Packing for travel can be tricky, especially for a European destination where you are constantly on the move and weather can be unpredictable. To help you out, The Planet D came up with some of our essential tips to help you pack for your next trip to Europe.
It may be tempting to bring a different outfit for every occasion you can think of during your travels, but trust me, you’ll be happier taking less. We always make one or two passes when it comes to packing. The first pack is a warm up where we put together everything we want to bring and then we cut that in half. If we’re not satisfied with the size of our suitcase yet, we will cut it down again. It pays to take pack over a couple of days before you fly so that you can go through your list and scale down a few times before you go.
All of these travel sets for women can be easily mixed and matched
Instead of packing a bunch of different outfits for each event, put together a few pieces of clothing that can easily be mixed and matched or dressed up and down.
We always pack complimentary colors with our wardrobe so we can mix and max different shirts, skirts, and pants to make up different outfits. We then utilize accessories to dress it up. It’s amazing what a nice silk scarf can do to dress up a simple outfit or for the guys changing from a T-shirt in the day to a collared shirt at night. You don’t need to make big changes; just subtle ones will take you from sightseeing during the day to a romantic dinner at night.
Instead of packing heavy coats, think of layering instead. Pack a lightweight base layer that wicks away moisture, then a mid thermal layer to hold in heat. For wet and windy weather, make sure to bring an outer shell that is weatherproof so you can quickly put it on should rain or wind suddenly occur.
We like to use packing cubes and a pack-it folder to put our clothes in. When you fold your shirts into a TravelSmith Smart Envelope, they lay flat and are less prone to wrinkles, but more importantly, they take up less space. One pack it folder can hold six shirts and honestly, six shirts is all you need.
Since you are packing light, we recommend washing your clothes as you go. We do a quick wash in our hotel sink with a universal sink stopper and hang our clothes in the shower with our peg less clothes hanger to dry overnight. Make sure that you bring lightweight quick-dry clothing that will clean easily and dry in no time. We also love the laundry soap sheets that TravelSmith offers. They are tiny strips of soap that can can be used for washing in sinks or in washing machines.
When you want to keep things light, it’s important to think of making everything travel size. We never bring full size shampoos or moisturizers. Instead we scale everything down into travel size tubes using the GoToobs that are color coded for easy identification. We even put our medications like Advil or our vitamins in smaller containers to save space. We take everything out of their packaging to safe space.
All our toiletries fit into one compact toiletry kit that easily hangs on the back of the bathroom door and takes up very little space. I am sure you can see a common theme here; we’re all about saving space and weight.
Europe has a completely different power system than North America, so make sure your electronics are either dual voltage or get yourself a voltage adapter. TravelSmith offers the All-in-one Converter. I’ve fried many a flattening iron during my trips abroad.
We also only carry one universal plug adapter instead of several separate ones. TravelSmith sells one that easily snaps together, takes up very little space and works for every country around the globe.
Shop our site for travel clothing and travel gear ready made for any climate. Consult our packing guides and free packing list that includes everything you need to pack for the trip!
