Packing for Europe. I haven’t done this before. But I have packed for many other places. And luckily we are going in Summer, so no chunky winter gear required.
The thought of packing for Europe (for a nine week Europe trip), as opposed to 3 weeks in Asia, might seem daunting. But you know what?
I will pack the same for one week in Asia…
As I would for 3 weeks in Asia…
As I would for 9 weeks in Europe.
So really, if you think of it that way, I have packed for Europe many times before. My rule is pack for one week, no matter how many weeks. Think about it… In the last month, have you changed your outfit every day? Or have you rotated and mixed and matched a handful of outfits and clothing items? Thats why we set ourselves the Carry-On Only Challenge (and you can see the verdict here).
Packing For Europe In Less Than 5 Minutes!
The Luggage
As we mentioned in last weeks post on our “Carry-On Challenge“, we will be going carry-on only. Why?
The more we travel the more we see the positives for travelling light. From not waiting for bags at baggage claim, to the ease in getting around and using transport to saving money on checked baggage fees. The list goes on.
We both decided on hard case 4-wheeled carry-on bags. Now, before the carry-on bag lovers of the world scream “Noooo, take a backpack!”, hear us out. We have travelled with backpacks only, and even though it was easier in many situations (the “get off the boat straight onto the beach” scenario, the dirt road etc), I also would have preferred a wheeled bag in many situations. The Airport. The normal roads. The train/monorail. When finding clothes/packing/unpacking. For me, it’s so easy to have a 4-wheel carry-on bag that you barely have to push, rather then a heavy weight on my back. And the hard case is for better protection.
So my choice for a bag was the Antler Juno Carry-on bag and Chris chose a Monsac Carry-on bag:
Mandy’s Packing List
Clothing
- T-shirts x 7
- Nicer Top x 1
- Casual Dress x 1
- Nicer Dress x 1
- Cardigan x 1
- PJ’s x 1
- Socks x 2
- Pants x 2
- Shorts x
- Swimmers x 2
- Underwear x 7
- Bra x 3
- Scarf x 1
- Shoes x 4
Toiletries
- Shampoo + Conditioner x 1
- BB Cream x 1
- Hair treatment x 1
- Hair brush x 1
- Cleanser x 1
- Moisturiser x 1
- Mascara x 1
- Eyeliner x 1
- Comb x 1
Tech
- Macbook Air x 1
- USB Stick x 1
Miscellaneous
- Travel Hairdryer
- Glasses/Contact Lenses
- Passport/Travel Wallet x 1
- Book
- Flight Socks
- Sunglasses x 1
- Travel Documents In Folder
- Medications
Chris’s Packing List
Clothing
- T-shirts x 4
- Dress shirts x 1
- Board shorts x 2
- Jumper x 1
- Socks x 3
- Pants x 2
- Shorts x 2
- Underwear x 4
- Sleeping/lounging shorts x 1
- Shoes x 4
Toiletries
- Deodorant x 1
- Toothpaste
- Hand sanitiser
- Sunscreen x 1
- Insect Repellent
Tech
- MacBook Air x 1
- Camera + Mic
- Gorilla Pod
- Wi-Fi (Portable)
- External Hard Drive
- Chargers
Miscellaneous
- Travel Clothesline
- Passport/Travel Wallet x 1
- Sunglasses
- Flight Socks
Tips On Packing For Europe: How We Did It
- The One Week Rule! No matter how long your trip, packing for one week should be enough. Depending on length, some washing may be needed. For this trip, we booked a lot of apartments with Airbnb, that have a laundry so we can wash easily with no inconvenience.
- Be Brutal. No room for “what ifs”. If you don’t know if you will need it, leave it out of the bag.
- Ask yourself “If I don’t pack this, will it be ok?”
- Know that you can buy things over there.
- Weigh up the pro’s and con’s of packing light and decide what suits your needs.
- Go easy on the toiletries. Pack enough toiletries to last 1 – 2 weeks max.
- Make a list first, of what items you need to pack and how many of them. And when you start packing, stick to your numbers.
- Roll clothes when you want to prevent creasing.
- Don’t wear your biggest shoes on the plane over! Wear comfortable shoes and pack the biggest. That way, if you need to save space coming home you can wear your biggest shoes then, and you have space in you bag you didn’t think you had.
- Reduce the cords! If your packing tech gear, see if any of you gear can use the same cords. Also see if you can shorten any of your cords. Apple products are great for this, as you can take the shorter part of the cord and detach the rest.
- Keep the same packing list for all your trips. You may have to adapt slightly (winter vs summer travel etc.) but it will take the stress out of packing. And if you’ve tested it, you know it works!
Here is a universal printable packing list to help with your packing!
Hi where did you buy you packing cell from?
Hi Laura,
We got them from a shop called Kathmandu in Australia. The packing cells from Eagle Creek also look good although I haven’t tried them yet. Happy Packing ;)