It seems ages ago: our road trip from California to Arizona and Utah. I’ve already shared quite a lot of images form our trip, but they mainly showed big cities such as LA. So it was about time I gave you guys an insight in our not so glamorous travels, aka the best part of the trip. Although I love large cities, there’s nothing better than viewing overwhelming landscapes with the one person you love the most.

We’ve mostly been hiking in desolated areas with no-one around and it was the best experience ever! So hopefully I’ll have some time the coming weeks to edit more pictures and give you an insight in this part of our holiday. First up: what to wear if you go camping and hiking in the middle of nowhere?

We had temperatures ranging from 18 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius; blazing hot sun, strong wind, rain and everything in between. And I wore the same 8 items over and over again (don’t forget to bring detergent and a washing line!).

It turns out you don’t need much:

1. Winter running tights: running tights are ideal for any holiday because they are so light to pack. When you pack a pair of winter tights you know you’ll survive any colder unforeseen temperatures as well (love these from Nike, now in sale).
2. Denim shorts: I brought two pair of denim shorts with me that I wouldn’t mind getting ripped or dirty and was practically living in them because we mostly experienced high temperatures (just take any old pair you already own).
3. Hiking boots: not very glamorous, but you need a good pair of boots!! I bought mine five years ago and they’re still going strong, so take your time choosing one and go to a good store (for the dutchies: this outdoor shop for example).
4. Cotton/linnen shirt: a shirt made out of natural fibers is a must, oversized of course to avoid looking like a hiker too much. And do wear a shirt that covers shoulders and back, I got sunburned pretty much the first hiking day because I was wearing what you see above… (steal from the boys if you need some new shirts).
5. Cotton/linnen long sleeve: same goes for the long sleeve. Super easy to layer and perfect for those in between weather days (H&M has enough (sale) options).
6. Wool sweater: brought two woolen sweaters with me and wore them a lot during the nights and early mornings (Uniqlo is a good place to start looking).
7. Hat: the key to wearing a hat is that you have to find a hat that will have a good fit. Mine was a little expensive (from Rag & Bone) but since my head is relatively small I’m happy I took the plunge. Only super strong winds can blow this baby of my head.
8. Sunglasses: this goes without saying. Avoid wrinkles and just-awake-not-wearing-makeup awkwardness (I bring super cheap ones with me, I lost too many sunglasses when hiking…).