5 days. 2 ports. 2 people. All we brought was this carry-on suitcase and it was FABULOUS. We even had room left to pack our snorkeling gear!

I should start by saying I am a minimalist. And I hate lugging stuff around on trips. When we visited Paris I way overpacked and got to enjoy hauling my oversized luggage through airports, across cobblestone streets, and up stairs. Nope. Not making that mistake again. Since then I’ve become pretty intense about packing only what I need when I travel. It is the biggest stress reliever and always simplifies my trips in the most beautiful relaxing way.

So of course when Andrew’s parents invited us on a cruise to Mexico this summer (Cozumel and Progresso!) I instantly started planning how to bring as little as possible. I’m sooo glad I did. Having a tiny suitcase made it much easier to maneuver through the ship’s tight hallways and made our snug cabin feel more roomy.

I had to chuckle though when we pulled up with just the one suitcase and the rest of the family was like, “Ugh…is that all you’re bringing?!”. Haha, yep, this is it. Interestingly enough I never felt like I was missing out even though I’m totally the type of person who thinks half the fun of traveling is planning what you’re going to wear when you’re there.

Oh, and in case you’re new to the concept of a “capsule wardrobe” it basically means getting super mindful about what’s in your closet and keeping only what you love + need. It’s seriously amazing and will rock the way you shop so you probably should go research it right now and then go try it for yourself.

 It was the first time cruising for both of us so we had no idea what to expect! Packing for five days in the tropics may not sound too complex but after a little googling I knew I wanted to swim daily, explore two port cities on foot, work out, and stay comfortable through hair melting hot days. Oh, and I had to look like, super cute the entire time. :)

So…what to pack? In order to conserve space I knew I needed every item to serve a double purpose or be worn more than once. That was the hard/fun part. I also need all the clothing to mix and match well without being super boring. I also wanted to have fun and dress to sway with all those tropical vibes!

Here’s what I finally narrowed it down to + how I wore them:

OVERSIZED BLUE T-SHIRT

WHITE CROP TOP SWIMSUIT

STRIPED CROP TOP SWIMSUIT

LACE SKIRT

BLACK SHORTS

FLORAL SCARF

As you can see there are several repeats because multiple items were worn for multiple outfits – just the way a good capsule wardrobe should work! I also didn’t include every single outfit combination because seriously this post would then be like 50 scrolls long.

You’ll also notice I followed the rules for my regular capsule wardrobe and made sure to pack items with a harmonious color story. Everything blends really well together without being boring. Keeping fun textures, colors, and patterns is important for interesting capsule outfits!

For added simplicity I also planned for heatless hair styles so I wouldn’t have to worry about packing a hair straightener, curler, etc. Are there ways I could have simplified even more? Totally. But…it’s not about how little you can bring. It’s about bringing just what you need.

Until the next adventure!