Packing Time!

Packing may be single-handedly one of the most important things to conquer before making a trip to Europe. Packing the right things-- and amount of things-- is the key to successful Europe travel.

Before loading up your luggage, it's important to choose what type of luggage you plan to bring.

Both Brayton and I didn't even think of using anything other than a backpack. When you think of backpacking Europe, you obviously think of using a backpack. On our first day of travel, we immediately regretted this decision. No matter how light you try to pack, let me tell you folks that sucker is going to be HEAVY. I never weighed my backpack, but I'm guessing it was at least 35-40 pounds. Carrying that weight around on your back for sometimes hours at a time is exhausting -- and sure can't be good for your back and shoulders! Good thing my Dad is a chiropractor :). -- The first day traveling we were in the Amsterdam airport waiting for a train to take us to the city center and ended up having to wait several hours with our heavy backpacks on. (The train kept getting delayed and then cancelled). When we finally caught a different train and made it to the city center, we still had to walk a ways to find our hostel. Moral of the story, our backs HURT. To top things off we saw so many "backpackers" just like us, wheeling their suitcases right next to them. Envy is the word that comes to mind. I'm telling you this just so you know you do have the option to "backpack" Europe with a suitcase instead of a backpack. Honestly there are pros and cons to both. After the first couple days, I appreciated my backpack a lot more. This pro and con list may help you decide which form of luggage to bring:

Backpack

Pros:

Practical

Always have it right there with you

Easy for stairs and rough terrain

Looks legit ;)

Cons:

Heavy

Almost impossible to use as carry-on

Awkward on public transportation

Time consuming to pack and repack

Suitcase

Pros:

Can be as big as you want

Easy to wheel around if smooth terrain

Back will not hurt

Easy to pack and repack

Can be used as carry-on (if small enough)

Cons:

Will probably be too big to fit in hostel lockers

Hard to carry up stairs

Hard to wheel around on rough terrain

Takes up a lot of space

Cannot be used as carry-on (if too large)

So there you have my list. If you asked me at the beginning of my trip I would have definitely recommended to bring a suitcase instead of a backpack. But toward the end of my trip and now, I'm not so sure. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. Really, I don't think you can go wrong with either one. Just know that if you decide to use a backpack, it will be heavy, no matter how lightly you pack.

Now that you chose what to put your stuff in, what "stuff" do you bring? First of all, if you really want a detailed list of what to pack, I recommend you check out https://thewanderingboomerang.com/2015/03/17/the-packing-bible/ Kylie has a great blog about what to pack for a long trip.

Here are some essential items I would recommend:

*Passport- Of number one importance. Probably can't leave the country without it ;) so don't forget it. Make sure it is renewed and valid for the amount of time it is supposed to be (usually six months from the return date). Believe me, I learned this the hard way when I went to Antigua. Ended up having to pay $284 for expedited shipping for the renewal of my passport because I didn't know it had to be valid for 6 months from the return date.

*Charger adapter- Yes the plugins in Europe are different. The U.K. and Switzerland are also different than the rest of Europe, so keep that in mind.

*Padlock- Most hostels have a place to put your luggage in your room, all you need is a lock. The longer the shank the better.

*Journal- Keeping a journal of my trip is such a valuable thing to me. I'm so glad I did. Writing in your journal is also a good pass time on train rides and allows you to reflect on your wonderful trip.

*Headphones and/or earplugs- This is essential if you want a good night's sleep. Many of your hostel roommates WILL be noisy and coming and leaving at all hours, making it very difficult to sleep. I downloaded a sound machine app on my phone (called Rain Rain) and listened to it with headphones every night. It was literally a miracle worker in allowing me to fall asleep and stay asleep.

*Emergency snacks- The reality is that there WILL be many times you will be absolutely starving. Having a couple snacks stored in your backpack is a great idea. Brayton always laughed at me because I was always pulling out an emergency snack from my purse or backpack. She laughed, but my tummy was satisfied.

*Pen- Definitely essential. You will need it for your Eurail pass and many other things.

