My top 9 travel MVPs

+ the items that were as useless as tits on a bull.

Won’t the real MVP please stand up? Feat. cap, backpack, striped sweater, sneakers.

Many of you have been dying to know who my most valuable players were in terms of items packed. What did I use daily? What didn’t I wear? What became a non-negotiable, ‘get on my body’ piece? What was pointless? What was a delightful surprise? What was left to rot in my bag?

To be clear, seven kilograms of gear is pretty light on as it is, and you all know that everything I packed was intentional and analysed within an inch of its life - hello, have we met? - but there were certain key pieces that dominated in terms of versatility and practicality, and were wheeled out day in, day out without fail.

Without further ado, here are my TOP 9 MVPs that made our carry-on challenge an absolute breeze:

Come to Mother.

1. My beloved Vestirsi Bella convertible backpack-to-tote (pictured above): This baby was my 2IC, my trusty work horse, my BFF. She came e-ve-ry-where with me, either as a backpack for big adventure days, or as a chic tote for lunches and dinners out. I was stopped in the street THAT MANY TIMES about this bag because of its effortless ‘cool’ factor + functionality. I travelled with the regular-sized Bella in tan. (You’ll see her all over my Instagram highlights.) I’ve had this bag for over a year now, and in my regular life, she fits a laptop and everything I need for work. I’m now looking into the XL Bella in black for when I really need to jam everything + the kitchen sink in, or even for interstate, work-related travel. The Bella is also very popular as a ‘parent bag’ but remains chic-as-shit for the rest of us who have moved on Arrowroot biccies and baby bottles. There is no way I could have done COO travel without her. I will die on the Bella bag hill, so help me God!

2. My New Balance 574 sneakers (pictured above): Hands-down the most versatile sneaker. Clean, streamlined, ultra comfortable, with a healthy dash of street-cred. I walked for hours and hours, day after day in these; I rode a mountain bike down a death-hill in these (#decimatedundercarriage #neverforget); I bicycled 30kms through Tuscany in these.

3. My neutral cap (pictured above): This was whipped out daily. Went back with virtually everything, pulled together a day-look, provided sun-safety, kept my hair tamed. I loved the bone-taupe colour I chose. Chic.

   

4. My sunglasses: I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. Bringing four pairs of sunnies was NOT a reckless packing decision. Not one tiny bit excessive and I have zero regrets. An array of specs allowed me to easily change up my look. Highly recommend! [My signature cat-eye sunglasses are back in stock in 2-3 three weeks. Announcement will be made here.]

   

   Very handy hobbit shoes. Mine were black, but you get the idea.

5. My plastic birki-style slides: Ugly as sin, but honestly SO PRACTICAL. The fact they weigh 4g really worked in their favour, but I was incredibly surprised at how often I reached for these. So handy to throw on for runs to the boulangerie, walks along rocky Italian beaches, or just mooching around the chateau. HOW MUCH DO YOU HATE THAT SENTENCE?

6. My striped cotton sweater (pictured above): The Bonds b&w hero that I flogged almost daily is no longer in circulation, which is a straight up CRIME, but I’ve found something very similar at Target for $30. I can’t tell you how often I turned to this. Early in the morning, late at night, in the car, on the plane - the list goes on. Opt for a light-weight cotton option if you’re heading over in Euro summer, but honestly, I’ve taken this with me on almost every camping/Byron/Fiji/Bribie Island/Gold Coast getaway because it is such a hard-working piece. There’s just something so stylish about a stripe, non?

   

7. My black one-shoulder swimsuit: I mean, it’s the picture of elegance, is it not? A quality piece that made me feel like all that and a bag of chips. You can’t go wrong with a classic black swimsuit. You just can’t. And it doubles as a bodysuit if you need it to. Werk, binch.

   

   A rare photo of me with 7 baguettes. IYKYK;)

8. My printed set: What a Godsend this little Target short-and-blouse number was. Lightweight and crease-free, a printed set will get you out of trouble more than you know. Elasticated waistband - tick; stain camouflage - tick; comfy x 100000 - tick. There’s something about a two-piece co-ord that makes you look put together without even trying. Definitely worth scouting a new season iteration if you’re travelling in the near future.

9. Black leggings: Even though it was hot as hades most of the time, a structured, well-fitting pair of black leggings is always so useful. I was surprised at how often I wore these, as a casual back-up with a t-shirt and slides, as activewear, for those cooler evenings, yada-yada-yada. And because I also wore them on the plane, they get the double-duty tick from me!

HERE’S WHAT I SHOULDN’T HAVE BOTHERED WITH:

• extra bodysuit: I did not touch my black bodysuit. My blue bodysuit was enough. Waste of 50g.

• white ribbed singlet: only wore it once. The white tee did the trick. I didn’t need to double up there after all. Waste of 100g.

• G-strings: I don’t know who I am anymore, but I favoured full briefs ALL THE WAY, the entire trip. Wish I hadn’t packed them. Waste of 17g.

• denim jacket: you were all right. I DID wear it a couple of times, but for what it weighed, I really didn’t need it. My linen blazer was much nicer to throw on and weighed 38kg less.

• socks: I packed 5 pairs when really I could have rotated between 3 pairs. Waste of 23g.

• jewelry: I packed a small pouch containing a few studs and my four favourite fine gold necklaces. I ended up wearing the same studs the entire time, and only one necklace. Waste of 11g.

AND FINALLY, MY SPACE-SAVING TRAVEL SAVIOURS:

If you’re planning to obsess over COO weight restrictions the way I did (highly recommend - it’s my entire personality now), you’ll want to be as strategic as possible with high-use items. I am SO pleased I had these in my travel toolkit:

• Bon Maxie mini wallet: why carry an old-school brick that hijacks your entire handbag when you can have something super cute that’s one third of the size? I will wrestle you in the street if I see you with ye olde abomination. [Psst! Use code LISE20 for a $20 discount across all products on the Bon Maxie website, including sale items. Is it too early to think about Christmas and teacher gifts?]

• Quick-dry gym towels: Ok, these little towels were SO USEFUL! I had two rolled up in each of the boys’ backpack pockets like tiny burritos. They’re so light, incredibly quick-dry, and so worth having on hand for when you decide to swim in a river in Munich but want to be dry for the e-scooter ride home - TRUE STORY. (Psst! Use code LISE10 for 10% off the Cheeky Winx website. How cute are the prints and colours?]

• Slimline glasses case: Honestly, some people are geniuses. This contraption is a phenomenal space-saving hack and you’ll never look back. Also, chic - so chic. Perfect if you wear actual reading glasses, or are a sunglass fiend like I am. Every member of my family has one of these. Dead-set copycats, but I’ll allow it. (Psst! Use code CARRYON10 for $10 off each item across the Fox and Leo website. If you buy three things, you get $30 off.]

Righto, that’s about three lists for you right there, you greedy info piggies!

Coming up next on my Substack spew...Munich and Italy links! I’m talking hotels, villas, boat trips, torture museums, and e-bike tours! Check your inboxes at some point early next week, COOC crew!

PS. If you’ve enjoyed my Instagram holiday diaries and subsequent banter, then I’d love you to take a listen to our podcast. A brand-new season of The Lise and Sarah Show kicks off this coming Monday 24 July and you can bet your bottom Euro that we’ll be deep-diving into some travel tales!