I don’t know how many times I have tried to explain to people that our suitcases weigh a ton because we aren’t just carrying big suitcases like so many people, we have packed for a year. Here’s how we did it!
Warning: This post may change as we travel. Here’s our advice after six months.
OUR SUGGESTIONS
Bring one suitcase and one good, solid backpack.
SUITCASES
Our luggage brand is High Sierra, standard height (30″), but narrow (width of 15″), which helps in tight situations. They also function as backpacks but only a weightlifter could carry them the way we pack! They are pull bags, two wheels not on four wheels. Four wheels would be easier.
They open out, with two deep pockets on either side (total depth of 13″), providing easy access to our belongings. When we arrive somewhere, we open them flat on the floor, and leave them open. It’s like having two drawers. They also have lots of pockets, which is helpful for getting into the suitcase when it is “shut” and storing things for easy access.
BACKPACKS
My backpack is a Lipault, and I love it. It cost nearly $100 CA , but well worth it. It will last the entire year and carries so much. It’s comfortable and padded for protection with lots of pockets — for documents, hiding my second wallet, my computer, my kindle, a notebook and book, pillow, scarf, glasses, etc. There’s also a large outside pocket.
Chloe carries a Lowepro, a sturdy, large camera backpack. She has a lot of camera stuff, and when we are out for the day, she has it in a small, pink backpack, but when we travel she puts it all in the Lowepro.
What to Pack for Four Seasons
GENERAL ADVICE
- Keep it basic. Blacks, whites, greys. Maybe some color for summer. Try to pick clothes you can layer so they transition between seasons. For instance, I have a sleeveless cotton knit dress that I can wear over a long-sleeved pull over with tights and boots and it works for winter.
- Choose thin, light clothes.
- Buy lots of ziplock bags, multiple sizes for lotions and shampoo, etc. but also make sure you have at least three extra large ziplocks. We use them for: 1) socks; 2) underwear and bras; and 3) dirty clothes. Also plastic bags are good for putting your shoes in.
Our Packing List: Winter, fall and spring (and summer)
PANTS, TOPS, SKIRTS
- Two pairs of jeans, one that is super comfy, and one that looks good.
- One pair of black pants (we brought tight black jeans).
- Black dress pants.
- Two long sleeve pull over tops. We got ours from Uniqlo. Light weight but warm.
- One long sleeved nice shirt — I have a grey silk pullover.
- One black, long sleeved silk shirt.
- One wool sweater, not too bulky. I bought a thin wool pullover from Uniqlo.
- One long-sleeved cotton sweater that opens in front.
- A black skirt. I brought a cotton skirt so it works for summer, too.
- A black dress (the one I mentioned above).
- Tights that you can wear with a skirt and under pants for warmth.
SHOES AND BOOTS
Two pairs of sneakers – one white (for summer and the gym), one black or another color. I have Adidas and love them.
One pair of leather walking boots that you will feel comfortable wearing to a museum. I’m not a fan of hiking boots. We are living in Europe for a year…not backpacking.
One pair of nice boots for going out at night.
One pair of sandals.
Flipflops.
UNDERWEAR
- Seven pair of underwear.
- Seven or more pair of socks, all lengths, and don’t skimp on the little socks for in your sneakers. (At six months, I can tell you you can only mend the holes so many times. Plan on buying some new ones somewhere).
- Three bras.
OUTERWEAR
- Raincoat. (I bought a new one before we left Vancouver, RAINS, and it was great. Long, with hood. Chloe has a nice black raincoat that looks amazing and has come in handy in cities when I feel like a schlump).
- A lightweight down coat that crumples to be very small. Spend some money on this. We didn’t and regretted it. (The down coat with raincoat and wool sweater and long-sleeved pullover combination got us all the way to November).
- Umbrella.
SUMMER EXCLUSIVES
- Summer pants. I have linen.
- White long sleeved linen shirt.
- Two short sleeved shirts.
- Sleeveless black top or shirt. I have a thin silk pullover tank.
- Two black and one white cotton tank tops.
- Shorts.
- Dress jacket — I brought a long black, linen jacket.
- Three summer dresses, light and little.
- Bathing suit.
- Simple black T-shirt.
- Black button up cotton sweater.
- Other color button up for summer.
- Jeans jacket.
WORKING OUT AND LOUNGING
- Sweat shirt.
- Sweat pants.
- Yoga pants.
NIGHT TIME
- Nightgown.
- Warm wooly socks. Very, very important.
- Pajama pants (we spend a lot of time in these!).
ACCESSORY ESSENTIALS
- Three scarves, two wool, one light cotton.
- A small purse you can wear over a shoulder.
- Two belts.
- One tote bag, for groceries.
OUR PERSONAL EXTRAS
- Chloe has her modeling bag — most people won’t be carrying 5-inch high heels and an iPad with portfolio, but if so, Chloe can help. (send her a note!).
