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Minimalist Packing List
Our family just came back from a magical 7-day vacation in Tuscany and we are already dying to go back. This was one of those holidays where everything just went right. A few days before we were to head out on a camping trip (also fun, of course), our friend called us to let us know that his apartment in Tuscany was available and that we could stay for free. Gasp. Are you serious?!
We had no idea what we were getting into when we hit the road. We had yet to see any photos of the place and neither of us know enough about Tuscany to have any clue as to where the house was. 5 hours later and we were (or so we thought) in the middle of nowhere and driving up a very rough road. It was so rough that I had to get out of the car and push rocks left and right so that our very low car would not get stuck on this extremely steep hill. The boys were ecstatic to see that a tractor was parked in the field and while we were singing along to the “tractor song” (thanks, Blippi), we saw about 200 gorgeous sheep being escorted by 3 magical dogs. I swear….it was straight out of a movie.
We pulled up to a huge shrub of greenery, a hand made football field, and a shed that looked like it had just been destroyed by a storm (turns out, the storm destroyed way more than that quite recently). To my right a saw a quaint little archway that was covered in purple flowers. The entrance to our home for the week.
We all unbuckled our seat belts and walked slowly towards the purple flowers. As we inched nearer, we saw what was the most magical scene: A traditional Tuscan home in the middle of a farm. No bells and whistles, no commercial property, no modern anything….just….a house that fairy tales are made in.
We walked around the entirety of the house: huge ceramic pots lined the entire property and were full of gorgeous flowers and plants. 3 little cats came to say hello, a bunny bounced by us, 4 massive lizards crawled over our heads, and a very spunky mixed itty-bitty dog came over to sniff us out. Turns out, this little dog lets the families know if the wolves are near. He came in handy on our last night!
The family who resides upstairs was not home but our apartment had a key just hanging there…right in the key holder. This made me smile…and laugh…and take a deep breath. Trust. You don’t see this much anymore.
I took one photo of the house….on our third night when I realised that I had yet to capture the home. Its not a perfect photo, but I love it. It just speaks for itself. No TV, no radio….nothing but our own singing, our own chatting, and lots of laughter. Each night we sat outside and played board games and card games. Each morning the boys ran outside to the garden and rode their bikes all over the farm and chased the kitties with their little “I FOUND YOU!!” screams. Each afternoon we headed to the sea and played in the sand for hours and hours on end. We hit the same gelato shop at siesta time for our mango and strawberry sorbet and shots of espresso. We piled up in the same bed at night and read the 2 same books over and over again until our littles ones drifted off to dream land. Tip toe and tip toe….we opened a bottle of wine and talked. Laughing at random sounds, running inside when the dog shouted “wolves”, and passing out each night in each others arms.
This was the perfect holiday.
Minimalist Packing: The Toiletries
- Pit Liquor Deodorant: Martin and I are obsessed with this entire company. This scent is whiskey vanilla which I love and Martin loves the coconut rum. They come in spray bottles and roller bottles. They are glass so be careful! (Use code WONDERMAMAS15 for a discount!)
- Jojoba oil: I pick up my jojoba oil from our local farmers market. I add 12 drops of frankincense and 12 drops of lavender essential oils to each bottle before using. This is my face cleanser and face moisturiser all in one!
- My bamboo toothbrush. I packed 4, of course, but for photo sake you just see one.
- This is my favorite hair brush (I own one hair brush and one comb from this company, Tek Hair brushes).
- Plaine Products Shampoo & Conditioner: I do not mess around with my hair anymore and shampoo/conditoner bars. My hair is way too wavy, course, and latin to mess around anymore haha. I nearly destroyed it with the bars. So, I found this amazing company that has a vegan, natural, refillable, and super wavy/curly hair friendly line that keeps my strands hydrated and happy. I would say it resembled the Aveda shampoo line that I was addicted to for years and years before making the switch! If you want to give them a go, you can use the discount code: WonderMamas20. P.s. they do have travel sized ones but with sand and sea water, I knew I had to bring the big ones haha.
- Bandana: This bandana is about 5 years old and I do believe it came from H&M. Probably the only thing that ever lasted this long from that store haha. I use this when I wash my face, when I need a hair band, when I need a head band, etc.
- Bandaids. Because….kids.
- Georganics crush and brush toothpaste tablets. All you do is pop one tablet in your mouth and begin brushing with a wet toothbrush. Bam – you are set.
- Eyelash curler and 100% pure lipstick: I use the lipstick as an impromptu blush as well. This is as far as I go with makeup in the Tuscan heat.
- Tweezers: You all know that I only wax (no razor comes near my body) and tweezers are great for holidays for random clean up jobs.
- Body wash and shampoo bar: This is all my kids and Martin need. We all share the body wash bar!
