Multi-weather Packing Tips and More!

Hi all! Welcome to my first post on my new blog hereuroexperience, I wanted to start off with a post about some packing tips I wish I knew before traveling. I am traveling for the next 4 months and subsequently will need clothes and other goodies for all types of situations and forecasts. Even if you are traveling for a shorter period of time but to different countries/ parts of the country with varying climates, this post should help as well.

My packing list needed to cover the following:

• extreme heat ( 40 degrees being the hottest)

• mild winter and fall ( 5 degrees Celsius being the coldest)

• good walking shoes

• packable hobbies ( book, paints, etc.)

• minimal jewelry and makeup

• prescriptions

• quick dry towel ( life saver)

Everything else I intended to by along the way such as toiletries, snacks, and such.

I HIGHLY recommend just buying these kinds of things abroad, because it is not worth the extra space in your suitcase

Things that are hard to find outside the US..

• portable stain remover

• mini deodorant

• pepper spray ( make sure to pack it in your checked bag )

Packing tips that helped me tremendously

• vacuum seal bags: this one is no secret but it is worth mentioning because you can get twice the amount of stuff in the same amount of space

• be careful about airline rules for how many items you are aloud to carry on the plane and what counts as a personal item. For example some airlines count a purse and a backpack as two separate items and will make you check your roll-on bag, whereas other airlines will let you bring all three. They WILL make you consolidate into their limit of two items personal and carry on. If you cannot consolidate you will have to pay to check the third bag.

• Don't pack all your clothes in one sitting. Even though you may feel like an efficient girlie, don't do it. The reason being you may be in a certain mood that makes you pick only a certain kind of clothing style such as lighter colors or more floral prints. When you do it over two or three sittings you'll get a better and more representative packing list for clothes. I did not do this, and I very much regret it because I brought a lot of pink clothes and sometimes I am not in the mood to wear pink. Ya feel? This is especially important if you are going on a trip for a month or longer.

• bring lots of basics that go with everything and a few things that are fun and for certain occasions.

• If you are a woman traveling alone consider buying a fake wedding ring/ engagement ring... it is a quick and easy way to get out of any unwanted situation even if you don't speak the language of the country you are visiting you can always point to your ring finger. I have never needed luckily, but it never hurts to be prepared. I will be uploading a blog post soon about the safest cities and countries I have been to for female solo travelers.

• bring your oldest shoes, if you're anywhere in Europe or Asia you'll most likely be doing a lot of walking. You can bring new shoes but it is just not worth it, if you're planning in advance ( like 4 months) wear the shoes you want to bring EVERYWHERE to really break them in. No one is looking at your feet as much as you think, the blisters are not worth it.

• If you can... buy Apple Airtags. I usually never check a bag, and the last time I did it got lost and I did not see it for 5 months after the fact. Not only was it scary losing my stuff but I did not have any clothes or winter gear ( I was in Iceland ) not exactly the place to not have winter accessories. What I ended up having to do was buy a bunch of clothes and be refunded by the airline. Not worth it, just buy a $25 Apple Airtag if you can. The range on these things is incredible, and if you can tell the airport personnel where your bag is it'll expedite the process.

• They do not have water bottle filling stations in Europe, you may get lucky and find one every once in a while but it is just not common there to have a reusable water bottle. If you have a giant water bottle, I'm talking 40oz + do not bring it, it is a burden to carry it around and you will not find people to fill it up in restaurants or stations across the city. Water is cheap here and unfortunately it does come in plastic bottles so if you're looking to be more sustainable try a different country...

I hope this was helpful if you have any questions feel free to reach out to me on any of my ---------- social media platforms with the username: hereuroexperience ---------

Thank you,

Lorelai <3