10 travel essentials for next vacation

With the space allotted by airlines getting stringent, the need for a travel cluster is most imperative. A cluster is a mix of 10‑15 items inclusive of garments and accessories that go well with one another. The need to mix and match and be innovative with your closet gets in the forefront.

Having understood a cluster, there are a few key pieces that go in it. Before planning one needs to understand the climatic conditions of the travel location and few other basic things we often tend to miss. Considering its summer now and you might be gearing up for an off beat holiday, we need to create an all season vacation cluster.

It is essential you understand the mood, season, and location. Beach requires quirks, neons and prints, whereas the mountains call for urban, earthy colour tones.

Patterns are easy to mix and match and so are neutral, so have a blend of both. You can team a nice olive green with maroon and also a beige, so while you plan your trip to a hill station or for winters keep the colour palette in your mind. At a beach or a summer vacation, you can experiment with a blend of colours, like a powder blue with magenta or a sunny yellow with a mint green, even coral’s make a great option.

Selecting your fabric is also a primary criteria. The fabrics need to be favourable for every weather. It should ideally be light to carry and good to feel. Carrying thick fabric for a summer spot will spoil your plans entirely. One needs to be wise enough to pick out a dress or a shirt not focussing entirely on its style but rather its utility.

Now that you are aware of which colours you need to select and the type of fabric you need to wear, don’t get stuck in a rut and get fixated only with what is in vogue. Take along jeans, dungarees, shorts, skirts, shift dresses or even maxis. It is far easier to team your attire with a pair of blue jeans or a vibrant pair of shorts rather than having 10 different outfits for a five-day holiday. However, if you are a smart shopper, then it won’t be an issue to trick your cluster with in vogue clothes that are also highly practical. For instance, an off-shoulder frilly top can be teamed with your high-waisted jeans as well as a pair of floral shorts. Same is the case with carrying a pair of culottes that can be teamed with a formal shirt, a summer top or even a round neck t-shirt.

Once you know how to pack, toss in the following to have a cohesive wardrobe to travel with:

1. Top and shirts: Have a mix of dressy tops, T-shirts, tank tops for underneath the jackets.
2. Dresses: Throw in an evening dress, a shift dress or a skater/shirtwaist dress.
3. Bottoms: A pair of trousers, jeans and jeggings are preferable. Based on the weather pack shorts in linen or denims. Palazzos or printed flared pants can also be breezy and make a statement.
4. Outwear: It could rain or could suddenly get chilly, thus pack a light weight jacket or sweater, it solves purpose of those chilly air plane journeys too.
5. Footwear: Have at three pairs: a pair of flip flops, an evening wedge or stilettos and a pair of walking keds/sneakers/loafers. For the dressier pair of shoes that you choose, make sure you pick a colour that is neutral, like a black or beige. You would get stuck with a odd colour pair of shoes as it will not look nice with every colour.
6. Jewellery : For that added colour, style and panache. I always prefer artificial jewellery to real studs while travelling, easy to change. Pack a watch (gold/rose gold) that goes with everything, a nice statement necklace and colourful studs to match outfits.
7. Accessories : Scarves, sarongs, sunglasses, a statement ring and a bling necklace are some must keeps. You just do not know when you want to head out for a party or a dressy dinner.
8. Bags : A travel bag (large enough to store your world in during travel), a casual tote for beach affairs, a sling bag to keep your hands free while shopping is all what you need.
9. Lingerie : Pack two swim suits if you are headed to a beach holiday, other than that lingerie count are divided by the number of days you shall be travelling considering you won’t hand wash them.
10. Make-up : Travel sized bottles of make-up are recommended. Sunscreen, a BB cream, kohl, foundation, two blushes (pink and peach) and two of your favourite lippers are ideal options to take along.

Now that your travel essentials are all set, nothing could be better than booking your stay, taking the first flight and enjoying a hassle-free holiday.