What I packed, what I wore and where we stayed in Lisbon

Hand luggage only edition

I got back from Lisbon on Friday, I travelled hand luggage only with my 6 year old daughter and it was such a special few days - what a city!

It was not my first time in Lisbon, I styled a catalogue brand out there around 7 years ago, I remember it being beautiful but the geography of the city was very vague in my head (styling on location is usually very intense - 5am starts until sundown and then steaming and prepping until you go to bed - so as glamorous as it sounds it’s very much not a holiday). Thankfully, it’s easy to navigate (a fair few hills!) and although there are some sights that are considered ‘must-sees’, generally you can just meander the cobbled streets and eat and relax your way around the city with ease. We found the tram, buses and trains a breeze (even with a 6 year old) and it is just 40 minutes on the metro from the airport to the centre of Lisbon.

What I packed (and wore)

A great friend and work colleague Laura Fantacci (of WIT BLog, now Wardrobe Icons) once told me to pack to a colour palette, which is how I usually pack. This time was a little different but it was essentially a colourful capsule, broken up with black and navy (this would also work with denim).

We travelled hand luggage only for this trip - 4 days, 3 nights - so I was pretty strict with what I packed. I couldn’t afford to pack any ‘just in case’ outfits and everything needed a duality to its look.

It was also the first European city break I had been on this year so I wanted to wear my favourite, vibrant items - but it was a city break so had to rely on ‘outfits you’d wear outside’ in 27/28 degree heat.

I decided the best way to get the most out of my outfits was to strictly plan them. Sounds fun, huh?! I swear by lists when packing, I use Microsoft To Do (but I’m sure there are lots of other versions out there). The best thing about it is the list sharing: Chris and I both have access to it and can both add and tick off items. I have a master packing list and whenever items are ticked off, I can add them back on for the next trip (it’s especially great for kids’ packing).

There’s a downloadable packing list available on my old website (you can still download it here!) but these are much easier to personalise and update (again, with kids, we no longer add nappies or prams - so liberating!).