Left: REI button up and chitengue. Lusaka, Zambia 2009.I'm about to go to west Africa for 3 weeks and have made the executive decision to only carry on. After many lost baggage experiences (including the time I chilled in Zambia for several weeks with 2 shirts, 2 skirts, and a sleeping bag) I've come to realize that all my bad karma gets expressed through the travel bag deities and its better to carry everything I need. To date, I've lived in Copenhagen and Oaxaca out of only one bag and found it to be quite easy. Even if you have good travel karma, I actually highly recommend carrying on. It makes for a faster airport experience, its easier to travel once you're in country, and if you're a girl it makes you look way less high maintenance than you actually are.
Oddly, I've also found the carry on fashion lifestyle to be very liberating. The key is to make sure every piece of clothing you bring matches. That way all bottoms, tops, and shoes match each other and you can create an endless array of ensembles.
This time I'm going with all pastels. The one exception to this rule can be a statement dress for nights out that look completely different than your day clothes. This dress can remind you and everyone around you there's more to your style-more to you- than what they've seen on your vacation. In short: I'm classy, but I'm here to party.
A sample of what I'm bringing: J.Crew boyfriend shorts in green. J.Crew weekend pants in brown. REI beige insect repellent SPF 45 button up. Threads 4 Thought organic vnecks and tank tops. Peppermint "Ride with Me Hi-Lo Dress". Black Chacos. $5 brass feather earrings from Violet Boutique in Adams Morgan. Wayfarers. Laura Mercier SPF 30 tinted moisturizer. John Frieda Brilliant Brunette shampoo. Almond Aloe Moisturizer by earthscience, put into an old Lancome sample jar. Dharma Punx by Noah Levine. ipod.
What I'm leaving: Real Ray Bans. Grandma's wedding rings. Short shorts and skirts. Heels. Laptop.
What I'll buy there: Traditional African fabrics, used as skirts or easily tailored into dresses. The skirts are called chitengues in Zambia, I have no idea what they're called in west Africa. Copper rings. Toothpaste.
Look out for a stereotypical Out of Africa post in a month. Logan is the Robert to my Meryl after all. Well, not really but we will be on the same continent.
