Today I’m sharing my spring packing list for 2024.
Spring is my absolute favorite season for both travel and shopping. I love the colors, and I LOVE layering. Most of all, I love the thrill of planning a trip as the weather slowly gets warmer.
I spend most of January, February, and March maniacally planning out my outfits for spring and summer travel. We all have our things.
With our trip to Spain and Portugal coming right around the corner, I thought I’d share a list of items that I think are essential for putting together easy outfits on the go.
Something I hear from a lot of people is that they have a hard time not overpacking for trips. This is understandable: we want options! Before I get into the list, I thought I’d go over a couple of packing “rules” that I try to follow.
One way to combat the urge to overpack is by selecting items that mix and match. I try to always create a capsule wardrobe of sorts when I pack for a trip.
Another thing I do–and this is next-level nuts, I know–is keep a note on my phone and write down every day of the trip and what I plan to wear on that day. I even write out the travel day outfits. That sounds insane, and, of course, I deviate depending on the weather and such, but having it all written out allows me to keep everything straight when I’m shopping. And, most importantly, it helps me only pack what I’ll need.
Spring Packing List for 2024
The vibe this year for me, as it will be for always and evermore, is comfy, flowy, easy. Nothing you’ll see on this list will have a restricting waistband, and most of the items I’ve selected look good with each other.
You might notice that this roundup looks similar to last year’s, and that is because I have been wearing the same types of outfits for YEARS on our spring and summer trips. I might be biased, but I think these outfit formulas stand the test of time: flowy pants, linen shorts, colorful dresses, button up shirts. It’s not groundbreaking, but it works.
I’m going to start with some base items, meaning the core of the various outfits you can put together. Then, I’ll move on to some second layer options (vital for spring travel) and, finally, shoes and accessories.
Flowy pants
You know we were starting here, right? Flowy pants are the cornerstone of my packing game.
I wore these Farrah pants from Z Supply several times on our trip to Europe last year and throughout the summer and fall too. These are so comfortable, but the tailoring makes them look put together. I’ve worn these with bodysuits, tanks, and tees. I wear a medium in these.
I have heard nothing but good things about Abercrombie’s crinkle fabric pants. These come in some great neutrals as well as a few gorgeous patterns. It looks like they also carry these in an even wider leg palazzo version–drooling!
I recently got these Splendid striped cotton poplin pants from Nordstrom and absolutely love them. These are super, super lightweight (a suitcase win) and will be so comfy for long travel days or out and about. I’ll wear these with a white tee or tank with a cardigan over my shoulders. SALE ALERT: These are marked down on Splendid’s website this week!
And I am obsessed with these floral flowy pants that just arrived from VRG Girl. I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep these, but they are so fun and comfortable. After analyzing the sizing chart for about 30 minutes, I went with a size 10 and they fit perfect. I couldn’t resist the pink top to go with! I got this in an 8–it’s a little tight but if I leave the bottom half of the buttons on the back undone it works fine and it looks cuter that way anyway? I think the total was around $125 USD (all of the prices on my browser were in AUD which was confusing at first) and they do free shipping!
Matching sets
One thing I always love to travel with is a matching set. The beauty of a matching set is, much like packing a dress, that you don’t have to think about anything: that’s the outfit! And then, of course, you have the option to mix and match with the rest of your wardrobe (are we sensing a theme here?).
Last year, I wore Z Supply’s Sloan Set (top here and pants here) SO many times. These are great for travel days and long days of walking. The jersey material is breathable, flowy, and just looks so cute with Birkenstocks.
Abercrombie has a ton of matching sets right now. I love this eyelet version of their linen pull-on short and the matching button up.
I can’t vouch for this brand but I keep getting ads for these sets from Solaí The Label. Stunning!
And if I see one more ad for Deiji’s 03 Set, I’m going to lose my mind. These are SO cute. You can find these in stock usually at Net-A-Porter too if you want faster shipping, etc.
Comfy shorts
I ordered these belted denim Deia shorts from Sézane to wear with tanks and tees this summer. I feel like these are very casual but also elevated. The belt is too good.
I have gotten so much use out of the older version of these pull-on denim shorts from Madewell. These are so easy to wear and the ultimate “mom” shorts, perfect for road trips and travel days. I love the look of these drawstring denim shorts from Splendid too. And I just stumbled upon these $44 Aerie version.
I also LOVE a linen short for travel. Linen pants tend to bug me a little because of how wrinkly they get, but for some reason, wrinkly linen shorts don’t bother me in the slightest. I believe Reformation has the best in the game–I have the old and new iteration of these Mila shorts in Oatmeal and a Striped version and wear them constantly. And I am definitely tempted to check out these $29 linen shorts from Quince.
