Like I mentioned last week, and as you may have noticed yourself, it is hot. Too hot to travel in long pants! In the spring, and even early summer, I can wear slacks to work and be comfortable (see my packing list from April). But for some reason, it’s harder for me to stay cool in August than in June. So this time of summer I look towards a lot of skirts and dresses for business travel. Also, one of the fun things about summer is the color, and it definitely shows in my summer packing list.

As with all packing, the key is to pick a few basics that you can wear multiple times, then add pops of color and accessories to create different outfits. Based on my anecdotal research, the most common business trip length is 4 days. That is certainly my experience, so that is what I packed for. However, it would be super easy to add one more dress and another shirt and have even more options than what I’ve shown. This is definitely minimalist packing!

Generic 4-day packing list:

• Two bottoms, one comfortable for travel (i.e. slacks and a skirt)
• Coordinating suit jackets if needed
• 3-4 tops that coordinate with both of your bottoms
• At least one light jacket or sweater (unless you need a heavier jacket)
• No more than three pairs of shoes, including a pair of flip flops or running shoes
• Enough undergarments, including socks/hose
• Jewelry/belts/scarves
• PJs
• Workout clothes
• Toiletries and makeup
• Curling iron (or other styling aids)

Specific list:

• Black sheath dress (Lands End) (Counts as bottom and top!)
• Yellow cardigan (Old Navy)
• White and black blouse (Ruche)
• Pink cropped pants (Ann Taylor)
• Gray skirt (Old Navy from 2 years ago, but similar to this one)
• Nude flats (Steve Madden, similar to these)
• Houndstooth flats (Target, similar to these)
• Jewelry (Etsy, Stella and Dot, a stall in Manila but similar to these)
• Bike shorts (Jockey)
• PJs
• Pashmina (Old Navy, similar to this)
• Flip-flops (Old Navy)
• Purse (Lo and Sons, or a less expensive one here)
• Suitcase (Similar to this)
• And of course, makeup, toiletries, curling iron, and undergarments.

Here is a picture of all of my different outfits (along with a few other necessities):

This is normally the place where I would take a picture of everything placed nicely on my bed, then packed in my suitcase. However—we are packing up our house to move (yay!) and my office looks like this:

And this:

I promise it all fits though, with room to spare! Packing is so much easier in the summer without all those heavy boots, sweaters, and coats. Although I can’t wait until the temperature cools down a bit….

Readers, what are your favorite packing pieces for summer?

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