What To Pack & How

If your pants rip in France and no one is around to see it, did they still rip?

Yes. Yes they did.

Packing for a long trip can be daunting, especially when you don't know what weather or activities to pack for. Any open-ended trip with no expectations is the novice-packers nightmare. Packing for the Bahamas is easy- 6 bikinis, some flowy dresses, and sandals. But a six week trip backpacking through Europe? From the sandy shores of Barcelona to the rainy stretches of Scotland? Seven countries, 12 cities, numerous unplanned activities, and one backpack? Sure, it's not unheard of; wandering souls have gone for longer with less. But we are just two girls with a dream in our hearts and a full skin care routine that had to come with us. Plus, we had only planned for half of our trip when we left. We knew we were going to hike and swim but beyond that we had no clue. Would we be going to the opera? Perhaps dangling hundreds of feet over the Swiss alps? No clue. So yes, packing was a little stressful. The weeks leading up to our departure were filled with frantic last minute purchases, messy rooms, and frustrated conversations filled with ‘I don't know’s. And I was the happiest I had been in months. I love packing; more than the sane person should. My favorite parts of a trip are planning what to pack, packing, and then unpacking everything when it's over. There's a certain thrill in everything fitting perfectly in your suitcase. You won't find me sleeping-in the day after a trip. I’m unpacked with the laundry folded and my suitcase packed away in the attic before you’ve eaten breakfast. I had dreamed of this moment: 6 weeks and one backpack. My white whale. 

I started simple. We were backpacking around Europe, so I needed a backpack. The vessel for my soul. The place I would live for six full weeks. This is the most important piece of your trip. It has to be comfortable, affordable, spacious, simple, and strong at the same time. Choose poorly and you won't get very far. Think about it, you are on this trip and the only constant is your bag. You’re the only one who has to deal with it. It's like picking an RV.  You want one that gets decent gas mileage, has room to walk around in, and won’t make you feel the sheer weight of all your responsibilities/hopes/dreams. I went with a 40L rucksack in the color rust. She’s sleek, spacious, and opens clamshell. Spoiler: she made it through the trip. Don’t get me wrong, the two of us would get into little spats. I would put her on too fast and not secure the hip straps and she would breathe holy hell down my back. It took a while to figure out the best placement for my other bags when we would get geared up. But like any good captain, I believed in my ship and she never lead me aground. 

 Now that you have your vessel, the next most important thing to worry about is hygiene.While still being space conscious and TSA aware, being clean is a major part of any long trip. Especially when you don't know if the next bathroom will be communal or not. I'm an overly cautious person; the less risk I have to take going through security at the airport the better. The only liquids I packed were toothpaste, face cream, toner, Bag Balm, body oil, and contact solution. For my hair I brought my trusty solid bars of shampoo and conditioner. Now, if you go with this route it's important to make sure these products work for you. It's a waste of space if you bring them and find out they make your hair look like hay once you use them. Also, don’t freak out, you can buy literally anything you need once you get to your destination (unless you are traveling to some place crazy like Antarctica I guess). Once your trip begins the metaphorical waistband of your bag can loosen. It's when you have to cross your fingers at the airport that your bag isn't too big or heavy that the waistband has to be breathtakingly tight. My only regret on this trip was that I didn't pack deodorant. On long travel days when we were so tired and hungry and hot with all of our bags there was always one other entity with us. My stink. Please, please, don't make my mistake and buy a crappy deodorant that you can't even read because it's in another language. Be like Ellen and bring your good deodorant from home and just have a normal stink that isn't a demon lurking over you like me. 

There may have been a hellish stink about me on these days but my feet were walking on Heaven's clouds. I'm proud of my shoe choices for this trip, which is why I put it as number three on your packing checklist. I believe the shoes you bring should serve at least two purposes for your trip. You need shoes that are practical but can still go with any outfit. I brought in total, three shoes. My Holy Trinity if you will. You don't need more than this. A durable shoe, for fast-paced days exploring a city that can also get you up the side of a mountain. A sandal, for warm days swimming on rocky shores that also are hostel shower ready. And a dressy shoe for the fancier occasions that also bring you joy. For me this was my Blundstone boots, Teva Universal sandals, and my red velvet Mary Janes. Your feet are going to hurt no matter what shoes you're wearing. Walking over 20,000 steps a day is going to hurt, there's no avoiding that. What you can avoid is bringing shoes that you only wear twice because they are one faceted. Realistically everything you bring should have multiple ways you can use it. Think of it as saving space. Wow! I can wear these boots when I'm running to catch a bus and when I'm trekking through a surprisingly muddy trail. Would you look at that! I can use this conditioner bar to shave my legs too! Who would have known! These hair ties can hold back all my hair and help compress my pants in this packing cube.

 That's right, we're finally getting to the most exciting bit. Packing cubes and packing those packing cubes. Now, everyone knows that when you go on a long trip people always advise to bring less than what you think you'll need. If you think you are above this rule like I did, you're wrong. Of course you will pack things you don't need, it's impossible not to. For our trip, we needed to pack for both cold and warm weather. I focused on picking good quality long sleeves, a reliable jacket, and a waterproof raincoat. I tried to limited myself on dressier options. Every top could be worn with any bottom. Five casual shirts for every day, a couple long sleeves to layer, and one sweater. I ended up bringing five pants and one pair of shorts (two jeans, leggings, cargo pants, and a designated travel pant). Disaster struck four days into the trip when one of my jeans ripped severely in the back pocket. They are now forever entombed in the French Alps. How did I manage with four pairs of pants? I really don't know. I'm a messy person. I'd get mud up my hems, pasta sauce on my lap, and sit on some questionable benches. But I chose my pants well and I treated them as well as I could and they got me through. Just like my shirts could be worn with any of my pants, each pair of pants could be worn for any activity. I could hike in any of them. Take a stroll, visit a church, survive a rainstorm, eat a huge meal, or run after a celebrity look alike. What I'm trying to say is that every piece of clothing served multiple purposes. Less is more. Duh, we know that. But even if you pick a good pair of pants that everyone loves and tells you is the best travel pant, if it isn't something you can live and be happy in you won't want to wear it. I also firmly believe in the travel pant. Having one pair of pants that you only wear when traveling is so freeing. A nice comfy linen pant that is breathable for days of sitting on cramped trains or sweaty buses is a luxury. You're going to be gross and smelly and tired. Having one pair of pants that you don't have to worry about doing all those things in and still wearing the next day is like a gift from above. Yes, they can get dirty. Yes, I can sit on the ground. It's all right I don't have to wear them again till I'm doing it all over. It also gets you in the mindset for traveling like a uniform. I'm ready for anything. Plane delay? That's okay, I can sleep anywhere in these pants. Extra early bus to catch? That's fine, I've still got my blanket on with these pants. Oh we're on the wrong train? Not a problem, I've got full range of motion in my easy breezy travel pants.

 And that's it. That's what I know about packing. I could go on for pages about the benefits of rolling your clothes, but everyone packs differently. If you’re not a roller, nothing I say will change that (though it can really reduce your airspace between your clothes).  If you're just skimming over this, and want my quick thoughts on what to pack for a long trip I'll summarize it for you. One: pick a good backpack that allows you to see everything you have easily and isn't going to permanently damage your back. Two: be intentional about your hygiene (bring deodorant). Three: choose your shoes wisely and only bring three. Four: bring clothes that you enjoy wearing and that will have multifaceted purposes. Honestly just quit overthinking and don't be stupid. Pray for a working washing machine. Leave room for rocks and trinkets. In the end you are the captain of your ship and you decide which way the wind blows.