We vacationed in Greece for twelve days back at the beginning of September. We went to Athens, Milos and Corfu, and had an absolutely magical time! One of our favourite trips ever. It was hot, humid, and sunny during the day, and only slightly cooler at night. We had a few very dramatic thunderstorms too. We covered a lot of ground, walking between 13,000 and 20,000 steps a day across all sorts of terrain. We were up to see glorious sunrises, and headed back to our hotel room close to midnight after a late dinner and stroll. Our jam-packed days were long, and we enjoyed every minute of them.
Our days were generally split into three very different parts, and I needed a different outfit for each part. Generally, I under-packed and could have used at least two more outfits for the first part of the day. It was hot, so day outfits could not be worn multiple times without laundering them. We did not have easy access to laundering facilities.
Here’s the capsule in more detail. You can also see many of my vacation outfits on the YLF Instagram channel.
1. Morning and Afternoon Excursions
I wore this outfit for most of the day. To combat the heat, it was a lightweight summery outfit made of natural fibres. I finished off my look with ankle-strap flats or gladiators, a dressy crossbody bag to match, eyewear, and sun hat. I am very sun-unfriendly, and wore a hat whenever I wasn’t in the shade. I packed a sun hat, and bought another with an even wider brim in Milos. An absolute wardrobe essential.
These are the items that I packed for this part of the trip. It excludes my travel outfit, underwear, and jewellery.
Everything worked beautifully except for the sleeveless dresses and shorts. The relentless beating sun is VERY strong, and too strong for my bare skin despite the liberal application of sunscreen. I developed a terrible sun rash on my exposed arms and legs during the day. My skin needs the protection of very light and loose cotton and linen layers to feel comfortable. The sleeved midi dresses, co-ord tops and bottoms, white cropped jeans and long-sleeved shirts were ideal. I should have packed more cotton and linen long-sleeved dresses, my super thin white cotton pants, another long-sleeved shirt, and another covered cotton co-ord.
My ankle-strap flats and gladiators were the absolute stars of the capsule. You can read more about these unexpected wardrobe winners here. Surprisingly, I only wore my sneakers on planes and at airports.
2. Late Afternoon and Early Evening Beach and Pool Time
These outfits came from my refreshed beach and pool capsule, and were a slam dunk. I was under the umbrella in the shade the entire time unless I was swimming. I tried to swim in the shade too. The items worked extremely well, with no swimsuit malfunctions. I wore the white gladiators for shoes, which you can see in the above collection. I forgot to pack my beach bag, but the hotels provided them, as well as beach towels. Sorted.
3. Dinner and Evening Activities
People in Greece dress up for evening drinks and dinner. At the resort in Corfu, I could have worn my dressiest Summer clothes and fit right in. I loved that! I could have packed a few more evening outfits since I wore the two you see here frequently. Yes, bags are my thing, and I packed and wore a smaller bag for evening activities.
Since it was hot at night, and I learned that I couldn’t wear sleeveless dresses during the sunny day, I wore them to dinner instead. No sun! That worked out perfectly.
My travel capsule worked well, although there was room for improvement. I felt pulled together, comfortable, polished, and energized. Next time I vacation to a place like Greece in the Summer, I will know exactly what to pack.
