Planning your European travel adventure is exciting. As you get closer to your departure date, its time to plan out your packing. Perhaps the biggest mistake most travelers make is overpacking. While it sounded like a good idea to pack things because you might need them, when you’re rolling your huge bag across cobblestone streets, hefting it up steps to your third floor hotel room, or struggling to find a space for it on train cars, you say “next time….”. I’ve done it myself. And you pretty quickly learn that “less is more”. So, here are some of my “lessons learned” in regard to packing for European travel.
PACKING FOR EUROPEAN TRAVEL
1. Choose a smaller suitcase- no more than 24in high and smaller if you can make it work. I’ve packed in both clamshell and top opening and both have advantages and disadvantages. I’ve just purchased an Osprey40 wheeled duffel and will try that for a trip this summer. Smaller suitcases will limit what you can bring- you will thank me for it. If small enough, you can possibly not have to check your bag allowing you to hit the ground faster at your destination.
2. Choose a small to medium backpack as your carry-on- More on what to carry in it later
3. Plan for more than one wear from each clothing item- if you will only wear something one day, you probably don’t need it
4. Choose dark colors- two reasons for this- first is that Europeans tend to wear dark colors so you are less likely to stand out as a tourist and second is that dark colors can hide spills
5. Choose lightweight “travel” clothing- REI, Columbia, Jack Wolfskin all have excellent lightweight clothing. It packs down compactly and it generally doesn’t wrinkle…and you can clean it with soap in your hotel room if you need
6. Plan to do laundry- Although you can probably pack all you need for a week, if staying longer, or if you want to reduce further what you bring, plan to do laundry. You can find laundromats in your destinations and they are generally easy to use. They usually have detergent there and may take local cash or credit cards. Bring a book, sit outside with a glass of wine or beer, and be a local for a couple hours.
7. Use packing cubes or Ziploc bags…I’ve not tried packing cubes though many people swear by them. I DO use Ziploc bags for just about everything. It keeps things separated, it keeps them protected in case bag gets wet, and for things like socks and underwear you can squeeze out the air and really compress them
8. Medicines and toiletries- I use a small “dry bag” for kayaking to store my medicines and first and another for toiletries…but keep both to a minimum so they are light and compact…definitely don’t take full size of anything (you can always buy things you need at your destination)
9. Bathing suit and flip flops- Many destinations have thermal pools and some hotels have hot tubs …pack these in their own Ziploc since the suit will get wet
10. Emergency clothes- after you’ve chosen what you will be taking, set aside one outfit (pants, shirt, one pair socks, and underwear) and put it in a Ziploc bag and put that Ziploc bag into your carry on backpack (this way if your luggage is lost you have a change of clothing)
11. Mittens and Beanie cap- Unless its going to be hot summer, these are always in my travel bag (lightweight but make a big difference on a cold evening)
12. Chargers and Adaptors- One of most important items- keep these in your carry on
13. Layers- layering lightweight clothing is key. Make sure you have a raincoat and a quarter zip or fleece, and a lightweight jacket. During colder months add a crushable puffer coat and possibly a three-season lightweight hooded jacket.
Recommended Packing List for 7-10 day trip (summer)
- 4 pairs of pants (you will wear one to fly, one will go into your emergency clothes bag, and 2 will go into suitcase---women would likely choose leggings or capris for some of these)
- 1-2 pair shorts (not athletic- people in Europe generally wear athletic shorts when working out)
- 5-7 shirts (plain dark colored tees or dry wick shirts are light and pack well- I like to bring several REI or Columbia collared short sleeve travel shirts- also light and pack to nothing- and can clean and dry quickly)- you will wear one to fly, one goes into your emergency clothes bag and the other 3-5 get packed in suitcase
- PJs (one lightweight t shirt and shorts)
- Bathing suit
- 6-8 pair underwear (one to fly, one in emergency clothes, and 4-6 in suitcase)
- 6-8 pair socks (lightweight hiking socks like darn tough are good, so are dark color short athletic socks- you will be walking a lot, you want socks that are comfortable – fly in one, pack one in emergency, and the other 4-6 in suitcase
- Raincoat
- Quarter zip (pack in your carry on as you may want it to wear on the plan)
- Lightweight jacket
- Toiletries and Medicine Kits- pack in the suitcase
- Hat- for sun protection (US sports teams or colleges not recommended, although lots of Yankees or Dodgers hats all around the world)

