Portugal is calling! We head to the oldest country in Europe, this Thursday October 11th for a ten day trip. I’m much more of a planner than Mike, so I took the weekend to organize our Itinerary and pack. Here again, Mike and I have two very different philosophies: Mike will wait till the night beforehand to pack a bag he wants to check…and I will spend a few hours, several days before I leave, to pack meticulously, in a bag I can carry on the plane, so the airline doesn’t loose my luggage.

When we decided to take this trip, we settled on October due to the off-season weather (it will be mid-seventies) and the minimal crowds (Europe in the summer is hot and crowded!). When deciding what I actually need on this trip, I took into account our activities, the forecast, and wanting to pack as light as possible. The coastal hiking in Portugal looks amazing, so hiking is high on our list of things we’ll be doing, along with kayaking and SUPing. The amount of historical sites, the castles, monetarists, wineries, and old villages are endless, overwhelming even! With the amount of walking we’ll be doing just sightseeing (we’re not renting a car for the first few days) on the gorgeous cobblestone streets, I feel comfortable flats and layers will be the perfect combo. So, I thought I’d write about how I’m tackling the packing for the wonderful adventure we’re about to embark on.

Packing fora trip to Portugal in the Fall (10 days total)

Tip: Pick a color theme, two or three staple colors you’ll coordinate all outfits around. Mine: Navy Blue, Grey & White/Tan

1.  Yoga Pants (3 pairs) – I have pretty colorful yoga pants so I’m planning to dress them up a bit on the days I need to wear them to tour around. Portugal people are stylish, so walking around looking like a sloppy American tourist will not do!
2. Linen pants (1 pair) – I am not a jeans girl, but understand I need a nicer pair of leg warmers as the fall in Portugal is a bit cooler at night (we’ll be on the coast a lot and plan to do water activities: kayak, SUP, charter a boat). These linen pants will be perfect boat attire.
3.  Hiking/Active tops (2 tank tops -Wika/flexible/breathable & 1 long sleeve base layer) – these are clutch for an active day. We plan to hike part of the Fishermen’s Trail near the southern coast of Portugal (in the Algarve area of Portugal) and be outside as much as possible, so these will most likely be worn multiple times. Because we’ll be close to the ocean (and the weather looks a bit gloomy on some days) I thought the long sleeve would come in handy for layering. I can also wear this over or under the dresses I brought for a dress up look.
4. Dresses (4) – I am a dress wear-er for sure. And while you’re traveling, these are so easy and versatile to throw on and pack! All the dresses I’m bringing can be dressed up or down depending on what I layer with.
5. Casual-dressy tops (1) – This will be worn on days when we’re touring and need to look dressier, but not formal. The white, flowy top can be worn with yoga pants or my linen pants for a dressier pants look.
6. Sweaters/Long sleeves (3) – Knowing the weather, I wanted to pack lighter sweaters to layer on top of dresses especially. I have a navy blue and white stripe shirt, a grey & navy blue sweater.
7. Jackets (4) – This is tricky, because I didn’t necessarily want to bring four, seems down right gluttonous! But, it may rain a bit while there – so there’s a rain jacket. It’s a dressier atmosphere and may be chilly at night – navy blue sports jacket.  A hooded puffy – for hiking so will have this in my camel back bag and leave it in there. My jean jacket – a staple and I will wear this on the plane.
8. Shoes (4) – Here again, 4 pairs of shoes seems insane to me -for a ten day trip!? Well, we want to hike the coast – need hiking shoes – it may rain a bit, which won’t stop us from going out – so ya need boots – Some days may be sunny and nice – so flip flops -and the night time on cobblestone streets call for flats. And there ya go.
9. Scarfs (3) – I’v traveled quite a bit in my day – Africa, Turkey, Belgium, Vieques, Amsterdam, Ireland, Italy, Belize – and the European style of dress always impresses me. And one of the best accessories and items to pack are scarfs. I am bringing a black, a navy blue and a grey scarf to add to my outfits, layer when it’s cooler, and dress up my yoga pants.

I’m so looking forward to exploring this beautiful country – and maybe even look a bit stylish while adventuring.

Cheers to our Happy Adventure!