching, isn’t it?

A Light Jacket

A nice jacket can take a plain outfit and turn it into something more classy and chic. But in a world of endless jackets, how do you choose?!

I actually prefer a light leather jacket or a solid blazer. Actually, I like bombers too. And everything. You can even pair it with the scarf and a nice shirt, and voila, you look more like a presentable professional.

However, you should take everything I say with a grain of salt because I certainly am no expert in being a presentable professional (see Comfortable Loungewear).

If it’s colder, I’ll probably pick a long-sleeved blazer and wear it underneath a heavier jacket. Layers, my friends. Listen to the Canadian.

These are a few of my favourite things. What packing items can’t you live without?