UPDATE: Well we knew some things would go wrong during a 6 month trip, but I didn’t know it would be so soon! After landing in Vancouver at 10am this morning, I took off to explore the city as I have never been to Canada before. I had a 8 hour layover so I was going to be able to wander for a couple hours before heading back to the airport.
During my time in Vancouver I had no access to my phone because my minimal international plan doesn’t start until tomorrow. Once I arrived back to the airport and connected to the wifi, I was shocked to see an email from the airline that my flight to London had been cancelled due to maintenance issues. The next email said that they were putting us onto a flight leaving the next day at 1:30pm. This means I will get in on Saturday morning at 7 am and will have to navigate to a friends house after a red eye (no fun). But I decided to take a deep breath and just go with it. Nothing I could do it about now. The one silver lining was that I got to watch the Warriors win their first game of the NBA finals. Go Dubs!
Wish me luck that this next flight actually takes off!
I am now less than 12 hours from getting on my flight to Europe! As such, I have finally finished packing! And what a task it was. Try fitting 12 months of your life into one European carry-on sized backpack. As my mom said, “That would just never work for me!” But alas, it’s what I am doing.
I thought I would share what my packing list is so it can be a tool for future travelers… or for travelers who have never packed lightly before.
Here’s a link to the company that I bought my backpack through for this trip! I absolutely love it so far.
Packing List For Europe:
Clothes
One pair of workout pants
One pair of Lululemon’s
One pair of jean shorts
3 dresses (two summery, one dressier)
5 Cute shirts
2 sports bras
2 athletic shirts (one to sleep in)
Nike Booty shorts (to sleep in)
5 pairs of underwear
5 pairs of socks
one nude bra, one black bra
running shoes
Boots
Sandals
2 Scarfs
Sweater
Northface
Swimsuit
Sunglasses
Rain coat
Nylon bag
Running band
Electronics
Computer + Charger
iPad
iPhone + Charger
GoPro + Charger
Headphones (Apple)
Headphones (Bose)
Plug adapter
Portable charger
Toiletries
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Flosser
Any medication you take
Retainer
Deodorant
Makeup
Eye makeup remover
Razor
Conditioner
Shampoo
Brush
Sunscreen
Chapstick
Ibuprofen
Hair ties and bobby pins
Moleskin
Bandaids
Cough drops
Topical steroid cream for bed bug bites or regular bug bites to help with itchiness
Miscellaneous
Folder of itinerary print outs
Extra Passport photos
Thumb drive with all documentation
Handbag (for personal item on planes as well as day-to-day use)
Travel Towel
Water Bottle
Ear Plug
Eye Mask
Lock (for staying in hostels)
Passport
ID
Money belt
Here is everything spread out on a table!
It was so hard to determine what to bring with me when I knew I could only bring a few things and it would be the only things I have for 12 months. After doing a lot of research on what I should bring, one common piece of advice was to make sure every combination of outfit you can make from bottoms, to top, to scarf, to jacket, would work well together. This is why I stuck to mostly black, gray, and off white, with a touch of color, such as blue. I brought one warmer scarf (the dark purple and black scarf under my running shoes) and one lighter, more summery scarf (the light blue next to the purple scarf). Both serve a purpose and both worked color-wise with every outfit combination. For warmth, I brought one lightweight packable Patagonia black down jacket for cool nights and a navy shawl for style or when I only need a little bit of warmth. I used 4-5 “toiletry bags” to organize various groupings of items. One for toiletries, one for first aid kit, one for makeup, and one for all my smaller electronics and their cords.
Here is everything packed and ready to go!
Shown: Backpack packed, Outfit for airport, and personal bag (with laptop, iPad, headphones)
Catch you on the flip side (or on the other side of the Atlantic)!
I am officially one week away from leaving for Europe! Words cannot describe how excited I am… just thinking about all that is to come is overwhelming but thrilling.
My itinerary is as follows:
London, England
Worcester, England
Cardiff, Wales
Dublin, Ireland
Galway, Ireland
Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
Edinburgh, Scotland
London, England
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Stockholm, Sweden
Oslo, Norway
Bergen, Norway
Copenhagen, Denmark
Berlin, Germany
Prague, Czech Republic
Budapest, Hungary
Stuttgart, Germany
Paris, France
Barcelona, Spain (Spanish Language Program)
Granada, Spain (Spanish Language Program)
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I will be spending 2.5 months traveling through the first 18 cities and then I will be in Barcelona for 2 months and Granada for 1.5 months. During my time in Spain I am attending a Spanish language program and will be staying in a home-stay to fully maximize my language immersion.
I have booked most of my hostels and modes of transportation between each city (mostly trains and a bit of planes) until Spain. The time I have after Spain (about 6 weeks) I have left open to plan while I am in Europe. If I fall in love with Berlin, I just might go back. If I decide I regret skipping Greece in the first 2.5 months, I’ll go then. If I meet friends while traveling in Copenhagen who will be in Vienna in December, I might go visit them. Who knows? And this is exactly the reason I have left some of my trip unplanned 🙂
This last week I am home before leaving will be spent fine-tuning the exact list of items I am bringing on this 6.5 month excursion. Not an easy process. I plan to bring just a carry-on sized backpack for the duration of the trip, with the possibility of swapping some summer clothes for winter clothes if my parents end up visiting. While it is difficult to imagine spending 6.5 months living out of one suitcase, it is also exciting and cathartic.
If anyone has any recommendations for me for any and all of these cities, I would love to hear it!
The Pursuit Of Travel 