These cotton boxer shorts just arrived in the mail from Sonderhaus, and I am obsessed. I will wear these with a tank, over a swimsuit, or with a big sweater at night if it gets chilly. These are so well made and COMFORTABLE. These are really well-priced for the quality. They run a little big–I am going to keep my normal size and just roll them up to fit better on my waist, but I probably could have gone down.
Basic white tanks + t-shirts
Abercrombie has the best tanks. I buy one of these scoop neck tanks in white each year. They also have a longer “tuckable” version.
And I will, of course, need to bring a fresh white t-shirt. Gap carries my all-time favorite: the $24 organic cotton “shrunken” tee.
Comfy dresses
I always pack several dresses when we travel because they are just so easy. For the most part, I try to stick with cotton or linen just because these fabrics are much more comfortable for me on long days walking around.
First up is this gorgeous red mini dress from Gap. Can’t beat the price and the color is perfection.
I am very, very intrigued by Quince’s line of warm weather dresses (should I order a bunch and do a try on haul??). I love this Reformation-esque swing dress, this Jenni Kayne lookalike, and this Dôen dupe peasant dress.
And I am 100% going to order this breezy linen dress (looks like they have a cotton gauze version too!).
I just ordered this beautiful blue floral dress from Z Supply. I love this Beachside Midi too.
Workout dress
The workout dress trend is one of the best things to happen to our generation. I wore my Traveler dress from Abercrombie SO much last year. I love this for travel because it look good with Birkenstocks, sandals, and tennis shoes and is so comfortable on a long day of walking around. You can easily pair this with a chambray shirt (more on that below) or a pullover sweatshirt. I have my eye on this green one this year too.
One piece swimsuit
This is a must if you are going somewhere beachy. I love a one piece because, in keeping with the theme, it kind of serves as an outfit. Throw on a pair of denim or linen shorts, and you’re good to go.
Hunza G is the crème de la crème. I have the Pamela style, and it SNATCHES (and, trust me, I try to avoid that term if at all possible).
A very close second to Hunza G is Youswim. I have 3 Youswim styles and wear them all the time. They are SO comfy and come in the most fun colors. The reason I say these are a close second to Hunza G is because the material is a little less substantial, so you don’t feel quite as snatched. I still definitely recommend them though. One thing to note is you have to treat these carefully: wash on cold, lay to dry, etc.
Button up shirt
I love a button up shirt for travel because it’s a lightweight extra layer that can instantly give your outfit a fresh look. Last year, I brought both a white linen button up and a chambray style button up with me and wore each of them several times. Throw this over a workout dress, leggings and a tank on travel days, or paired with linen shorts.
I will definitely bring my new chambray Max shirt from Sézane on this next trip too because it goes with absolutely everything. If you don’t want to spend as much, the Gap Big Shirt is an amazing option. I had this last year and seriously wore this thing every single day for MONTHS. The only problem I had with it was the shoulders faded a lot from the sun and constant wore which is why I upgraded to a nicer brand when I replaced it. If you’re not going to over-wear it like I did, though, I definitely recommend it.
H&M carries a great, inexpensive linen button down if you want something more beachy.
Neutral Cardigan
I always like to pack one neutral cardigan with me as an insurance policy for cooler weather or to bring out to dinner and such. I purchased this dreamy white open knit cardigan from Sézane a few weeks ago and have already worn it a handful of times. This looks gorgeous over dresses, buttoned by itself with pants, or just thrown over my shoulders.
This crochet Target version looks great too.
Birkenstocks
I always have these grand dreams of waltzing around Europe in a delicate strappy sandal, and then when it comes down to it, I reach for my Birks. Every. Time. I just love how an all-white Birkenstock looks, to the point where I replaced my old tattered ones with the exact same pair before our trip last summer. I’ll wear them every day on our next trip too, I’m sure.
A statement bag
I am loving all of the gorgeous statement bags we are seeing this season from some of my favorite brands. A statement bag is such an easy way to complete an outfit.
Clare V. came out with some really pretty colors in their travel-friendly Midi Sac (read my review here) and Grand Fanny style.
I had been waiting all year for Sézane to restock their basket bags, and I am SO in love with my Justine bag (will post a review soon!). I, predictably, also have my eye on the mini Milo bag.
Madewell came out with a stunning version of their small crossbody tote this year. I’m a sucker for anything woven, and I love the “Pale Oyster” color.
Jewelry + hats + hair accessories
These stackable bracelets from Anthro are my favorite way to spark joy with an otherwise boring outfit. I think I need this baseball cap from Clare V? I’m also banking on these scarves to carry me on greasy hair days.
On that note…
Clare V. Midi Sac crossbody review
For more packing tips and travel resources, click here.
