Outfit Ideas for Traveling – 5 Outfit Formulas To Maximize Every Piece!

I know packing can be challenging. Trust me, I’ve always been an over packer until I had no choice but to learn how to pack when we started living on the road full time. I’ve been living out of a suitcase since September 2021, so believe me when I tell you that I know what works and what doesn’t. That’s exactly why I wanted to write this post and share some outfit ideas for traveling and useful outfit formulas to help you create your own version of any of these looks with pieces you probably already have in your closet!

Of course a lot of these following outfits don’t work for all kinds of weather, but I do hope to at least provide inspiration and value on how to think about how to create your own outfit ideas for traveling. And also know that you can apply any of these tips to your every day life too!

Ready to learn how to create your own outfit ideas for traveling? Let’s do it!

*This post contains affiliate links. Which means if you shop for certain things by clicking the links in this blog post, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! Thanks in advance for supporting Ways of Style!

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

How to start thinking about your own outfit ideas for traveling?

First things first; think about your destination.

Weather, season, what type of activities you’ll be doing, what type of clothes you’re comfortable with, etc. Then you add to the mix your own personal style and how much space you have in your suitcase. I always recommend packing light. Travel days are hard as they are already, so why add a heavy suitcase(s) to the mix? Especially if you are not going to wear a lot of these things! That’s why it’s good to create your own outfit ideas for traveling way in advance.

I love writing about seasonal capsule wardrobes and about minimalism in general, but a couple of weeks ago I wrote a post with a 7-piece capsule wardrobe checklist that I really think you can find useful if you don’t know where to start!

There are 7 pieces I bring with me all the time and you will see them a lot in the upcoming photos styled in many different ways. Those pieces are:

• A linen white button down shirt | Another GREAT linen option
• A white T-shirt | (Best T-shirts and basic pieces in general are from this brand)
• Leather White Sneakers (best sustainable sneakers without a doubt. Me and my husband both have these!). The problem with these is that you have to pre-order them. If you don’t like leather ones, here’s the link to the white canvas ones and I also like this brand a lot! (look for the Royale style)
• A plain midi skirt (mine is sold out but this is where I usually get my skirts)
• Wide leg pants (comfiest and best fitting pants are from here)
• Black Comfy Pants (these are the best pants in the world!)
• A plain crewneck sweater | My favorite sustainable sweaters are from this brand! It’s expensive but worth it, BUT this brand is also sustainable, fits well and it’s more affordable.

Outfit Formulas To Help You Create Your Own Travel Looks

Here are five outfit formulas I follow for most of my travel outfits. We just got back from spending 3 months in Turkey and I only brought one medium suitcase and didn’t buy anything.

So, I went back and looked at all the outfits I wore in Turkey for the past 3 months and that’s why I decided to write this post with the most basic (but still cute and stylish) outfit ideas for traveling. Because I noticed I really don’t have that many outfit formulas… I always follow the same rules but with different pieces and I was able to create over 60 different outfits in 3 months (without buying a single thing!). But more on that in the next blog post :)

So, without further ado, here are my top 5 fool-proof outfit formulas for creating cute travel outfits all the time:

Outfit Formula #1: Any Button Down Shirt + Dress + Sneakers or Flat Sandals

I always have 2 or 3 button shirts with me. I packed 3 for our recent Turkey trip; one green one, one white linen one and a chambray one. Button down shirts are your best friends when traveling! And this applies no matter where you go and for your every day life. They are so useful!

You can tie them around your waist, wear them as a beach cover up, layer them in many different ways and so much more! Here are some outfit ideas for traveling with a button down shirt following the outfit formula above. It’s simple, you only need the shirt, a dress and sneakers or flat sandals depending on the occasion.

Here’s how it looks like:

Check out this post “Capsule Wardrobe Checklist” for more ways I styled the same white button down shirt following the same outfit formula.

Outfit Formula #2: Button Down Shirt + Bottom Piece of Your Choice + Sneakers (or Flat Sandals)

Again with the button down shirt, yes! They are that good!

This time I want to inspire you to style it with any bottom piece of your choice. Really, it can be a skirt, pants, shorts, jeans… Anything! I am really passionate about showing all the different ways you can style a basic piece like this one! Can you see why I travel with 3 different button down shirts?

Here you have 3 examples:

Outfit Formula #3: Keep It Simple! T-Shirt + Pants or Midi Skirt + Sneakers or Sandals (Accessorize Accordingly)

I never travel without at least one white and one black T-shirt. Actually, I always travel with at least 3 different white t-shirts. They are so versatile!

I know you may think they are not the most practical because they are white, but I still insist, they are great for traveling and they make it so easy to create your own outfit ideas for traveling!

You can style them casually yes, but you can also dress them up with a jacket or the right accessories. Never underestimate the power of a good T-shirt!!

