Packing for the other hemisphere

Last week I took a short trip to Chile for a conference. The challenge was that it was the beginning of winter where I live (with first snow already past) and I was headed for the Northern part of Chile, in their late spring/early summer. Quite a drastic change of seasons. The goal was to be comfortably warm leaving winter and to not sweat arriving in summer.

An additional challenge was that I was going there for a conference, which included a formal dinner (so I had to bring heels - not a must for everyone, but a must in my book). On the other hand, I was headed for San Pedro de Atacama, a village in the middle of the desert with unpaved roads.

I like to pack light, as I often fly through New York City, meaning I carry my luggage on all manners of public transportation. That limits what I can bring, particularly footwear.

I also refuse to give up on style, ever.

My strategy, which worked both ways (going and coming back):

Footwear: functional, hardy summer heels on my feet, light, cute plain sneakers in the suitcase
Underwear: summer tank top which doubled as a camisole. Spring nylons.
Additional layer on legs: warm leggings
In my carry-on: lace shorts
On me upon departure: warm sweater dress
On top of that: warm cardigan
On top of that: light colored coat, light colored scarf, white gloves

Added bonus for comfort: built-in bra in the camisole with no underwire. I was about to take a 3 and a half hour flight to Houston, followed by an overnight 9 hr flight to Santiago, followed by a 2 hr flight back up to Calama.

Tank top doubling as camisole for warmth and shorts

For versatile, extra warmth: fuzzy cardigan and leggings

No fuss, warm slip on sweater dress

You might wonder why the heels were on my feet and not in the suitcase. That's because my cute sneakers were far from being water proof. Perfect for the desert, not so perfect for rain and snow. In addition style wise, they were not quite as versatile. An added bonus is that pumps come off a lot easier at security in US airports. So I often wear comfortable pumps when flying. Abroad, sneakers are better, as we are not required to take off the shoes. Heels have metal reinforcements in the soles that trigger the metal detectors, so I take them off even when not required.

I shed layers as I was headed south. The coat, scarf, and gloves went into my checked luggage upon check-in in Newark. My cardigan went into my carry-on, as did my leggings (it was warm in the terminal). Instead, I put on the shorts under my dress in preparation for arrival.

Upon arrival in Santiago, the dress came off. I was summer ready underneath.

When returning North, I reversed the process.

For much appreciated added warmth, I also wore leg warmers found at a market in San Pedro de Atacama. When I arrived in New York City, a cold front had just come through (as could be expected in December). It was on the chilly side and windy. In addition, I had to use public transportation to get to my car, where I had left my winter boots. The leg warmers were a light weight, small volume alternative to warmer footwear.

Aside from the dress, all of the items above were light colored so I could use everything in Chile as summer wear. Where I was going, days were warm, but nights were cool. I also did an excursion at even higher elevation, where my coat came in handy. I wanted to be able to coordinate my summer wear with my winter wear.

The cardigan, layered under my coat for warmth. Even in the tropics in the summer, it can get chilly at 4,300 m elevation. I had my leggings layered under my rayon pants (which do nothing for warmth and so are great as sunblock in warmer climates)