Hi everyone!
Today I am sharing my best packing tips based off of mistakes that I made on my recent 16 day trip to France (Paris) and Italy (Sorrento, Rome, Florence, Venice). I posted about my experience each day the entire time I was there, so if you haven’t already read those posts I would really appreciate it if you checked them out! It might give you an idea of what to expect if you are a first-time traveler to any of the places I went as well. In that case or in any other case, hopefully these packing tips will help you out on your next trip.
The most important thing to figure out when you start packing is if you are going to be checking a suitcase or not, and how many bags you will need. This will determine how much room you have for everything you bring and how much you will have to carry. I personally only brought a carry-on and a backpack for my personal item, but on certain European airlines we used throughout the trip I ended up having to check my suitcase anyways since it was slightly over the dimensions limits for carry-ons. That brings me to my first tip, an obvious one I should have figured out myself before the trip.
Tip #1: Do your research on the airlines you will be taking BEFORE packing.
I made this mistake- I thought I was taking a carry-on because that’s what my bag was by (most?) US airline standards, but it was actually over the height/width, etc. for carry-ons for some of the airlines we used for this trip such as Norwegian Air. Doing your research will also obviously help you figure out how much it costs to check bags and how many pieces of luggage each person is allowed, which can help you figure out what else you can/should bring.
Tip #2: Strive for packing SMART over packing LIGHT.
Everyone trying to give you advice says to pack light no matter the trip, but I actually have a different perspective on this after my experience. I tried to pack light and I kind of did (I brought a few unnecessary things but not too many), but I still didn’t end up with everything I needed. Bring layers and versatile pieces; almost every piece you bring should be able to form outfits with each other. It’s not necessarily about packing the least amount of things possible. Just pack one or two of each type of item and make sure you’re prepared for different types of weather if it’s not completely clear what it will be like outside (if it’s going to be really hot or really cold the whole time then you’re good, but if it’s more inbetween then prepare for all reasonable outcomes of weather).
Tip #3: Bring a backpack and a smaller bag inside the backpack.
Some people advise against bringing backpacks because they make it easier for pickpockets and such. I have to agree, but I still think they are very convenient for flights/airports and they allow you to hold way more things than most purses. If you have the room, I would suggest bringing a backpack and then putting a smaller bag (or two!) inside of it to use once you have reached your destination. I did this by putting a fanny pack inside of my backpack and it worked perfectly since the fanny pack was much better to use out and about in the cities, but I still had the backpack for extra space. You could also fold up smaller bags inside of your suitcase to use this tip.
Those are my main three tips since I think they’re the least “basic” out of most of the tips that are repeated out there on travel websites everywhere. However, here are a few more tips that you may have heard before because it’s always a good idea to refresh your memory:
-get travel size toiletries or travel size bottles to transfer your toiletries into if you are packing only in a carry-on
-remember to put a luggage tag on your suitcase with an updated address, phone number, etc.
-bring a fanny pack/money belt to reduce the risk of being pickpocketed
-try not to dress in a way that will make you stand out as American i.e. don’t wear shirts that have names of American places/things on them and dress up a bit more when appropriate
-buy a plug converter since wall outlets are different in Europe/other countries and you’ll need to plug in your chargers
-pack a portable charger!! these are lifesavers especially when you are so faraway and your phone is your lifeline to home
-don’t exchange money in the airport, either do it beforehand or once you get in the country at an ATM
-print copies of your passport/other valuable info and keep them in your suitcase/separated from the place you keep your actual passport
I hope these help you out and most of them can be applied to domestic travel as well (the first main tip is most necessary for international flights but it’s always a good idea to check!) so even if you’re not going out of the country you can still use them. Let me know if one of these was new to you or if you have any tips to add!
-Brooke
adventures of a typical high school student 