
Getting Ready
The Packing Challenges:
As the London departure date was fast approaching, I had to pack something for my trip…. for thirteen days…in the summer…and in a carry on. Â Okay, so London is typically rainy. Â Even in the summer. Â Easy. Just pack what should be London-wear.
Guess what? No rain and sweltering heat instead. Â Actually, any travel location can leave you staring into your suitcase wishing you had packed different items.
I only used my umbrella once and that was to block the sun from my dewy brow.  Looking back,  packing the umbrella wasted valuable suitcase space.  I rolled, ‘cubed-packed’, stuffed and crammed.  It will be fine….traveling from late June to the beginning of July should be better than Tucson in the summer, right?
So what did I do? Â Packed LAYERS. Â Living in a hotter climate and being sensitive to the heat, I’m usually a one layer gal….maybe two if it is cool in the morning and night. Â Â I gathered a collection of thin long sleeved tees, camisoles and tees to provide options. Â If the temps were warm or hot, I knew I wouldn’t want to lug around a coat while walking, on the Tube, or in a taxi = dewy brow for Dana.
Below is the (clickable) photo gallery of clothing and accessories I sewed, bought, or made for the trip.
*Camisoles in white and tan, not shown.
As you can see, my color scheme was white, tan, bronze, gray, black, chambray blue, and olive green. Â Everything was neutral and could be mixed and matched to be worn together. Â I ended up wearing everything but the black merino sweater and the Jacket in a Pocket. Â I was still too warm overall but enjoyed wearing my newly made vest for a few cool mornings.

Enjoying London with Mom. Â Crossbody bag from Kohl’s.
Other Preparations:
1.) Â I packed and weighed my rolling bag to the 22 pound international airline limit. Â Turns out, nobody cared! Â Maybe I was just lucky.

Headed to the airport
2.) Â Toiletries were simple when packed in zip top bags. Â Not glamorous, but effective. I had all of the liquids in one (upper right) and the remaining three bags contained all other essentials.

Toiletries divided up in four 1 quart bags
3.) Â Self-packed snacks of trail mix and string cheese. Â Sharing these with my mom helped stave off hunger at the airport, on the plane, Â and in our hotel room. Â Another benefit as we ate them was the extra space they afforded for packing souveniers.
4.) Empty water bottle. Â I packed an inexpensive one that clipped to the side of my bag. Â It was convenient to have for post-security. Â The opening was big enough to fill with ice cubes, which I love in my drinks.
Reflections:
What I brought on the plane:
-My rolling suitcase carry on measured 22″ x 14″ x 9″. Â It is a older Samsonite from Costco. Here is something similar.
-The under the seat ECOSUSI carry on from Amazon measured 18″W x 8″H x 11″L. Â This was a lifesaver bag! Â I LOVED the sleeve on the back to slide over the telescope handle of my rolling bag.
-Neck pillow was a MUST since I want the option to sleep on the plane as much as possible.
Most important items I packed: Â Padded inserts for shoes. I thought my shoes were comfortable before I left, but the padded inserts from Dr. Scholl’s were invaluable! My handy little Fitbit clocked in over 20K steps one day, so I’m glad I had extra cushion.
Second most important item: Portable battery charger There is nothing like the horrible feeling of being lost and having a dead phone.  If needed, I could charge my phone in my purse quickly when relying on Google Maps and the Citymapper App. (Available for Android and Apple).
Third most important item: The Yubi Voltage Power Converter. This was used every day after returning to the hotel to charge up the extra batteries.  It was a bit overkill for this trip, but we hope to use it for other trips in the future.
Fourth most important item: Â Olive green anorak jacket. Â This is still one of my favorite makes. Â It was a great coat to have on the plane to keep warm and use as a pillow.
What I would have packed instead: Â Cotton or rayon dress or skirt that could have been worn with comfortable walking shoes or sandals. Â I’m not sure I have ANY sandals that could have passed the 20K-steps-a-day test, but in hindsight, I would have begged, borrowed or stole for a pair.
What worked and why: Â Tees and camisoles! Â They saved me. Â I’m so glad I threw a few in my bag at the last minute.
Biggest lessons learned:
1.) Â I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that it was the too-big-for-my-phone recommended SD storage card. Â To allow for videos and tons of pictures, we wanted a new SD card. Â We were misinformed by the phone salesperson where we bought the new phone and should have double checked. Â I didn’t figure it out until a few days into the trip. Â I was happily clicking away, a few pictures were stored, but the phone was not capturing any future photos. Â I was pretty bummed, to say the least. Â So take it from me. Â Verify for yourself on the largest SD card your phone can handle BEFORE you leave for your trip and make sure it is storing the pics!! ð
2.) Â Carry on luggage. Â No checked bags. Â I can’t imagine what it would have been like to try and to get around with a heavy checked bag. Â Being self sufficient and ready to go was so convenient. Â I only regret not packing some lighter weight dress/skirt items. Â This will be my new goal for all travel going forward.
Travel outfit:
When in London, you MUST take a cheesy tourist-y photo in a phone booth.
I hope this post was helpful on some level. Â More tips can be found in the companion post about travel jewelry.
Have you had packing fails for your trips? Â Or do you have any trip tips you want to share? Â I want to hear about it! Â Please leave your comments below.
-Dana