Europe Trip Packing List
Is it a tad too eccentric to be packed over a month before a trip because you’re just so excited? I was ok when I was still planning things, researching hotels, figuring out what we want to do, and ordering clothing/bags/guidebooks, etc. But once everything was “taken care of” I got a little restless. I’m excited about our trip and want to be doing something to prepare for it, to make it seem like it will be here sooner. I know that it is only 15 days long and will be over in less time than I still have to wait, but I don’t want to think about that. In my obsessive desire to hasten departure day I packed my bags last night. I put everything in a huge pile and then packed it. This is our first trip “one bagging” it. I’m tired of lugging along huge bags which weigh more than I do, especially on mass transportation. And, given the fact that we have a connection through Heathrow and our checked baggage has a much higher chance of getting lost than usual, we will be going carry-on only. One bag and one personal item each.
Being a huge black Samsonite girl prior to this or a wheelie bag toting carry-on girl for weekend trips, this presented a challenge. My rolly-bag totally unpacked weighs close to 7 pounds. I love it to death. With 4 wheels I can push it down the aisle in front of me, run through the airport without hitting anyone and easily stuff it into most overhead bins. However, it isn’t particularly easy to walk with long distances, roll on cobblestones, or carry up and down stairs getting onto metro. It is perfectly suited for getting on a plane, getting in a taxi, checking into a hotel and returning. This left me with my backpack from college, but that really isn’t luggage and is far too small. So I went to google.
I’ve been on board with the carry-on only idea for awhile. I travel 12-20 times a year and more than 150k miles, with at least 2 weeks internationally. I just never was on board with the carry your carry-on idea until now. Wheels were the way to go. Being on expenses tends to make you this way. Apparently there is a whole group of people that take immense pride in being one-bag carry-on people. There are whole blogs about it. (One Bag One World). These people debate the differences between brands like Red Oxx and Tom Bihn, MEI, REI, and Rick Steves. Hardly the Tumi vs. Samsonite vs. Swiss Army luggage wars I was used to, but they have many valid points. And the same things that attracted them to each of those brands caused me to consider each of them. These bags are lightweight, well made, well organized and designed to be carried by a real person with today’s luggage limitations.
After tons of research I settled on the Tom Bihn Aeronaut bag. It was less expensive than the Red Oxx Air Boss bag and it had backpack straps which can be hidden away. Red Oxx also makes a backpack bag, but it had bad reviews for being uncomfortable with more than 15 lbs in it. I also considered the Tom Bihn Western Flier bag, but it is smaller than maximum carry-on size and only has a cross-body strap. I know that I am not the only woman that finds the cleavage generated by messenger bag type straps to be both uncomfortable (as it pulls on our chest) and unflattering and I know that I’ll need the extra room for either my stuff going there or definitely my stuff coming back. I also ordered two packing cubes to keep everything organized in what is essentially a duffel style bag. I didn’t like the openness of the bag at first, preferring a three compartment bag, but then I realized that this is actually more flexible. With some packing cubes it has the separation of a multi-zip bag, but I can also put items vertically along the entire depth of the bag, rather than being forced to pack horizontally only and being restricted by compartments.
I was stunned to discover that even with 2 pairs of shoes, 2 skirts, 2 dresses, 2 pairs of pants, 4 shirts, 10 pairs of underwear, 4 pairs of socks, pajamas, my toiletries (not insubstantial), an iGo charger, 3 guidebooks, and all of my other stuff placed in it, I had room to spare. Before succumbing to temptation and packing some of the items I had taken out of my pile as unnecessary (bathing suit, etc.), I decided to weigh the bag. First I stepped on the scale (that’s another post by itself), then I put on the bag as a backpack. I was amazed that it weighed 20 lbs and still felt comfortable enough to walk around the airport for a few hours, race to catch a metro or wander the streets before check-in time at our hotel. First reaction was “Wow, I thought I didn’t pack that much.” Second was, “How do I eliminate 5 pounds?” I wanted to keep it under 15. And then my final reaction was, “Who cares?” It still feels light enough to carry. I’ll still probably ditch a few things (flip flops) and give hubby a few things to put in his cavernously empty bag (iGo, digital camera, a guidebook or two). For a visual idea of what all I had in the bag, here is my visual packing list. This is only round one with the packing and I still have a month to over analyze it, but here goes. I still want to order a Tom Bihn Absolute Shoulder Strap like hubby has. It feels so comfy, it literally shaves 5 pounds off the feel of the bag.
July 11th, 2008 at 18:37
Be careful about the personal item in Heathrow! I flew through there when I went to Europe last summer, and while I was allowed one bag and one carry-on from the States, when I flew back, I was only allowed one carry-on—no exceptions for purses or backpacks or anything else. Double check before you depend on it.
July 11th, 2008 at 19:22
This is Brad from One Bag, One World. Just wanted to let you know I linked to your posts. Thought my luggage geeks might want to know what a “geek chick electrial engineer” thought about us. How about a report on your bag and packing list when you return?
July 12th, 2008 at 12:18
Hey, followed a link from OBOW and got here. Packing way early makes sense. Too many people wait until the morning of the trip, only to discover everything doesn’t fit.
I alternate between an Air Boss and a Rick Steves wheelie, depending on how many flight changes I’ve gotta make. i have a low tolerance for lugging my bag around.
If you’re changing terminals at Heathrow, and you probably are, just make sure you’ve got plenty of time to make the sswitch. Figure on at least an hour or so, and more to stay happy. I’ve never had any problems there, but Heathrow is a humongous labyrinthine place. Lines are especially long for departing flights.
Packing tip: Don’t pack shoes unless you’re going to some swanky affair. I splurged on a pair of Mephistos that are great walking shoes as well as appropriate almost everywhere. They’re as comfortable as running shoes.
Have a great trip.
July 12th, 2008 at 23:15
I agree with Strange Bird. Ideally, you could fit your personal item into your Aeronaut, so you wouldn’t have any problems.
Also make sure to check the weight requirements for your flights. Some European airlines have crazy limits, like 13 pounds!
July 14th, 2008 at 10:51
strange bird: Thanks for the advice on Heathrow. I checked it out and looks like they recently restored the personal item. However, in the news this week it looks like some people are having trouble when traveling through terminal 5, being asked to ditch an item. I’ll plan to be able to put my personal item in my other bag if necessary.
Brad: Thanks for the link, it’s strange for my little blog to suddenly get hundreds of hits, but very flattering. I’m a big fan of your blog. I read through all of your archives before buying my Aeronaut.
justcorbly: The shoes that I showed being packed are actually going to be on my feet. I was actually testing just how much would fit in the bag when I put those in there. Good point about Mephistos though. I found some really cute ones. Alas, then I would be bringing two pairs of shoes and I was hoping to get away with one and a pair of flips flops to wear to the bathroom on the train. I’m telling myself that if I “need” more I can pay the arm and a leg in Europe and get some cute ones.
July 16th, 2008 at 22:50
Hi Ostranenie – I hope you investigated the Onebag website at onebag.com. In your quest to drop those 5 pounds you might want to think about two areas where the weight shows up – clothes and toiletries.
* Drop down to 4 pairs of undies and wash them at night – ExOfficio briefs/bikinis are the best. Use the space to bring the bathing suit.
* Consider dumping one dress. Or better yet, get a 2 piece dress. You can wear the skirt with other tops and the top with other skirts/pants. Then get rid of one of the other skirts.
* jeans are bulky, heavy, and take forever to dry. Consider getting rid of them.
* Terry pants are also bulky, heavy, and take a while to dry. Are you using them for pajamas? Consider using a t-shirt dress that can double as a swim cover up.
* consider solids with the toiletries – tooth powder, shampoo bar, powder detergent (for washing clothes). Nivea makes a cute tiny tin of moisturizer just the right size for the trip. When I went over to solids I lost 1-1/2 pounds from my kit! And a lot less leaks…
I didn’t see a light jacket on your list but you’re probably wearing that, right? And just for grins – why don’t you try living out of your suitcase for a week to see what needs to be tuned?
July 17th, 2008 at 10:38
Antoher EE girl: great suggestions. I already tried living out of my suitcase for a week. I was a tad casual at work, but it was so worth it. I determined just how many outfits I could make out of a few pieces and which pieces only really work as one outfit. I’m definitely considering leaving behind 1 dress, wearing the pair of shoes and packing the sandels. The suggestion for losing the hoodie and terry pants (of course pajamas) is a good one, I’ve found a modal nightgown/sleep shirt that I could take for both instead and it dries way faster. Your suggestion for solid toiletries is a good one, but I’m a loss for where to find them. Blush makes solid shampoos and conditioners, but charges almost as much as the item to ship. Any thoughts?
July 19th, 2008 at 14:32
Go with multi-purpose products to cut down on toiletries. Shampoo+conditioner, a body wash you’re willing to use on your face, a lotion w/ spf you’re willing to to use on your face (I recommend Neutrogena for both), etc. Share a camera, lotion, etc., with your man. (P.S. Try the study book from LSAC. After practice tests, look at your wrong answers and their right ones and ask yourself what you were thinking, and what they were thinking. That way you learn to give the answers they want. Helped me rock a 178 years ago.)
Gotta go, studying for the bar!
-Kim
July 20th, 2008 at 22:11
Hi LJT – Sorry about the Lush products. I just decided to eat the expense and order several items at once so that the per item shipping cost was lower. There is the JR Ligget soap too. If you dye your hair then you might want to consider that, as the Lush seems to strip some hair dyes.
I’ve been a fan of solids ever since the woolite leaked on an international flight to Greece. I ended up having to wash quite a few things on landing! Just chuck up the cost of shipping solids to convenience – sometimes it is worth the extra money to pay for some specialty items.
July 23rd, 2008 at 06:48
I’m very much into multi-purpose toiletries, maybe because my hair is pretty resilient. I’ve used the same body wash for hair or even soap that I’ve used on the body and hair, thus cutting down on the number of products that I had to bring. Good luck!