The Female Solo Traveller's Guide to Building a Wardrobe around Versatile Basics

Packing for solo travel is never easy – not least because bags that seem perfectly manageable when you first pick them up seem to gain weight after a few hours of wear (or a very “light” shopping trip during the trip). Once you’ve hauled heavy bags through a couple of train stations, you’ll be very wary of packing more than you need to for future trips. (Especially ask any backpacker.)

However, depending on where and when you’re going, you’re likely to need a variety of outfits and clothing styles to meet different requirements. So, how can you keep looking cute and well-prepared without sacrificing the essentials? The trick, for many, is to build a wardrobe around versatile basics. Here’s how:

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Quick Overview

First, find a really good pair of pants

Casual pants are the foundation piece of most good solo travel wardrobes. Look for a pair in a neutral tone that doesn’t draw too much attention. It’s even better if there are no patterns, prints, etc either. You want your pants to be able to combine with pretty much any top, and to be able to transition from a day of sightseeing to an evening at a local restaurant with ease.

Don’t forget to match the pants to the climate you’re visiting. For example, heavy jeans will get sweaty and uncomfortable in humid climates (and are also not great if you are travelling in chilly winter landscapes, which includes a visit to Lapland, for instance), and light cotton pants will get soggy and chilly in colder, wetter places. Sometimes one pair of long pants is enough for both warmer days and milder nights if you are conscious about the material and cut.

Think about some travel-friendly specifics before making your choice. Ideally, you want pants that don’t need ironing after hours in a suitcase or travel bag, that don’t weigh a ton, and that don’t stain easily (avoid white pants unless you’re really dedicated to spot-cleaning stains on the go and are not expecting your period to hit.)

Pick a neutral base

Neutral base colours are useful because of their versatility. Rather than packing, for example, a range of t-shirts in different colours, a few t-shirts of similar shades can combine with a variety of jackets, pants and so on to make a versatile range of outfits without stuffing out your bags. Look for tones like olive, navy, black, and stone, or even soft pastel if you want a more “feminine” vibe. It should be whatever work best for your colour type (you’ve seen the colour analysis trends. It really does help with finding suitable colours and making travel capsule wardrobes easier to pick out).

Of course, not everyone likes neutrals. Many prefer to make a statement with vibrant, cheery colours. Or simply look better in them. However, picking neutral base colours doesn’t mean that you have to give up your love of vibrancy and self-expression. It can also be picking related shades of the same colour, both with high vibrancy and/or more pastel versions. Plus, you can easily make the kind of statement you like with a vivid scarf, or some vibrant jewellery.

Think about the winter packing list principle when picking your bases: layers can help you so much with adjusting to different temperatures. And you should also consider if you can dress this top both up and down? Will this pair of pants look classy with some heels and everyday with a pair of sneakers? If any piece is too restricted to a single context or occasion, it’s probably not worth packing.

closet with hangers and brown shirt being pulled out — *photo by Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash*

Roadworthy fabrics

Look for fabrics that can travel well. Ideally, you want clothes made from materials that:

Aren’t too heavy
Can take some compression in a well-packed bag
Don’t need ironing after hours in a suitcase
Are easy to pack (i.e. nothing with too much boning, tough structural elements, or being too bulky)
Don’t stain or hold odours easily
Dry fast if you need to wash them

Cotton-modal blends and lightweight jersey constructions are often a good choice. Remember, pure cotton wrinkles badly under compression but, at the other end of the scale, purely synthetic fabrics hold odours more over multiple days of wear and are often less comfortable in warm climates. Synthetic blends are often the best choice for general travelability. Still, make sure to match your clothing to the environment you’re heading to as far as possible.

Think about the environmental impact of what you’re packing, too. The United Nations Environment Programme has documented the high environmental cost of fast fashion textile production. And it’s shocking and you have to think about all that micro plastic that not only your clothes are shedding but you do potentially inhale as well.

So, where you can, try to invest in fewer, better-quality pieces that will last across multiple trips rather than buying cheap and replacing frequently (which is ultimately more expensive as well).

Query before you pack

Ask yourself this before committing any piece of clothing to a solo travel bag: could you wear this for a full day of walking, sit in it comfortably at a restaurant in the evening, and wash it overnight in a sink without it being unwearable the next morning? If the answer to any of those three questions is no, the piece might not be the best choice.

And if all else fails, you can usually buy additional pieces in your chosen destination, and you might even want to go shopping. Just pack the absolute basics and then either build some eventuality pieces (and only some, don’t go overboard) around that. AND always leave a little bit of room in your suitcase for when you do want to add. But make it little, so you are forced to not go overboard either. Let’s not have regrets lugging that heavy piece of luggage back home either.

Building outward from the basics /accessorise

Once the foundation is right – casual pants, a few neutral tops, one reliable outer layer – the rest of the wardrobe is a lot easier to put together. Stop adding for coverage and start adding for fun and fashion. For example, pick a few scarves, shawls, or jewellery pieces that can dress up a basic outfit, or throw in a lightweight cagoule that will keep you dry on boat trips and rainy days. Even a long shawl can be draped around your shoulders on a breezy evening or boat cruise, helping you unpack a cardigan you might carry around for nothing all day.

Ultimately, the key to saving your poor shoulders without sacrificing your solo travel clothing needs is to find a few versatile pieces that can handle a variety of contexts and situations. Think about practicality first and foremost, but don’t feel like you have to be completely unfashionable on your trip.

Remember, the right neutral bases can be surprisingly fashionable with a few well-chosen accessories and there are a lot of different ways to combine essentials to create different outfits for variety.

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