In this episode of Unpacked by Afar, host Aislyn Greene overcomes her own overpacking tendencies, with the help of Wendy Mak, stylist and author of The Capsule Wardrobe: 1,000 Outfits from 30 Pieces. From functional footwear and carry-on essentials to “lip-stick” underwear and other space-saving hacks—she applies the capsule wardrobe philosophy to the unpredictable world of travel.
Transcript
Aislyn Greene: I’m Aislyn Greene and this is Unpacked, the podcast that unpacks one tricky topic in travel each week. And this week, we are unpacking packing. Because for me, it is a challenge. I work with a couple of people who are excellent minimalist packers. And maybe you are too? Or maybe you are somewhere between myself and the minimalists? Regardless of our packing styles, I think there is always room to improve. So I reached out to Wendy Mak, a stylist based in Sydney, Australia. Wendy is the author of The Capsule Wardrobe: 1,000 Outfits From 30 Pieces.
I knew Wendy from a story I reported way back in 2017 (there’s a link to it in the show notes), and I wanted to see how her philosophy has evolved. So in today’s episode, she shares how to create a travel capsule wardrobe, her go-to travel shoes, and how she really packs when on the road.
Aislyn: Wendy, welcome to Unpacked. It’s so nice to meet you. So nice to have you here.
Wendy Mak: Nice to see you.
Aislyn: We’re here to talk about your work and the reason that I came to know you, which was through this wonderful book that you wrote called The Capsule Wardrobe. So I thought we could start there, with having you share, What is the book? What is The Capsule Wardrobe? How did you start that?
Wendy: Yeah, sure. The Capsule Wardrobe is a book to teach women how to mix and match 30 pieces into 1,000 outfits. And the reason why I wrote it is because I was doing a lot of one-on-one personal styling at the time. And I noticed that the clients that I had were asking me the same questions generally over and over again.
And that was usually how to maximize their wardrobe and how to really get a true mix-and-match wardrobe that they could, you know, essentially use for many different occasions and not overly invest in financially.
Aislyn: And I love this idea of maybe, you know, thinking more upfront about your wardrobe and what you’re putting into it so that you don’t have to think about it so much in the day-to-day. Was that part of the concept?
Wendy: Absolutely. I think removing that stress of waking up and going, What am I going to wear? And, certainly in a travel situation, What am I going to pack? I think that was also a pain point that I saw in my clients, was they wanted something that they could kind of almost set and forget and not really have to stress out about. Some women love clothes and love shopping and love getting dressed up—and others don’t.
So this book is really for those that, you know, just wanted to take all of that pain and the stress and the thinking away and just have kind of a blueprint to really help them just navigate day-to-day dressing.
Aislyn: And how did you think about that as it relates to travel? Like, how does the capsule wardrobe relate to the suitcase and the travel environment?
Wendy: Yeah. It’s the same philosophy. I think when I talk about the capsule wardrobe, you, you can have different capsules for different occasions. So you can have a work capsule, you can have a weekend capsule—the, the, principle and the philosophy is the same. Take a few really classic basic items, make that 80 percent of the base of your wardrobe, and then in that last 20 percent, you want to have accessories, fun pieces of clothing, accent colors, stuff that actually adds the jazz and the fun to your basic minimal pieces, and that’s the same philosophy for travel.
Eighty percent of what you’re going to pack are your staples, the classics, minimal colors, solid block colors, generally speaking, and then 20 percent of what goes into your suitcase is going to be the stuff that brings you joy and fun into your travel wardrobe: accessories, scarves, patterns, colors, that kind of thing.
Aislyn: And when you say “block colors,” do you recommend that people pick a certain base palette, or do you have one that you recommend?
Wendy: Yeah, generally speaking, I’d say stay in the neutrals. Most of the time I will say have a black or a dark, essentially a dark color. Black may not be your choice. It might be charcoal. It might be gray. It might be navy. But you’ll have a darker sort of colorway as one of your core, main colors for the 80 percent.