*Vitamins/medication- Very important to pack what you need because you will most likely not find what you need at the pharmacies over there. I never once saw Ibuprofen or the like, and kind of wished I had brought some. Vitamins are very important for keeping you healthy. You don't want to be sick during your awesome trip! :)

*Water bottle- Unless you want to buy them over there; I personally like having my own. Water is not as readily available over in Europe as it is in the USA. Bottles of water are also very expensive to buy. The water is safe to drink in Europe so you can fill your water bottle up in the sink. I also asked a few food merchants to fill up my water bottle and most of them were happy to help me out.

*Selfie stick- It comes in handy for a good snapshot. :)

*Band aids- Honestly sometimes you just need one.

*Sunscreen/SPF lip balm- I didn't bring either (thought I would save a little room in my backpack). My lips ended up getting so sunburned in the Alps that I got sun-blisters. And I had to pay 18 euros for sunscreen in Ibiza.

*Flip-flops- To wear in the shower.

*Travel size liquids only- If you plan on only taking a carry-on, this is a must. It is also good for the conservation of space.

*Sunglasses- Ones that you like, but can also withstand a lot of manhandling.

*Febreze- Believe me. You will never know how much you can sweat until you are sprinting to catch your train carrying a 40 pound backpack.

*Energy Tea and Performance from Shaklee- Saved my butt many times :). Hydration + energy naturally, yes please!

Now on to one of the most important things that will fit into your bag: clothes!

First and foremost make sure that you only pack clothes that you love to wear. The majority of my clothes I absolutely loved, but there was one shirt I brought that doesn't look very good on me and didn't end up wearing. Since you want to conserve as much space as possible, not wearing clothes is a waste of precious space. Everything else I packed worked very well. It is also key to only pack pieces of clothing that look good when put with anything else you bring. So leave your coral jeans at home. They may be cute, but won't go with many things.

Here is my packing list for 4 weeks in Europe:

-9 shirts (2 long sleeve, 2 half sleeve, 3 short sleeve, 2 dressy sleeveless tops)

-3 undershirts

-2 cover ups (1 cardigan, 1 chambray button up)

-3 pairs of jeans

-2 pairs of leggings

-1 pair of shorts

-3 dresses (1 black night dress, 1 maxi dress, 1 casual/dressy one)

-2 pajama tops

-3 pajama bottoms (super comfy joggers that I absolutely LOVE, running shorts, cropped leggings)

-1 sweatshirt

-1 scarf

-1 vest

-3 regular bras, 3 sports bras

-About 5 pairs of regular socks and 5 pairs of half socks

-20 pairs of underwear

-Under Armour, gloves, and hat (only b/c we went skiing)

The only thing I regret bringing out of that whole list is the vest. I never wore it and it took up a lot of room. Other than that, everything worked great! I did buy a pair of black tights while I was over there. Black tights are worn by nearly every European and are very classy. Also tights in Europe are GREAT- They last a super long time and don't get snags very easily! You will have to take into consideration the time of year you are traveling, but no matter what it is always a good idea to bring a variety of clothes. I wore everything I brought at least a couple times.

This picture shows each and every piece of clothing I mentioned above, compacted and organized to easily fit into my backpack! It is a very simple method and I highly recommend it. All you need are plastic bags and rubber bands.

I started by rolling up each article of clothing and wrapping a rubber band around it so it wouldn't come undone. I then put each category of clothes (shirts, dresses, pajamas, pants, etc.) into its separate bag and labeled it. I used quart, gallon, and two gallon sized bags. After placing the clothes in their designated bags, I sucked the air out. And there you have it, super organized clothes that conserve space. Genius. I liked this method for two reasons: A). It was always easy to find something I was looking for and B). It was easy to pack and unpack. I also had a separate bag for dirty clothes. That way, the dirty clothes were separate from the clean.

I did laundry twice in the four weeks I was over there. What they don't tell you is just how much you are going to sweat. So honestly, re-wearing clothes isn't really a thing. But of course there are times when you need to and in that case Febreze is your best friend :).

My hardest decision about packing was the shoes. I read lots of blogs that said not to bring more than 3 pairs of shoes. Sounds easy right? In reality, 3 pairs of shoes is very difficult to narrow down. After much debating, I finally decided on my most comfortable tennis shoes, comfy slip-on sneakers, knee-high boots, and a pair of flip flops. I am very happy with my final decision. If I could have changed something, I probably would have brought black booties instead of knee-high boots (they would have gone better with my dresses and everyone in Europe wears them).