straight up, i don’t even own any other piece of luggage besides my AWAY carry on suitcase. i have a duffle and a backpack for weekenders, but that suitcase is the only one i own and use. i’ve flown all over the world with that thing, sometimes for multi-week trips abroad, and have never felt like i under-packed or forgot anything i couldn’t pickup at a local pharmacy on arrival.

i’m currently packing (i’ve actually been packed for two weeks because i’m INSANE(ly excited)) but i unpacked and repacked to show you how i pack for a four week winter trip. i’m headed to my 2nd annual Co-Ed South African Luxury Wellness Safari, which is yoga and excursion centric, plus a week of wine tasting in Cape Town to follow. still, i managed to fit everything i’ll need in just my carry on and a tote bag! read on for my tips to travel light even during long, cold-weather trips full of a variety of occasions:

1. find out if there will be laundry access — access to laundry means you can pack even less and repeat outfits. i only have 5 shirts and one pair of jeans for this whole month long trip, but i know i’ll probably only wash the jeans once on the trip, and i can repeat the tops as i wear them. plus, i’'ll be rotating “real” clothes with yoga/lounge clothes, and two dresses i have for nicer dinners and for welcoming my retreat group! even if your villa/hotel/host doesn’t have laundry, there is likely 1-2 day laundry service nearby. even when i was in bali for months at a time, there was drop-off laundry service just a short walk down from our shala that was very affordable, quality, and quick.

2. pick a color scheme — this is easy for me since all my clothes are black, white, brown, and olive green anyway, but choosing a color scheme means you can mix and match clothes on your trip and everything sort of goes together. you can see my safari color scheme is thriving in the photos below, even down to the brown and camel colored hats. hell, even my airport outfit can be washed on arrival and rotated into my vacation wardrobe! if you throw in one rogue purple shirt or blue and yellow dress, it MAY get worn, but best to stick to a scheme and let it all mesh.

3. roll your clothes and stuff your shoes — i always roll my clothes and then stack about two layers deep, as you can see, to fit the max amount of things in a smaller space. it becomes a little game of tetris, so stuff and stack away! also, i use my zipper bag for flat things like my bucket hat, and put undies and socks and bralettes in my shoes. it’s empty space, may as well utilize it to pack something! speaking of shoes, for a trip like this i’m packing utility/hiking boots because safari vibes, and a pair of plain white sneakers. last year on safari i wore these boots everyday on our game drives and during the bush walk, and the sneakers will be cute for chill time at the villa and with my jeans/dresses in cape town. i’ll probably also sneak in a pair of plain slides to have on hand for by the pool, etc. since i have the space.

4. stop being this girl — you aren’t going to shit your pants everyday, you aren’t going to wear the orange dress you regret buying 6 years ago and have never put on, and, sadly, you probably aren’t going to run into a pop-up taylor swift event. i wear the same t-shirt/sweatshirt/sweatpant combo every night after i shower and to bed for like five days at home, and once i got realistic about this also being true on vacation, packing got a LOT lighter. so, with love, get real.

5. divide your wet and dry toiletries between your suitcase and your tote/backpack — get some high quality little to-go bottles and transfer your full-size products into travel sized versions. but the key is to have a “wet bag” and a “dry bag” each in your suitcase and your tote. don’t overpack the quart sized/travel size limits, especially abroad, because they’re checking during customs security and they will make you throw products away if you bring too much.
   my suitcase, which will be in an overhead bin on the plane, wet bag will have things i’ll want in the shower, nighttime skincare stuff, etc. then, my tote bag, which will be with me under my seat on the plane, will have things i’ll want in the air, like hand sanitizer, toothpaste, things to wash my face, sunscreen, etc. my dry bag in my suitcase will have things like razors and nail care accessories, and my dry bag in my tote has my plane headphones, xanax, an eye mask, chargers, etc. i try to use stasher bags, but sometimes as you can see use a ziplock, for wet bags to avoid leaks in air.

6. consciously choose some travel-sized staple essentials and leave the big items at home — instead of bringing both my full size hair wand and hair straightener, i got a dual voltage travel size straightener that i can use abroad to create curls or straighten my hair, and if it gets ruined by the outlets there, it was $10 on amazon and i’ll live without it. i also have a packable down coat, pictured all stuffed and zipped into pocket size, which i got years ago from REI ahead of my trip to iceland. this coat is super lightweight but SO oddly warm because of the materials. it was a great $150 investment at the time and takes up so little space in my suitcase. i’ll also pack an expandable umbrella. things you may need to stay comfortable, warm, and dry on a winter/cold/rainy season trip, but the travel friendly version of those items, make all the difference in the world. a not-packable puffer coat would take up a whole side of my suitcase otherwise, and a full size umbrella would be bulky and annoying to tote around. full size hair accessories take up space and may get ruined abroad anyway as i navigate converting. save yourself the trouble and invest in some travel friendly options of these essentials.

this gallery shows layer one & layer two of my clothes on the right size of my suitcase, the bucket hat flat packed in the mesh compartment, and everything buckled in. on the other side of the suitcase, another book, the travel straightener, my wet and dry toiletries, boots stuffed with undies, socks, and bralettes, and my packable down puffer coat.