What I Packed for a Week in Crete: An Artist's Minimal Packing List
- Jun 27
- 3 min read
After returning from a wonderful week in Crete, I unpacked my suitcase before doing anything else. As I put everything away, it struck me how little I'd actually needed.
Like many people, I'm often guilty of overpacking "just in case". This time I wanted to travel more lightly, taking only what I thought I'd really use for a week of swimming, walking, sketching and simply enjoying being somewhere different.
It turns out that not only did I have enough, I could probably have taken even less.
Clothes: Less Really Was Enough
For the entire week I lived happily from one small suitcase with:
Two sleeveless tops for evenings
One long skirt
One pair of lightweight trousers
One pair of shorts
A couple of vests and T-shirts
A beach dress
A cardigan for cooler evenings/plane
Everything was comfortable, easy to mix and match, and almost every item was worn several times. As someone who loves Mediterranean sunshine but burns easily, having lightweight clothing to cover my arms and legs keeps me cool, protects me from the sun and means I use much less suncream.
The Things I Used Every Day
Some items quickly became essentials:
Walking sandals for exploring villages and coastal paths
Beach sandals
A sun hat
Swimming costumes and goggles
A sarong that became everything from beach cover-up to picnic blanket
A reusable water bottle
My Kindle for lazy afternoons in the shade
Sometimes it's the smallest things that make the biggest difference. I was also very grateful for my handheld fan during some particularly warm moments – such as waiting for my train home at Kings Cross!
My Simple Sketching Kit
As an artist, I couldn't imagine travelling without something to draw with.
Rather than taking lots of equipment, I packed a sketchbook, a few pencils, a compact watercolour set and one brush.
This was the complete sketching kit I used throughout the week:
6B pencils (sharpened before I left!)
Black biro
Derwent Inktense pencils
Cotman Sketchers watercolour set
Da Vinci Petit Gris Brush
A4 watercolour pad
A4 sketchbook
Working with fewer materials made me look more carefully. Instead of trying to create finished paintings, I simply recorded colours, shapes and textures that caught my eye. I also became a little obsessed with the sea – its movement, its textures, and the extraordinary way the light, wind and depth changed its colour from clear turquoise to deep Prussian blue.
Those sketches often become the starting point for later paintings, but more importantly they help me notice the places I'm visiting in a much deeper way. For me, sketching is one of the best ways of connecting with a landscape.
The Little Luxuries
There were a few small comforts that earned their place in my bag:
Good coffee bags
Favourite tea bags (including herbal tea for the evening)
Lip balm and plenty of sun cream
A notebook for thoughts and ideas
None of them took up much space, but each added something to the week.
What I Didn't Really Need
Extra clothes
Laptop
Larger painting kit
Diary
Packing Light, Living Fully
Perhaps that's the biggest lesson I brought home. When we carry less, whether physically or mentally, we often make room for something much more valuable.
There was more time to notice the changing light on the sea. More time to swim. More time to sketch. More time to sit outside with a coffee and watch the world go by.
During the week I was reminded why I love combining travel with sketching and painting. There is something about slowing down, noticing the landscape and recording it in a sketchbook that changes the way we experience a place.
Sometimes all we really need is comfortable shoes, a sketchbook, somewhere to swim, and enough time to notice.
The rest is just baggage.
If you'd like to experience this for yourself...
If you'd like to see a place through an artist's eyes, I'd love to welcome you to one of my painting holidays. Together we'll sketch, paint and discover beautiful landscapes, creating memories - and paintings - that will last long after we've returned home.