- Art stuff for me.
- Oh yes, our pillows…the best purchase of all. Miniso satin, elephant-shaped baby pillows. Chloe keeps hers in a blue velvet case, but I proudly take mine out on planes, buses and trains. We both sleep with them. They’ve saved us when our Airbnb has pillows like rocks. Some people travel with towels, not us. We have baby pillows.
- Bring TWO ADAPTORS. I blew out one of ours in Dublin, only three days into our journey. We were so glad we had another one.
WHAT WE’VE BOUGHT WHILE TRAVELING…SO FAR
- Long sleeved shirts.
- Winter coats.
- More boots. By winter mine were completely worn out.
- A small, fake leather backpack that is easier in cities than the large Lipault.
- Mittens and a hat.
- Replenish of socks.
- Black pullover top to replace Uniqlo.
- Straightening iron (you need to buy this while traveling because voltage is different in Europe than North America.)
- Extra bags. (We picked up two bags for 20 euros each so we could lighten our luggage while flying. It was much cheaper. More on this in trains, planes and other transport.)
Packing Our Bags
We have become masters at organizing our bags, but honestly it took us about two months to sort it out. Now we know the spot in the bag where each item is kept…but at first, it was crazy making.
A few techniques we have perfected…
- We pack so that one side of the luggage contains summer clothes and items less often used, like a nice dress, certain boots, particular toiletries/medicines, art supplies (for me), high heels (for Chloe); and the other side has what we wear and use daily.
- Bags in bags. By this I mean the ziplocks, and smaller bags inside the suitcase. Think of them as smaller drawers.
- Use small ziplocks for liquids of any kind. I bring rose and lavender oil, nail polish, etc.
- Small bags (not ziplocks) to help organize. I use the free bags I get from L’Occitane (where I buy my face cream). They zip and hold just the right amount. I have five of them, which contain: 1) jewelry, 2) makeup, nail clippers, hair ties, 3) computer cables and chargers, 4) allergy medicine, Neosporin, thermometer, hydrocortisone cream, bandaids and bandages (various sizes), aspirin, Tylenol, Advil., 5) face creams, masks, Neti Pot (it’s saved me).
- A large toiletry bag for hair brush, scissors, deodorant, bottle/wine opener, ziplock with bag keys from home, check book, thread and needle, shampoo, conditioner, bar of soap, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, adaptor, straightening iron, etc.
- Large ziplock for fiber, greens, nutritional yeast, vitamins (each labeled in separate small ziplock).
- Another large ziplock with spices and teas. More under food.
The All Important Backpack packing list
These things stay with/on me…
- My main wallet with Credit cards, drivers license, card card and medical/travel insurance number, passport.
- A second wallet with different currencies (US$, pounds, euros).
- Phone, ear buds and battery pack.
- Computer.
- Kindle.
- A few Advil and Tylenol. A tiny Vaseline tub, a small hand cream, sunglasses, tiny sunscreen.
- Scarf .
- Small notebook and pen.
- Folder with all our passwords and travel documents.
- Sometimes A Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget
This may sound like a lot, but don’t forget this is a yearlong adventure, and we aren’t backpackers. We want to be able to feel comfortable in museums as well as walking the countryside of Ireland.
Our Personal Extras
Chloe travels with a model bag.
My colored pencils, sketch pad, watercolors and a watercolor pad.
A Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget …The book weighs a ton, and may not be worth it. I carry it because I like reading about a place before hitting the internet. It gives me a generalized understanding of history, population statistics, list of main sites and a city map that helps me see the relationship of neighborhoods. For restaurants, events, museums, and unusual places, we go online. Two of our favorite blogs are Solo Sophie, because she is kind of quirky and fun; and Nomadic Matt, because he is practical.
Food
Since we were eating dinners and breakfasts in, we started traveling with a few things…and that got bigger, until it was a bit ridiculous by the time we moved from downtown Madrid to the suburb of Madrid near Coslada. We only carry food when we take buses and trains, our favorite forms of transportation.
But we suggest you carry some spices and tea (if you drink tea), if nothing else. We carry cayenne, curry powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and hot peppers. I have black tea and an herbal tea or lavender. In Madrid, we were carrying apple cider vinegar, olive oil, oats, Chia and Flax seeds, milk, cheese, bread, butter, apples, dried apricots, almonds, etc. Ridiculous but then we were on our way to a long stay and it was nearby.
Shopping and Mailing
We have bought some new clothes — jeans, tops, shirts, boots, coats. Anticipate and save for a six-month burnout. Chloe needed better clothes for modeling. And for me, after six months, I was tired of what I was wearing and everything looked so ragged, it was time. Unexpected, but okay to shop…just plan ahead.
We’ll mail winter clothes back to a friend in NYC as we no longer need them.
