Packing Day

Packing for three months in Europe today. It's really easy to over-pack for a trip like this, so I try to remind myself of that fact constantly. Really, I'm packing for at most two weeks, with a few extra things thrown in that might not otherwise make the cut for a shorter trip. More details on packing for a long trip after the jump.


In a matter of about 30 minutes I was able to put together my clothes. Here is what will go in the suitcase: 4 pairs of trousers, 1  pair of shorts, 1 pair of light hiking shoes, 6 pairs of socks, 3 long-sleeve pullovers, enough underwear for a little less than 2 weeks. And here is what that looks like laying out on the bed (missing the shoes and a couple pairs of socks that are still drying on the line):

And in the suitcase:

So I've used about 1/3 of a large suitcase. Not too bad. The real space that gets taken up will be with odds and ends. Things like breathing machines for the Little Lady in case she has a problem with wheezing again. Video camera, computers, and so on. But we really have to try to limit what we pack for this trip, in large part because we'll be using multiple modes of transport before we reach our most permanent destination. The full complement of suitcases plus a stroller plus a car seat plus smaller bags will be hard to fit on trains.

So, we're planning to bring  total of two large suitcases, one small suitcase with a backpack inside, and one full backpack. We figure we can re-pack prior to taking our little train tour in the south of Spain so as to eliminate at least one of the big suitcases and ideally just pack everything in one small suitcase and two backpacks. That would be much easier for the train. We'll see how that goes.

The bottom line here is that, for us, travelling as light as we reasonably can is an important part of making a trip enjoyable. Lugging stuff through airports and stations is one of the least fun parts of travel. So being a little lighter is helpful. Make no mistake, we don't travel light by European standards. And if you see us in an airport your first thought will not be "I wonder how they travel with so few things?" With a 1 year old in tow, the days of traveling light for real are on pause. But we still try to do the best we can, and on this trip it's really imperative given how much we'll be using trains while traveling with a summer's worth of gear. Wish us luck!