Yesterday I shared that my sister-in-law helped me find some essential clothing for our upcoming trip to Hawaii. I’m thrilled with what we discovered and delighted by how smooth the whole shopping trip was. Surprisingly, we stopped at just one store: Value Village.
For readers who don’t know, Value Village is a chain of thrift stores across Canada. The one we visited in Calgary, Alberta, is enormous—something that can feel overwhelming if you’re indecisive. My sister-in-law Natalie and her daughter Sydney are thrift-store pros. While helping me, they taught me practical strategies for having a successful thrift-shopping experience.
Here are the lessons I learned and tips you can use when shopping secondhand, especially if you’re packing for a vacation:
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Plan before you go. Think about what you need and how the pieces will work together. Natalie asked a few simple but important questions:
- What are you looking for? (I wanted versatile items that could be mixed and matched and made of breathable, comfortable fabrics.)
- What color palette are you leaning toward? (I chose navy blue and tan to coordinate with my favorite navy flip-flops.)
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Start with foundation pieces. Focus on the core items first—skirts, shorts, or pants—then build outfits around them. We grabbed a cart and gathered anything that might work. In the end I kept only what I truly loved. The skirts I chose:
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Add coordinating tops and layers. Once the foundation pieces were chosen, I tried on many tops to find items that matched the skirts and shorts. I settled on several that fit the color scheme and felt right for warm-weather travel:
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Try on shoes and accessories with outfits. Wear appropriate footwear when trying on outfits—black socks and sandals don’t show how a summer outfit will look. Natalie lined up a few shoes outside the fitting room so I could see the full look. I fell for a couple of pairs, especially a very comfortable pair of Rockports:
- Inspect items carefully. Check zippers, seams, and fabric. Look for stains, holes, or pilling. Brand labels can give a quick sense of quality, but always decide based on condition and value. Pay attention to price tags—sometimes thrift-store prices are higher than buying new, and in that case, it’s better to pass.
- Be prepared to try on a lot. I tried on three carts full of clothes! Natalie encouraged me to test items I would normally skip, and I was surprised by what worked. Thrift shopping reduces the risk of experimenting because the financial outlay is usually small—the most I paid for an item was about the same as a coffee and a piece of banana bread.
The goal was to create a travel wardrobe of versatile, comfortable pieces that mix and match easily. If a blouse or skirt is used once on a warm Hawaiian day while strolling through shops with my husband and I love it, then it’s worth every penny.
Before I finalize what to pack for Hawaii, I’ve planned a few practical extras: a lightweight sweater and long pants for chilly sunrise and sunset moments at higher elevations. Other than that, I’m aiming for breathable fabrics, sun protection, and shoes that are comfortable for walking.
Do you have any recommendations for must-pack items for a beach island vacation? I’d appreciate tips on versatile pieces, sun-safe fabrics, or travel-friendly shoes that work well for both sightseeing and casual evenings.