- Lavera SPF 50 sunscreen: This is made for babies but I love it. It works great and this company is all around amazing. Heads up though: this sunscreen is WHITE. We all look like casper the ghost when we wear it.
- Washable and reusable face wipes: These wipes come with this little bag. Once the wipes are dirty, toss in the bag. When the bag is full, simply toss into the wash and start over again. These work great for oil cleansing.
- This spray bottle is my homemade bug spray made with lemongrass eucalyptus oil, geranium oil, and cedar wood oil.
- The two roller bottles: One has a sleepy roller blend and the other is just a first aid cleaning alcohol that is super handy when the boys get a minor scrape. Just roll this over their cut/scrape and add the bandaid! Genius.
- Wash Cloth: This wash cloth is made of jungle vine and comes from A Million Elephants. Made in Laos, this company is one of my all-time favourites for eco friendly and long lasting products. I also packed along their jungle vine produce bag and wallet!
Minimalist Packing: My Choice of Clothes
- White Linen Long Sleeve Button Up by Sundays Designs: I love this linen button up top because it can be worn on its own over a swim suit, tucked into shorts or tied as a cute crop with a Sarong or skirt. I wore this nearly every day on the trip to protect myself from the sun!
- Organic Basics Tencel Tank Top: This is one of my all time favorite tanks and I own it in three colors. This looks great with the Patagonia hiking shorts, the linen skirt, and just as is with the panties. It is softer than anything else in my closet!
- Linen Button Up Skirt by Sundays Designs: This link is no longer available but any button up skirt will do (or skip all together for a sarong). I wore this a few times for dinner and walking around the amazing Tuscany village.
- Encircled 8 Ways to Wear It Chrysalis Cardi: This is supposed to be able to be worn 8 times but I have found out how to wear it 10 ways! I love to use this as a strapless dress and a skirt (not shown on the site, but super easy to make it happen). This is a capsule wardrobe must have.
5. Athletic Shorts: Any will do. I actually never wore these but I still think they are a smart addition in case you want to work out or go for a bike ride! It was just too hot for any of that haha.
6. Patagonia High Rise Wrinkle Free Shorts: These are my all time favorite shorts. I ordered these during a huge sale last year and I am just in love. They always look good, sit beautifully on my waist, and are extremely comfortable.
7. Kindomshop Dress (This specific one is now gone but there are plenty of options here): I love every single dress from this shop. Just gorgeous and oh so sustainable.
8. Tet Swimwear Jacqueline One Piece Reversible Swim Suit: One side is a beautiful striped color and the reverse is a very cool green. Love this swimsuit! I used this as a body suit as well and paired it with the patagonia shorts for walking around the town. Paired below with my favorite robe by Luks linen!
9. Striped Bikini gifted from a friend (she ordered the wrong size): I love this swimsuit but low and behold, it only held up for about 5 swims before losing all its color and turning into crap (another big reason why we only shop from sustainable brands). I’ll still keep it but gosh….this just reminded me how much we all need to shop with better brands.
10. Two sarongs: One short (very old from my closet) and one long from Nomads Clothing UK: I live in sarongs all year round. I wore both of these every single day and I usually sleep in the longer sarong by Nomads Clothing UK.
11. Two Bralettes: One from Organic basics in tan and one from Hara the Label in green
12. One Sports bra from Indigo Luna: The comfiest sports bra in the world in my opinion (I have tried hundreds in my life). Recommended by breast feeding moms everywhere!
13. Four Panties from Organic Basics, Bhumi Organic and Hara the Label
14. Two sets of earrings: From our local fair trade shop in town.
15. Not shown: I also packed two of my Wuka period panties just in case my period came on holidays. Good thinking because it hit two days before we left! I love my period panties…they make periods comfortable.
Minimalist Packing: The Bag
We have had the pakt bag for well over a year now and it’s my go to for pretty much any adventure including this trip to Tuscany. They also have a very cool back pack that works just like a carry on suit case if you are more of a back pack person!
All of my clothes from above, rolled, and my toiletries fit perfectly into this bag. I also packed along my laptop, charger, documents, my book, and camera supplies. Everything fit beautifully and unpacking is always a breeze. Highly recommend this to anyone looking for a duffel/backpack suitcase option!
p.s. This works as a brilliant diaper bag as well. It fit all my cloth diapers and the gear needed for our 24 hour travel trip to the states. Just unbeatable.
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Welp, that’s all I got for you today! I hope this helps you on your own sustainable, ethical, minimalist, and/or eco-friendly journey. As always, thanks so much for taking the time to visit our little site and thank you so much for all of the support. This post contains a few affiliate links from which we will receive a small percentage of commission. By clicking on the links and purchasing through our links, you help to keep this site alive! Yay!
