Aside from a little makeup and a scarf, jewellery can go a long way in making an outfit that you have to wear all the time seem a little bit more special. When you’re travelling long term, you quickly run out of outfits and often find yourself wearing neutral colours. So it always helps to have a little colour or bling in the form of jewellery.
Having said that, you don’t want to pack anything that may get stolen or broken. Cheap and cheerful is the key for any jewellery you plan to take abroad with you because you don’t want to make yourself a target for theft.
Here are my tips on a few key pieces you could pack for any trip that don;t cost a lot of money but will make you feel like a million dollars.
Wrap It Up
First things first, you’re going to need somewhere to store your jewellery so that it doesn’t get tangled with your clothes, or broken in your luggage. I kept my earrings in a small purse, but that didn’t stop the backs of them from getting bent. I’d recommend getting a jewellery roll as they don’t take too much room in your luggage.
There are many different styles, from this more expensive (but oh so pretty) one from Stella and Dot:
to handmade and even monogrammed ones from Etsy.
Pretty Studs
You can’t go wrong with a nice pair of studs. Even a cheap pair of pearl studs can look classy with any outfit. You can often get some good bargains on jewellery from online stores like Tesco or Amazon, especially when they have sales on. I would say that these may not be the most cutting-edge of styles, though, but are good places to find cheap prices on silver and gold. Target in the US is also great for cheap and colourful earrings.
In my opinion you can’t go wrong with a set of studs like this one from Accessorize. There are usually several different styles, meaning that you’re not stuck with one and can wear them with many outfits. They often feature different colours or different metals as well.
Signature Necklace
The key to taking a plain t-shirt or vest top from day to night is a colourful, oversized necklace. By picking one or two cheap ones, you don’t need to pack anything expensive or fragile and can switch up any boring outfit with ease.
I love the big statement necklaces from Forever 21 and have a turquoise one that I bought in Phoenix that I like to wear with a plain white blouse or black tank top.
Bracelets
It’s easy to pick up cheap and pretty bracelets while you’re abroad, especially in Asia. But if you’re just going on a short trip or vacation and want to have some cute bracelets with you, you can find stylish friendship bracelets in most fashion stores these days.
Bracelet sets like these stretchy ones from Accessorize work like the earrings in that you can mix and match them with an outfit, but they won’t accidentally fall off or attract too much attention.
Waterproof Watch
If there’s one piece of advice I can give you about your travel jewellery, it’s that a waterproof watch is a must. You never know when you’ll get caught in a downpour and anything expensive may get caught on clothing or luggage and break.
I took a pink Casio watch with me that lasted the whole two years. It wasn’t the prettiest watch ever, but it was glow in the dark (another handy feature when you need to know the time in the early hours in a hostel dorm room without waking anyone up!) and did what I needed it to do.
I love these Breo watches because they are bright and colourful and can wear them with any outfit (can you tell I like bright colours yet?!)
I hope this has helped you decide what travel jewellery you’re going to pack for your next trip. If you have any tips of your own, please let me know!
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