And then you’ll have a neutral. So whether that’s white, off-white, cream, khaki—whatever it is that best suits you and what you love most—you’ll have that. And then you can have another sort of base color, which might be a denim. If you are already doing a black, you might introduce a navy or a gray. So that’s essentially three to four base colors that you’d be looking for.
Aislyn: Well, I would love to get deeper into some of these tips and how, and some examples on, like, how you would do a capsule for, say, a warm-weather environment versus, like, a cold weather. But I’m curious to know—because we first connected, it was almost seven years ago, I think . . . ?
Wendy: That’s crazy.
Aislyn: It’s wild. But I was looking back at that.
And so, I was curious to know how your approach to styling and the capsule wardrobe, and especially as it relates to travel, has changed or evolved over the years, or maybe just deepened?
Wendy: Look, it’s changed. I think if I could write that book all over again, some of the illustrations and the pictures would be different to reflect sort of what’s more current in terms of today’s trends and styles. So some of the shapes and silhouettes have changed over time, obviously, you know, I mean . . .
Aislyn: Yeah.
Wendy: That’s just life. But as a simple example, I think the jeans and the trousers that I picked in the capsule wardrobe, you know, back then it was all about the skinny jean. Now, you have a lot more of the wider leg cut, and that’s reflective of the trends that we see today. So, I certainly would adjust and update that a little bit, but everything that you read in terms of the philosophies, the theories, the ideas still apply today.
Aislyn: And do you still adhere to this throughout your own fashion choices and travel?
Wendy: Yeah, I do. I mean, I’ve definitely—I think the other big change that has happened since we first connected is there is a lot more fast fashion in the world. Online, especially, we’ve really seen a burst of very, very, very fast, cost-effective fashion that you can just buy online. So I think the temptation is there to sort of just buy a whole bunch of pieces, and definitely during COVID . . . I’m going to admit I was, I was one of those people, you know, I’m sitting at home bored.
I’m just, like, shopping online because that was the only thing we had to do. So I definitely, in that period, didn’t really adhere to the capsule wardrobe philosophy. But now that we’re past all of that, I have really, I’ve actually just renovated my wardrobes at home. And one of the things I did was just really take it back to the capsule wardrobe philosophy, and I love it because I can open up my wardrobes and see everything I own, and it is such a refreshing feeling.
Aislyn: Well I would love to get to some of the specific tips that you, that you share that have been so helpful. So, OK: Say you’re going to a weeklong, sunny-weather destination. How would you approach your capsule wardrobe?
Wendy: I personally would suggest separates over dresses, because you get a lot more wear out of separates. You can mix and match a lot more. So I would probably pack a lot more things like shorts and tees and shirts. And you’ll see that a lot in my packing style. I’ll throw in a couple of dresses for when I have a nice dinner out, or maybe I’m going out somewhere, but generally speaking, you won’t get a lot of wear out of dresses.
And I think that one of the things that people do tend to fall into the trap of—you know, especially for beach holidays—is they’re packing a lot of dresses, and you only get one, two wears out of those before you kind of feel like everybody’s seen that, done that.
So you don’t really maximize your wardrobe when you’re doing dresses.
Aislyn: Do you think of a jumpsuit or a onesie as a dress?
Wendy: I think it has the same effect as a dress in that you don’t really get to mix and match it with something else to create a totally different look. But, you know, there are some lovely jumpsuits [out] there, so I’d throw it in the dress bucket for me.
Aislyn: What about something like a . . . so I’m selfishly asking this because I’m going to Japan in a couple of weeks, and we’ll be there for three weeks, and it’s fall, and the weather’s kind of interesting because it’s sunny. It’s not supposed to drop below the 60s, but it’s also going to be rainy, and I’ll be walking a lot.
So how would you approach something like that? Because, for me, I really struggle with footwear. Like I cannot seem to pack fewer than four pairs of shoes.
