In case you missed my Croatia travel diary last week, we spent 12 days in Croatia in September, starting with two nights in Split, then a week on a chartered boat, and finally three nights in Dubrovnik. (And I actually started the trip with four nights in Vienna, but that’s another post for another day!) My challenge was twofold: first, packing clothes that worked for both land and sea, and second, fitting them all into a carry-on, because I had a connecting flight in Frankfurt and had heard horror stories about lost luggage. So, yes, I managed to pack enough clothes for two and a half weeks in a carry-on—it’s all about packing cubes, but I also made sure that everything I brought could be worn at least two different ways (you’ll see several items get repeated here). This isn’t everything I packed (swimsuits and cover-ups, for example), but these were definitely my go-to pieces. Here’s what I wore on vacation in Croatia.
On the plane
I have a go-to airplane outfit, which is usually blazer + long-sleeve tee + jeans + sneakers. I modified it slightly this time, layering a lightweight sweater under my blazer because I didn’t have room for it in my luggage (!) and switching out my sneakers for Birkenstocks, because the latter actually took up more space. Pro tip: to save space in your suitcase, wear your bulkiest items on the plane. You can always remove your layers if you get too hot.
Sightseeing in Split
It was HOT when we were in Split so I stuck to shorts and lightweight tops. I wish I had brought more short-sleeved shirts (I don’t own many sleeveless tops) so I will definitely keep that in mind the next time I’m in Europe in late summer. Overall, the vibe in Split felt a little more casual than Dubrovnik, and believe it or not, I only brought flat shoes on this trip, which was a first for me! It was a wise decision, however, since I was walking on cobblestones most of the time. Pro tip: invest in a cute pair of flat sandals!
Dinner in Split (and Dubrovnik)
I brought four packable dresses on this trip (two of which are not pictured here, sorry!)—they were super easy to throw on for dinner and I was comfortable both fit-wise and temperature-wise. I kind of wish I had brought one more dress, but space was at a premium in my packing cube. One thing to note: shorter, slimmer, sleeveless dresses (think a slip or tank dress) take up the least amount of room; the more ruffles, sleeves, or volume you’re dealing with, the more space you’ll have to sacrifice. I will say, however, that in spite of its billowy shape, this dress is made of super-lightweight Indian cotton and rolls up nicely.
Island hopping
Most of the time we were on the boat, I wore my swimsuit and a cover-up for much of the day, however we usually ate dinner in port and we went sightseeing a couple of days, both of which required changing into actual clothes. Again, the vibe on the islands—at least the ones we went to—was pretty casual, and there were cobblestones everywhere, so sturdy shoes were a must.
Sightseeing in Dubrovnik
It was starting to cool down on the last few days of the trip, so I was glad that I had brought my sweater and blazer—layers were definitely in order, especially in the morning. I was also glad that I brought my Free People shorts (which you first saw a couple of weeks ago)—they were probably my most-worn item on this trip! And in spite of making its first and only appearance in this section, I actually wore the H&M dress below quite a bit as well. It’s super versatile—you can wear it with or without the spaghetti straps, and I feel like I could have tried wearing lower on my waist as a maxi skirt too. I’ll attempt that next time!
Day trip to Montenegro
At this point in the trip, I was running out of clothes, which is exactly how it should be on the last day. Again, the weather was kind of cool in the morning, but I definitely shed layers as the day went on. Also, a final note on my color scheme for this trip: in case you haven’t figured it out by now, I went with light neutrals (white and beige) with blue as an accent color. I’ve found sticking to a simple color scheme helps make packing—and getting dressed—so much easier!
