As you may know, I am in Italy now. I challenged myself to bring a smaller suitcase and to pack as little as possible.

This took some thought and planning. What do I need to do? I channeled my cousin, Piera. She travels all around the world, packs light and always looks fantastic!

This was my process:

1. Plan ahead. For me this meant: "go shopping". Yay for me! This also gave me the chance to reinvent my style a little bit. Traveling is a fun time to try a new look!

2. Pack pieces that mix and match. I once asked my cousin after she returned from a trip, "How big was your suitcase?”. It seemed like she had a different outfit on every time she posted a photo. She replied that she did not take much. She just packs coordinating items, then mixes and matches.

3. It's all about the fabric. I chose to pack clothing made of fabrics that will not wrinkle, do not need to be ironed, and can be hand washed and air-dried. Since I will be gone for over 2 weeks, I will need to launder my clothes. This will make it easy.

4. Be light on your feet. I am limiting my footwear to: 2 pairs of shoes and a pair of sneakers, because I always exercise when I am traveling. I am looking forward to hiking the mountain by my family’s hotel, Hotel Serapo in Gaeta.

5. Think small. For cosmetics and personal care products, I'm packing sample sizes and small containers of all my Beautycounter products. Plenty to last the duration of my trip, but no need to bring the full-size bottles that I use daily at home.

With these tips, I am happy to tell you that I brought the smallest suitcase to Italy ever and love all my outfit options.