Wendy: Yeah. I mean, shoes, so let’s tackle your shoe situation first. I think shoes are one of the trickiest things to pack for anyone. I generally start with one pair of trainers that hopefully—I don’t know if you call them something else in North America, but we call them trainers, just sneakers, like that kind of thing.
But a pair that will double up for if you do. If you’re like me, you know, I work out quite a bit. So I try to find a gym wherever I travel. So I do pack a pair of trainers that doubles up for both those. So I can do my gym workout, but I can also go sightseeing and wear it with, you know, a pair of trousers or a pair of shorts.
And I don’t feel like it looks totally, uh, out of place if I’m sightseeing. So I do try to double up on that. I do find Ons are one of those, the brand. . . . Um, so Ons is a footwear in that category that tends to bridge that gap between fashion and being practical. So that’s one to check out. I then also look for a pair of sandals that are cushioned, comfortable, that I can really spend a lot of time walking in.
You know, that comfy sandal that I think is really important to have that you can walk days in and actually dress it up with, you can wear it with a dress and you can also wear it with trousers and shorts. It’s a brand called Twoobs. I hope I’m pronouncing that OK. It’s spelled T-W-O-O-B-S. I’m sure it will be in the show notes. But Twoobs sandals. I tried them fresh out of the box when I went to India, and I walked for days across all sorts of terrain. And in India, you know, the streets are uneven. It was monsoon season, so it was wet. And I did not get one blister. It was just the most amazing pair of sandals. So that’s my second pair. And then my third pair, if I was going to limit myself to three, would be a pair of dressy flats. So if I did have that nice dinner out and I did have that dress, I’d have something to wear with that too.
Aislyn: Do you adjust your footwear, part of your capsule, based on the length of your trip—like, if you’re going for one week versus three weeks? Or is it more about how little you’re trying to pack or how much you can pack?
Wendy: It’s more about the occasion. So I think if I think about what I’m going to end up doing in that three weeks, if there’s lots of different environments and events and types of things that I’m going to be doing, then I’ll have to accommodate my footwear for that. If, generally speaking, I’m going for three weeks, but all I’m really doing is run-of-the-mill sightseeing in terms of, you know, I’m not doing anything outside of the box or unusual that requires a specific type of footwear. Then I’d be quite comfortable with just the three pairs for that whole duration.
Aislyn: OK. So beyond footwear, what would you suggest?
Wendy: Beyond footwear. That’s right. So definitely layers. I think in an environment that, like the one that you’re going to, there’s temperature variations that you’ll want to account for. So I would do layers. I’d definitely have a couple of singlets or tanks that you could then have under a thin long sleeve top, which you could then layer with a rain jacket or a jumper or something like that.
So depending on, you know, whether it’s evening or whether it’s high noon, you can just sort of take off layers as you need to. The trick with layers is to keep it thin. Avoid bulkiness. The more thin layers you have, the more versatility you have to accommodate for different temperature fluctuations.
The thicker, the bulkier, the less options and choice. You’re either really warm or really cold. So what you want to do is lots of thin layers. And I think for the time of year that you’re going in terms of the rain, I would definitely invest in a breathable rain jacket, but I’d do it in a neutral color.
So that it goes with a lot of things, ’cause the black or the darker rain jackets are a little harder to mix and match with most outfits. So I’d look for a neutral color, like a camel or a khaki, and I’d also look for a foldaway hoodie in the collar. You know how a lot of jackets they have . . .
Aislyn: Oh yes. Yeah.
Wendy: . . . a hoodie that you can roll away and tuck into the collar of a jacket?
That’s really helpful because it means that you just kind of flip the hoodie over and you don’t have to worry about an umbrella.
Aislyn: And I love that idea about thin layers. When you’re thinking about that, are they, are you thinking like cotton, like thin cotton or even like a thin, like, kind of sweater?
Wendy: Yeah, thin cotton, you know, or even a mix, a cotton mix is totally fine. I’m a big fan of making sure that you pack fabrics that travel well, so it doesn’t always have to be cotton.
Aislyn: Yes. What, what fabrics do you think travel the best in your lengthy experience?
Wendy: Iron-free. Anything that is basically iron-free, doesn’t crush. I don’t travel with linen.
Aislyn: Yeah. Oh my gosh. I mean, even though that you run into more steamers these days in hotels, it’s still, like, such a huge thing to have to sit there and, like, steam your pants or . . .
Wendy: No one does it. No one does it. So you end up just looking creased when you go out. That’s the reality. I know I do that. I roll up and the last thing I want to do is actually steam my clothes. So I’m off looking like a crushed Kleenex wherever I am, but you know.
Aislyn: Well, that’s a great transition into your actual packing style. So are you a carry-on or are you a checked-bag person? Let’s start with that.
Wendy: I am a checked-bag person, and that’s because I hate fighting for luggage space. I hate fighting on the plane for overhead locker space. I’d rather just check my bag in and not have to worry about that. I will say, though, if I was traveling for a long period of time, and I’m doing lots of different individual flights and in countries where I’m not really sure if my luggage is going to make it . . .
Aislyn: Yeah.
Wendy: . . . I would probably make a real effort to try and do carry-on. And I do know people, I actually do know people that traveled for about 12 months with nothing but a carry-on. And I say to her all the time, I’m like, I do not know how you did that. But she did. So it can be done. Can be done.
Aislyn: OK. So you have a little bit more room in your checked bag. So are you then like a folder, a roller, or a packing cube person or maybe some combo?
Wendy: I am a combo. I roll anything that’s crush-free that I can roll and doesn’t wrinkle. I put that on the very bottom of my suitcase and then I fold anything that is a little bit less crush-proof. So if I’ve got shirts—I travel with a lot of collared shirts.
So anything like that, I will try to fold minimally. So if it’s a shirt, I might tuck in the sleeve and then just flip it in half, and that’s all the folding I’m going to do. And then I place that very gently on top of all my rolled items. So I’m kind of a combo of both.
Aislyn: And do you, have you used packing cubes . . .
Wendy: I have—
Aislyn: . . . or have you not found them to be . . .
Wendy: I just find everything gets super crushed in them. I also find I lose a lot of things in the packing cube. It’s kind of like the handbag where you just throw a lot of things into it, and you can never see the bottom of the handbag, and you never know what’s at the end, so . . .
Aislyn: Going back to, kind of, the capsule wardrobe, how do you think about smaller things like socks, underwear . . . you know, other kinds of more intimate items?
Like, do you pack for the whole time, or do you use, do you kind of launder as you go?
Wendy: I try not to launder if I can, but I have, for my smalls, I have actually started to pack smalls as a specific brand, which fails me from the top of my head, but I’m sure you can google it. That is, it runs off this philosophy that it’s really thin material. Um, it’s a really thin material that washes and dries in 60 seconds with a hair dryer.
So I’ve tried it. I travel with it. It’s super comfy. It folds. I think they market themselves as—this isn’t the brand name—but they market themselves as being like a lipstick-size undie. And so it fits in, like, a lipstick tube, is kind of where they, where they go with that philosophy. But it really has been a game-changer for me.
I’ll pack only a few of those. I’ll also throw one in my hand luggage if I’m going long haul and I’d like to, you know, just freshen up and change midway through the travel. And that has been really helpful. Socks, I will pack a few more because I find them fiddly to dry. I just find that they take a long time to dry.
So I’ll throw in an extra few, and they don’t usually take up a whole lot of space. I’ll tuck them into shoes. I’ll tuck them into hats or caps if I’m packing one, just to, like, pad out my cap. So I usually find places for socks.
Aislyn: That actually brings up a question that I’m curious about—like, how do you dress for the plane? Do you have a go-to wardrobe? Does it depend on the length of the flight?
Wendy: I do, I do, being in Australia, most of my flights are impossibly long haul, they are very, very long haul. So, being in Australia means I’m just traveling for, like, a day and a half before I get anywhere significant. So, I do have a few rules that I try to live by to make my travel outfit as comfortable as possible, because it really is anywhere from 24 to 36 hours that we’re in transit for.
I like a skinny leg and a comfortable bottom. So, kind of like a jogger. I’ll wear a jogger, but I like a skinny leg with a loose ankle cuff. The reason why I do that is because I don’t like my pants dragging on airplane floors and bathrooms. So I find that when there’s an ankle cuff, if I’m going to the bathroom, if I drop my joggers, I know we’re oversharing here, but if I drop my joggers to go to the bathroom . . .
Aislyn: No.
Wendy: I don’t have the long, loose end of my pants dragging on the ground, and I’m not picking up any kind of “germies” along the way. So that’s one thing, but I’ll do that in a very soft, usually a jersey fabric just so that it’s super comfortable. Drawstring waist so that, again, I’m really comfortable.
Then I do layer on top because, again, there’s just temperature fluctuations in cabins and that sort of thing. So I will do a tank. I will do a long-sleeved cotton top that I can layer. I will bring a super comfy, snuggly jumper that I can just put myself into and hide from, from the world.
Wendy: So I do pack that, and then I do pack a change of clothes and a change of smalls in my cabin bag as well.
Aislyn: Also you have these really long flights, but you also never know when and if your luggage is gonna catch up to you.
Wendy: You never know. You never know. But yes, definitely, I like to try and freshen up in between.
Aislyn: Well, do you have a certain suitcase or luggage brand or, you know, whatever you bring for your carry-on that you like, that you prefer, or do you try different things over the year?
Wendy: I’ve tried different things over the years, and I now go, if I’m super long haul, I will do a wheelie carry-on. And that’s just because I just find that as you’re in transit and airports, and you’re trying to get from connection to connection, it just gets super heavy. And so having the wheels, I’m just really grateful for, but generally speaking, I try to go with a backpack for my cabin carry-on now.
And that’s just something that’s just worked really well for me. So I just try and do a backpack. It’s, it’s all about weight and shoulder pain and that sort of thing. I know I sound really old now, but I am at that stage where . . .
Aislyn: No, no. It’s so true.
Wendy: . . . hauling, hauling a big bag over your shoulder, and you’re trying to run from one end of the airport to the other . . .
It’s just, it’s not super comfortable anymore.
Aislyn: Well, do you have any brands or designers in that vein that you would want to share with listeners, especially that might be particularly good for travel?
Wendy: One, which I love, which I think is an Australian brand, is called Bon Maxie. And it’s B-O-N M-A-X-I-E. They have the best toiletry bag in the world. And I have spent, yes, years and a lot of money experimenting on all sorts of different toiletry bags.
I just never found one that I was happy with. This one has finally, I think, I think I finally arrived at my, my go-to toiletry bag.
Aislyn: Why? Because I have also tried so many different toiletry bags over the years. So I’m curious to know what it is about this one that has worked so well for you.
Wendy: It is interesting because it’s a kind of [an] almost boxy shape. It’s a soft toiletry bag, but it has more of a boxy kind of shape, and it fits so much, but I never lose anything in it because it’s got a lot of slots and a lot of pockets on the inside. So, I’m putting things into slots and pockets and little elasticized sections, and it just keeps everything in there, but it is absolutely amazing how much I can fit in that.
And I still find, I still know where everything is in my toiletry bag. So it is, for me, it’s been, it’s been terrific.
And just another random tip for jewelry. If you go into Amazon and you just, uh, I think you google “plastic display cases.” I will find a link because I know I’m going to do a terrible job describing it, but they’re essentially little plastic—literally it’s like a little snap case, and it’ll have a little black plastic frame around it.
And on the, in the middle is just almost kind of, like, cling wrap. And what you do is you open up this case, and you put in your necklace or your bracelet or your earrings, and you snap the little case shut, and you can see your jewelry through this clear cling wrap in the middle, but the black plastic frame around it gives it this sturdy protection, and it’s super light, so I can pack all my jewelry without getting it tangled.
I can see my jewelry straight away, and it’s so protected from any kind of damage. It’s just, it’s been terrific to travel with.
Aislyn: Yeah, that’s a great tip, because necklaces can get so tangled, and I like the idea of everything being in one place. Well, I’d love to have you, kind of, open the suitcase for us and share what you packed for your most recent trip. Maybe it’s that India trip that you mentioned.
Wendy: Ah, yeah. I mean, my most recent trip was to New Zealand. It was for a friend’s wedding. I had the world’s biggest check-in bag for just two nights because I could not decide what to wear for this wedding. So I packed, like, six different wedding outfits, six different pairs of shoes to go for each outfit. So that’s probably an unusual situation.
I don’t normally travel like that. When I went to India . . .
Aislyn: But it shows that you’re human like all of us.
Wendy: Exactly. But it goes back to occasion dressing, you know? So I think when you travel, there are going to be moments where the reality is, you’re going for a special occasion. You might throw in some sightseeing, you might throw in some extra travel, but you have to account for all of those situations.
So you can’t really always travel totally minimalist. It just really depends on the purpose of your trip. My India trip was one where I packed a lot of separates. ’Cause it is still quite humid and warm there, despite it being monsoon season. A rain jacket. But I did also pack a couple of dresses. I just wanted to really immerse myself into that colorful Indian culture.
So I did throw in some extra dresses that were super bright, super fun. ’Cause I just wanted to be in that moment. And not just be boring, minimalist all the time. I wanted to actually, you know, within their colorful culture and environment, I wanted to feel that kind of joy and happiness as well and channel that through my clothing. So I, I packed a few extra things.
Aislyn: How many items would you say that you had, and then how many outfits would you say? Just roughly.
Wendy: Roughly, I think I had maybe two, three pairs of shorts, no more than that. One or two pairs of trousers. And that was mainly for the airport, for the airplane travel, rather than for wearing on the ground. I had three or four shirts. A couple of tank tops. I did pack one thin jumper just in case, cause I knew that sometimes indoors in India, they really bump up the AC.
So I thought I’d better pack that. And then I had about three or four dresses. So yeah.
Aislyn: Okay. But that’s still, that’s not much.
Wendy: It wasn’t, it wasn’t a crazy amount. And I think that was probably for about 10 days.
Aislyn: Wow. That is really—that’s inspiring. This is going to be my goal for my Japan trip, is to be like you in India and not overpack.
Wendy: It’s hard. It’s a hard thing to do.
Aislyn: Yeah, but I think, like, what you’re saying, because what we’re going to be doing [is] some hiking as part of this trip, and so one of the things that I’m looking for are hiking pants that don’t just look like hiking pants—you know, that I can wear in that environment but then I can use as, like, regular pants when I’m in Tokyo or something.
So I’m not having to kind of pack for two totally separate trips, essentially.
Wendy: I think that you’ve hit the nail on the head, though. I think that if you can make your pieces perform more than one function or purpose, you’ll get more value out of it. And that’s really the capsule wardrobe, you know: Keeping most of your wardrobe minimalist and simple and classic in colors and styles and cut means that you get more value out of it because you can layer it with something.
You can put it on with an accessory. You can change the top or the bottom that it goes with and really change that look. Instantly. And that way you’re getting a lot more outfits for that one or two, you know, for that one piece that you’ve packed there. So I think you’re right. Look for the pants that can double up and do more than just be hiking.
And it’s the same for me with shorts. I look for shorts that I can dress down and if I want to throw it on with a tee and just go to a market in India and just, you know, not worry about it, then I do. But I will also, I will also pack a top that’s pretty, a little bit more dressy, not a tee, and it will go with the shorts.
And if I wear it with my sandals, it just kind of takes it to a different look than if I was doing trainers, tees, and, and a pair of shorts in the market. Yeah.
