19 Days, 8 Countries, One Backpack: Everything We Packed for Europe

As you’ve probably figured out by now, I research everything.

Google. Travel blogs. Forums. Facebook groups. Reviews.

I like to get opinions from different sources, but I take both the glowing reviews and the horror stories with a grain of salt. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

When I started reading blogs about traveling through Europe and what to pack, one recommendation kept coming up: bring a backpack instead of a suitcase.

So, more than a year before our trip, I started researching backpacks.

Apparently, choosing what to carry your clothes in takes almost as much planning as the trip itself.

Why We Chose Backpacks

One backpack kept coming up in my research: the Cotopaxi Allpa.

It opens like a suitcase, with zippered compartments on both sides and extra pockets outside. Basically, a suitcase you wear on your back.

I used my annual REI coupon to buy one, tested it on a weekend trip, and liked it enough to buy Allie one with the following year’s coupon.

Yes, I really did start planning that early.

Everything I’d read warned about European cobblestones, stairs, and tiny hotel elevators. Since we were constantly changing cities, backpacks seemed like the way to go.

And they absolutely were.

Some of our train connections were as short as five minutes. We’d get off one train, find the next platform, race down a staircase, through the station, up another staircase and onto the next train.

There was no time to drag a suitcase behind us.

Occasionally, we’d pass someone struggling with an enormous rolling suitcase on the stairs.

Allie and I would exchange a look and a giggle.

This is why we brought backpacks.

Now, were they actually light?

Mine weighed 35 pounds by the time we got home.

So maybe I didn’t pack light.

Let’s call it packing efficiently.

What We Actually Brought

We each had our backpack plus a small reusable bag for the airplane. That held the things we wanted handy during the flight: snacks, water, headphones, phones, portable chargers, Kleenex, Clorox wipes, a book, and an inflatable pillow.

I had originally planned to bring a regular neck pillow, but the inflatable version took up almost no space.

One of my more unusual packing decisions was bringing a book I intended to leave behind.

I even made it its own Instagram account and wrote a note inside asking whoever found it to read it and pass it along.

I left it at our hostel in St. Moritz.

Maybe it’s still sitting on a shelf in Switzerland. Maybe someone took it home. Maybe it’s traveling around Europe without me.

I kind of love that possibility.

The Clothes

We were traveling from London through the Swiss Alps and into Italy, so I needed clothes for everything from cool mountain weather to summer heat.

My original packing formula was three tops for every bottom.

That sounded great in theory.

In reality, I ended up packing about as many tops as bottoms.

Apparently, even my carefully researched packing spreadsheet was more of a suggestion than a rule.

Here’s roughly what went into my backpack:

Bottoms: Blue shorts, a skort, lightweight blue pants, lightweight black pants, and leggings.
Tops: Five shirts in various shades of blue, black, gray, and white.
Other clothing: A lightweight dress, pajamas, three bras, nine pairs of underwear, eight pairs of socks, a packable jacket and a sun hat.
Shoes: Birkenstocks, running shoes and casual leather Adidas.

I wore my bulkiest shoes (the Hokas) on most travel days and rolled my clothes instead of using packing cubes.

And yes, nine pairs of underwear was a carefully calculated decision.

Lucerne was roughly halfway through our trip, so I’d planned to do laundry there. I also packed quick-drying clothes that I could wash in hotel sinks along the way.

Naturally, I brought Woolite, travel-sized detergent and dryer sheets.

Apparently, I was prepared for every possible laundry emergency.

We did our bigger load at a laundromat in Lucerne, and the system worked surprisingly well.

You don’t need 19 days of clothes for a 19-day trip. You need clothes you’re willing to wash and wear again.

Toiletries and Other Essentials

This is where I got a little carried away.

I brought shampoo, conditioner, lotion, sunscreen, face wash, moisturizer, toner, deodorant, hair supplies, nail clippers, tweezers, baby wipes, and what felt like my entire bathroom cabinet.

All the liquids were travel-sized, but I still managed to bring my practically complete skincare routine.

It was 19 days; I could have left some of that at home.

What I am glad I brought was a tiny medicine kit with Advil, Tylenol, Benadryl, Tums, cold medicine, bandages, Neosporin, itch cream, and motion-sickness medication. Even if I didn’t use most of it.

We also each had our own European power adapter.

Could we have shared one?

Sure.

Did I want to negotiate with my 18-year-old every night about whose phone got charged first?

Absolutely not.

My Other Packing Strategy: Shopping

I knew I was going to buy clothes in Europe, so I intentionally left some room.

This plan worked perhaps a little too well.

In London, I bought adorable days-of-the-week underwear—despite my very carefully calculated nine-pair system.

I also bought a skirt that Allie and I both wore.

Two travelers. One skirt.

That’s practically budgeting.

In Amsterdam, I found a vest at a thrift store.

At Mt. Pilatus, I bought a T-shirt.

Then came Milan, where we went to Primark. If you haven’t heard of Primark, it’s like all your favorites at Target (minus the groceries), but at Walmart prices.

I bought another T-shirt, two swimsuits, a bigger zippered shoulder bag, a toiletry bag, face masks, and my new favorite face sunscreen. I think I spent $50.

Did I wear the swimsuits on the trip?

No.

But two swimsuits for $8? How could I pass that up?

Moving on.

And in Venice, I bought a lemon-patterned dress.

Also didn’t wear it during the trip.

But I had to have it.

There are practical travel purchases…

And then there are Venice lemon-dress purchases.

Different category, and honestly I wish I had bought the skirt too.

What I’d Change Next Time

I’d leave two pairs of pants at home, skip one blue shirt, and bring far fewer toiletries.

I’d probably manage with two pairs of shoes instead of three, as well.

The things I’d definitely keep? My sun hat. I didn’t wear it every day, but on the days I did, apparently it made me look like a local.

Within our first two hours in Venice, three different people asked me for directions.

Clearly, I looked like I knew what I was doing.

Or at least like a convincing tourist in a hat.

As for the backpacks? I’d use them again in a heartbeat. They made all those train connections and city changes so much easier.

I’d just leave a little more empty space next time.

For shopping, obviously.

Nineteen days. Eight countries. A 35-pound backpack.

And somehow, we still came home with more clothes than we left with.

Next Up: Day 1 — We’re Actually Going to Europe

What we have bought so far – links take you to Amazon, but you can buy at other retailers:

Backpacks:

Comments