ARKTANA TRAVEL GUIDE

Traveling is very exciting! Packing for the trip, however, can be a little rough on some of us who don’t travel as much as others. We called in two travel experts to show us how they pack for a 2 week vacation, and answer our wardrobe and packing questions. For those of you like me who don’t travel as much as we’d like to, I think you’re going to find this information very helpful. However, if you are a seasoned traveler you will still find some very valuable tips from Elida and Krista!

Here is our Facebook Live Video of Krista and Elida giving travel packing tips!  Watch the video below!

Elida Field and Krista Simor travel extensively and were gracious enough to come to Arktana to show us how they pick their wardrobes for a trip! They show us how to mix and match styles and how to fit two weeks of outfits in one carry-on! Elida and Krista feel like it is very important to only bring a carry-on because each of them have had a personal experience with lost luggage on a trip to Europe which dampened the first part of their trip greatly! I was shocked that they could actually put together this wardrobe capsule for a two week trip and that it fits in the carry-on, I could hardly believe it! I will tell you it’s a dream come true for me because the packing part is something that I find very stressful! Here are the highlights of what we discovered in our interview.

Bottoms: They suggest we pick our bottoms first! It is very important to pick bottoms that have a very good fit and style for your body. Both Elida and Krista agreed that a basic comfortable black stretchy pant is their number one choice. We have the black spanx that they thought were the perfect fit. The pants are very comfortable, go with everything and the biggest advantage is that these pants do not stretch out or relax at all. Along with the perfect black pants we need to find a pair of denim that fit you perfectly! JAG Girlfriend Jeans is a great choice because it really does go with everything and can be worn cuffed or down. Just by changing the cuff and adding a scarf you can easily go from day of sightseeing to a night on the town.

A dress or skirt: The next thing they would choose to add to their capsule would be one dress or one skirt. Krista and Elida both chose a black skirt by Yest that goes with everything in their travel capsule. The skirt can be worn on its own, or over a pair of leggings to create several different looks. If you are more of a dress girl then they recommend a simple black dress that can be worn casually or in more formal settings.

Tops: For tops both Krista and Elida agree that layering is the key to traveling and they suggested to start with a basic tank in three different colors, white, black and blue. Along with the tank they suggest bringing a couple T-shirts, one light sweater and one button down shirt with a collar. The tanks can be worn tucked in or untuckedfor several different looks. Wear are the tanks on their own or layer them with the light sweater or shirt. Krista and Elida loved the YEST tanks because they are a little longer than normal and they help add to the layering effect. As for the sweaters they chose a versatile sweater like our Andrea Jovine Sweater and the NYDJ jeans white button up shirt.

Outerwear: They both agreed that one light long Cardigan sweater is perfect for that added extra layer without adding too much to your suitcase. They thought you should also bring a jacket because you never know when the rain is going to come or the weather will shift a little bit out of what the original plan is! The jacket they chose is our long jacket with zip off sleeves. That way you have a vest and a jacket all in one piece.

Shoes: Shoes in my opinion are the most important part of your wardrobe because uncomfortable and hurting feet can ruin any trip! Comfort is a must when traveling and you do not want to sacrifice style. That’s one reason we choose the shoes we do, style and comfort go together at Arktana for this reason! Both agree you only need to bring three pairs of shoes on a two week vacation. Elida was packing for a European trip and chose the  Summit Belinda to be her everyday shoe. It is a platform loafer that really does style easily with skirts dresses pants or jeans. She also chose a sneaker for comfort and walking and one pair of Cordani wedges for her dressy shoe.

Scarves: bring two scarves one light one and one heavier one. These two scarves will give you an instant way to change your look, and they take up very little space in your luggage. If you find yourself at a restaurant that requires shoulders or knees to be covered, or if you visit a cathedral while sightseeing you will be happy that you have a scarf in your backpack that can instantly change your look from casual to more appropriate. A scarf also can be converted into a shawl or a sarong in a pinch to give you even more wardrobe options. We have a great selection of scarves at Arktana that will be able to be added to your wardrobe very easily.

Jewelry: Mix your metals and keep it casual! This is great advice from our travelers and something I agree with very much! Elida ops for two pairs of earrings, one necklace, a few rings and of course her beloved bangles! She won’t feel quite right without the jewelry as an essential part of her wardrobe. She likes to wear her jewelry whether she’s in a casual swimsuit or a formal dinner setting. Krista likes to pick up jewelry on her trips so she packs very few pieces and buys things while she’s traveling, but she will also agree that mixing metals and keeping it casual is very important for travel.

A handbag and backpack: Both of our travelers agree that a backpack and a cross body purse are the only two styles you need to take on a two week vacation to Europe. Use the Tusk backpack for day trips because it’s large enough to carry an extra set of clothes snacks, maps or anything you may need to bring with you for a day of sightseeing but then convert to the Amsterdam Heritage cross body that also can be worn as a wristlet when you need to carry less with you.

Bonus travel tip: Watch the video to see how you can wear your cross body in a way that prevents theft!

Suitcase: Pack it all together in our fabulous  Baggallini carry-on. This carry-on by Baggallini was Designed by two flight attendants and you will be shocked at how much you can fit in it. It’s the perfect bag for your next trip!!

Two weeks of clothes in ONE carry on bag!

Everything we discussed in the video and in this blog is available at Arktana so please be sure to stop by the next time you’re planning your weekend getaway or European vacation! Here are the pictures of all the different outfits you could put together that we discussed in the selection but trust me when I say you could change these up even more and double what you see here! To get in touch with Elida and find out about the amazing vacation she offers please find her at www.elidaart.net 

   Here are a few of the combinations that we put together for Elida: