DO NOT Make These Europe Packing Mistakes | What Not To Pack & Tips

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I highly recommend taking a photo of your important documents and emailing them to yourself. I’m not a fan of having physical photos of them around that can be easily stolen but having them accessible via email from any electronic device with internet connection is very handy. If your phone is lost or stolen, you can log onto another device and pull the image up.

This dude telling this female (me) who is going on a two week trip to Italy to pack all my things in one tiny little backpack? 😂😂😂😂😂 Bless his heart!

I give you a free travel hack that should be #1 on every airline traveler's list - BRING A COAT OR A JAC KET WITH MANY BIG POCKETS. This is equivalent to another carry-on that you don't need to check in! If you carry-on is overweight, then you may put heavy items in your coat pockets. You may hang your jacket on a carry-on handle. I always travel with my multi-pocket jacket regardless of any season.

Extra pro tip. Just buy an European USB charger with 2 or 3 ports. No more dealing with clunky (and expensive) adapters that fall off the outlets anyway

As a European, I recommend bringing a thin windbreaker jacket which can be packed and taken anywhere. (Ah and on public transport and in busy places always have your bag near your chest with one arm on it.) It's a great video.

To each their own but I personally don’t get the obsession with avoiding check in baggage at all costs. I routinely take a 85l capacity, densely packed, suitcase with me for a 10 day trip from the UK to mainland Europe (yes including multi-centre trips with train and bus transfers) and have zero regrets. I love clothes and part of the fun of holidays for me is putting together lots of different location specific outfits and dressing up for dinner every night like I’m in an Agatha Christie novel 🍸🤣

Packing cubes are a lifesaver. Really helps with organizing and space saving. Also rolling T shirts and underwear "Army style"

My #1 tip is to plan to do laundry while there. Every European city has a laundromat or a wash/dry/fold place. It will cost you almost nothing, you can carry half as much, and you get to do a uniquely local experience.

Pro tip from the theater world, where it's not always possible to launder costumes that get worn onstage daily: Get a little spray bottle with a cap and fill it with cheap vodka. Spritz that on any items after wearing to kill bacteria. The mild smell evaporates quickly, better than using rubbing alcohol.

In Paris, be prepared to carry your luggage up flights of stairs in the Metro. Even if there is an escalator, it might not be operational. Ask me how I know!

I have a friend who travels to Europe from Australia to walk the Camino in Spain. He only ever takes a 7kg backpack. Nothing else but the clothes he is wearing. He’s my hero.

If you use a wheeled suitcase during your travel (due to age, length of stay, etc) I recommend a suitcase with large wheels. The roads are not very smooth in many places, mainly in the old parts of the towns, and the bigger the wheel, the easier it is to pull. Those silly little castor wheels which turn every way except the direction you are going are only good on perfectly smooth surfaces, like within the airport.

Clothing: pack tops in black, white, pink & navy. Bottoms in tan and black. It all looks great together. A colored scarf will add some interest and will to cover shoulders in church sites or as the evening cools. Pack a small cross body purse for use as you travel around in the city, but TAKE a backpack on the plane. It will serve you well on that 8-10 hr flight. We've visited in summer, fall and winter. By far our fall visits have been the easiest...fewer tourists and still warm: no coats, boots or gloves to pack. London: the Tube will get you everywhere...its amazing. Eat dinner in pubs: the food in upscale pubs is wonderful. Eat breakfast/ lunch at Pret a Manger. Its fast food but has wonderful coffees, pastries, soups, salads, sandwiches for so little. They are everywhere. Paris: avoid the Eiffel Tower Friday or Saturday: you'll never make it to the top...too crowded. Venice: not sure why but we never once paid for a water taxi...! For 3 full days we traveled all over for free. Rome: what can I say? The most amazing city in the world...other than London!

Having travelled extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East at various life stages, I think describing a lot of these as "mistakes" is really just not understanding the needs of other people in their packing decisions. Having kids has dramatically changed my packing, and I have long gotten over the pain of paying to check my bags.

I take a big suitcase and pack light so I have plenty of room for the clothes I plan on buying!

Oh, and as a small framed woman, it was a terrible idea to not have wheels. On the bright side, there are backpacks with wheels, and even separate wheels that can be attached to travel bags. But for someone like me, it was extremely important to not tire and hurt myself by carrying my luggage. Feeling tired and achy can really hurt my decision-making and hudgement, and take away from the experience.

During summer, two pairs of closed toed walking shoes are a must. Let one air out while you wear the other pair.

I think you should add "daily medications to last your entire trip" to that "essentials" section. And, it's important that you check to make sure you have those items (passport and medications, honestly, adapter you can probably get pretty easily) every time you travel between destinations. My mother accidentally left her medications in her Philippines hotel room, and only realized it when she was already in Japan. She was lucky she had an emergency stash in her purse to cover her for a couple days that she could stretch, but trying to get to medications while overseas was a stressful coordinated endeavor for everyone involved. It was a scary few days, to say the least.

well zip off pants are great when there are some weather changes. When I was in switzerland I couldn't be more happy to bring those pants. over 30C at camping and arounf 17C when we were in mountains. Those pants were amazing!