Aislyn: Well, since you have all of this experience in these years as a stylist, do you have any broader suggestions for travelers on how to dress while on the road? I know it can also really depend on the location and the culture and all of that, but . . .
Wendy: Yeah. I think, um, for me, it’s probably more about still looking sharp and, and, you know, we don’t have to let ourselves go just because we’re being a tourist and, and look scrappy.
Aislyn: Yeah.
Wendy: So I do, like I said, look for the iron-free fabrics. I actually travel everywhere with a lint roller. And that’s probably the stylist in me, where I’m just a little obsessed about wanting to make sure that everything’s pristine and just so with my clothes. So I do pack, I do pack that with me.
But there is probably just sort of one other thing that I do think is really helpful when you travel, is a hat clip. So one of these magnetic clips that hook around the handle of your handbag, and then you put your hat brim in between the magnet, and it just hooks it onto your handbag, and you don’t have to worry about holding your hat as you’re going from place to place. So you just clip it, [it] hangs off your handbag handle, and it’s terrific.
Aislyn: That’s a great idea, because you know, sometimes you really need to have it, but then when you don’t want to wear it or you’re inside or something, what do you do with it? And you’re right. Like, you just end up holding this thing.
Well, we last spoke, like I said, seven years ago, you’ve done a lot more since then. You’re doing more with your work. So would you like to kind of talk about other ways that you work/travel differently now?
Wendy: Yeah, I do. I’ve definitely expanded my blog and my social media. So I cover a few different lifestyle pillars for women over 40, other than travel and fashion. I also cover things like beauty and fitness and food. So it really is one of those things that has expanded over the years. And, you know, I talk about all the pain points that we experience as we’re becoming over 40, when it comes to things like beauty and trying to stay fit and healthy.
And then, on the travel side, I think we’re all really lucky as we sort of enter this era and this stage of our lives. Most of us are lucky enough to be able to travel more and get out more. So that’s why I’ve also started to talk a lot more about the places that I’m going and the things that I’m seeing in the big, big world.
Aislyn: Wonderful. All right. Well, we’ll link up to all your social media and everything in the show notes. Thank you so much, Wendy. It’s been lovely to see you and chat with you.
Wendy: Thank you so much for having me.
Aislyn: And that was Wendy Mak. I’ve linked to several of the things we talked about in the show notes, including the shoes and the toiletry bag she recommended. You can learn more about her health and wellness tips while traveling—she has some great travel workout advice—and other packing tips on her website wendymak.com. You’ll also find links to that, as well as her book, in the show notes. Next week, we’ll be back with a deep dive into our Where to Go in 2025 list.
Billie Cohen: I also love places that are new to me, but also places that I’m sort of familiar with, but now I learn something else. We have Columbus, Ohio, on our list, and I can’t wait to go. And it definitely speaks to the nerdiness in me, ’cause there’s a thriving literary scene there, there’s a new annual book festival, they have a lot of award-winning writers, are from there. Sounds like there’s a great bookstore that I wanna visit there. So that’s really exciting. There’s a place in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on our list. Lennox. Which is, I had no idea, it’s like the epicenter of music in the Northeast, and there’s this big recording studio center there that’s seen a lot of huge names. You can go and then you can also mix that with an experience of sort of the rural Lancaster County. So I don’t know. I love when the list puts a new spin on a place or a region that I thought I knew.
Ready for more unpacking? Visit afar.com, and be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter. The magazine is @afarmedia. If you enjoyed today’s exploration, I hope you’ll come back for more great stories. Subscribing makes this easy! You can find Unpacked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. And be sure to rate and review the show. It helps other travelers find it. We also want to hear from you: Is there a travel dilemma, trend, or topic you’d like us to explore? Drop us a line at afar.com/feedback or email us at unpacked@afar.com.
This has been Unpacked, a production of AFAR Media. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland. Music composition by Chris Colin.
And remember: The world is complicated. We’re here to help you unpack it.