This is my favorite brand for T-shirts and basic pieces in general. They are excellent quality and not too expensive. Plus, they are sustainable too!

Outfit Formula #4: A T-shirt Dress + Sneakers or Sandals (that’s it!)

This is my way of saying that you need a T-shirt dress in your life! Something simple, good quality and not too crazy. I originally was going to get a black one, but went for this green option last minute and I’m so glad I did!

It’s so easy to style. I wore it to go out with sandals and a denim jacket, for easy hikes with my favorite travel birkenstocks and with white sneakers for an easy breezy, yet cute look! (browse the best sustainable sneakers here!)

Outfit Formula #5: T-shirt or Cami + Long Cardigan + Pants + Sneakers

This is another solid outfit formula that you can use to explore a new city and it’s also great for travel days!

Our trip started super warm, but as we headed east and then north, it got a lot colder so I had to get creative with the layers. I wish I had packed more sweaters/long cardigans honestly, but they take so much space out of my suitcase. That’s why I only packed a few. But hey, I was able to create enough cute travel outfits.

Here are two looks following the outfit formula above:

Best sustainable long cardigans and sweaters are from this brand! They are an investment, but so so worth it!

Bonus tip: Pack your denim jacket!

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how much I love denim jackets!

I only have one and I bring it everywhere with me! Why? Because you can pretty much add it over any look. It’s an easy way to look stylish and well put together. Denim jackets go with everything! I recommend having a medium washed one like this one.

Tips to help you pack better:

• Use compressible packing cubes! These are my favorite because they are compressible so they do help you save a ton of space and keep your suitcase organized. This is how I organize them: tops, bottoms, sweaters (if applies), workout clothes, beach stuff, underwear and dresses. These are the ones I have and I love them so much!!! Plus, the company who makes them is owned by other travel bloggers, so we love to support them in any way we can :)

• Never underestimate the power of an all-black outfit! I made it a point to pack same colored tops and bottoms. It doesn’t have to be always black, but black is so easy! I will try a different color for our next adventure, to share with you more ways on how you can do this too! Here are a couple of examples with black:

• This one might be obvious, but make sure your top and bottoms have colors in common. For example, I packed 2 black bottoms, so I made sure some of my tops were black or at least had some black. This way you can really maximize what’s in your suitcase by mixing & matching. When you pack a lot of neutrals and just a few prints, it makes it so much easier to put pieces together! Here are some ways I pair my printed bottoms with striped pieces or simply with a black top. It’s very important to remember to pack prints that work well together with each other.

• Before you put anything in your suitcase, make sure you can style every piece in at least in 3-4 different ways. I like to organize everything in piles and look around at all the other pieces I’m packing to see if they work well together. If I see something I can only style once, then I don’t pack it. This is specially useful with shoes! You’ll be surprised with how much you can edit out of your suitcase by doing this before you put everything in. And you will save so much space!
• Pick 3-4 main colors. The colors I choose for this Turkey trip were: Black, white and green. Then you add a couple of grays, denim pieces, prints and cute accessories like headbands, hats and earrings and you can pretty much mix and match all the pieces together!! For my next trip I’m going to try and pick different colors to spice things up a little bit and show you guys, so stay tuned :)

Not Ready To Leave? Read These Posts Next!

• What To Pack For A Beach Vacation
• 15 Best Travel Essentials For Women
• Comfy Airport Outfits (What to wear and what NOT to wear!)
• What To Wear With Joggers (21+ Stylish Looks!)

Final thoughts about outfit ideas for traveling

Any thoughts? Let me know in the comments below! I really hope you found this post useful and that you feel inspired to create your own version of any of these looks.

Again, it really makes all the difference to pack light. It makes travel days easier and it will be so much easier to get dressed every morning. Plan your outfits in advance and you are in for a great start to your vacation!

In the next post I will be sharing ALL of my Turkey outfits, so you can really see how much it’s possible do with each piece and how versatile some basic pieces can be.

Thanks so much for stopping by and see you next time!

XO,

Aimara

Did you find inspiration to create some outfit ideas for traveling? Please pin it!

Related travel style and capsule wardrobe posts you may also like:

• A 7-Item Capsule wardrobe checklist – Plus, 25 outfit ideas!
• How to Create your own capsule wardrobe for Traveling – European Summer Edition
• How to build a Summer Capsule Wardrobe
• How to create your own Capsule Wardrobe for Fall – Which pieces do you actually need?
• How to create your own minimalist wardrobe – Explaining the difference between a capsule wardrobe and a minimalist wardrobe
• For travel related blog posts, read our travel blog! And our viral blog posts about Isla Holbox (and why you shouldn’t visit!)

*This post contains affiliate links. Which means if you shop for certain things by clicking the links in this blog post, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! Thanks in advance for supporting Ways of Style!