This past April I embarked on a 5 month journey to Europe: planes, trains, boats, and the occasional bus (and a whole lot of walking).
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I boarded a transatlantic cruse from Florida to Rome. The cruise departed Florida on April 7th and I arrived on April 19th with an aborted stop in Gibraltar, United Kingdom, Alicante in Spain, and finally just outside Rome – you can take a 1/2 hour train ride to Rome from the port. I detailed more on the cruise portion of my trip in this recent post.
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The last time I spent this much time abroad I was in my early 20s with a Euro-Rail pass in hand for 4 months of hostels and back packing across Western Europe. This time, beyond the odd hostel thrown in for good measure, I’m staying exclusively in Airbnb’s and hotels (using some credit card, hotel points, and airline points, to defray the costs).
What did I pack?
For starters, this post contains Amazon affiliate paid links. If you click on one of them and order the product, I may get a small commission. Please know, I’m only promoting products I actually use and would recommend you to use on a future trip too.
Below is an image of everything I packed (most of it anyways). There were a few items that didn’t make it into the picture like the clothes I was wearing that day, my micro-fiber towel, universal charger, and combo lock.
In case you’re counting:
- 1 pair of shoes: My Allbirds runners – super comfy for walking and machine washable
- 1 pair of pants: Uniglo athletic leisure pants
- 2 pairs of shorts: Uniglo athletic shorts
- 8 pairs of socks: Includes two long compression socks for flights
- 9 pairs of underwear: I always pack at least a weeks’ worth of socks and underwear
- 6 athletic Uniglo t-shirts | 1 dressier polo t-shirt | one dressier t-shirt | 1 hoodie
- 1 face cloth: It amazes me how many hotels and Airbnb’s do not stock face cloths
My advice is to pack athletic t-shirts that you’d wear to work out in the gym. They are light weight, dry quickly and often wick sweat away.
I also recommend you save those little soaps and shampoos from hotels and bring a handful along with you. You’d be surprised how many Airbnb’s do not stock these basic items or if they do, you may not always want to use what they have in the shower.
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I stored everything in my Hynes Eagle 40L Travel Backpack. I’ve used this back pack which is airline compartment compliant and found it to be study and strong, while having sufficient space and pockets to tuck in all your things like laptop, water bottle, etc. It even attaches to the neck handle of your roller suitcase if you’re combining it with a suitcase. For the record, I just used a back pack for this trip as I made sure my airbnbs had at least a clothes washer so I could do laundry regularly. (I did carry a smaller back pack that could be rolled up for use when roaming around a city during the day – it didn’t make it into the picture above. ).
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I brought this micro-fiber towel as it rolls up super small and dries super fast while being super water absorbant. Given that I was staying in a few hostels, I used this as my towel. It was always dry the next morning and never smelled unpleasant. (The towel actually folds up tighter than the image shows below).
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Again, because I was staying in a few hostels, a locker is essential to safe guard your personal belongings. It’s important to make sure your lock has a thin neck loop so that it fits most lockers – this one fit all hostel lockers I used.
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Cipway Compression Packing Cubes Set
Packing cubes are a must. They let you cram more in your luggage in an efficient and organized manner while I find keeping things like socks and underwear (and dirty clothes) separated.
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Ceptics World Travel Plug Adapter Set
I like this universal charger as it’s sturdy and strong and not flimsy like other chargers I’ve used in the past. The one negative is that it doesn’t have a USB charger on it and can only charge one item at a time. You have to swap different plugs in and out of the device (not an issue when you’re travelling within Europe on one trip as the plug is the same for countries you visit). I’ve had universal chargers where the plugs are built into the bulkier device itself but I have found them at times to be flimsy.
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SPRI Braided Xertube Resistance Bands
I am so happy about this purchase. I can’t say enough. Just the right amount of tension and super sturdy. I have no fear that this will snap or break or lose its tension. This allows me to work out while traveling by following easy tutorials online from the same company that produces the resistance band. My go-to video is this 10-minute workout video. I will definitely be taking this along with me now on every trip I take!
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Solar Charger Solar Power Bank
If you’re like me at all, your smart phone battery is always running low. A battery back-up is a most while travelling. I like this model as it recharges itself via solar panel – so if you can’t plug the battery into the wall, you can still get enough charge to recharge the battery via the sun and to recharge your battery on the smart phone.
Bonus is the built in flash light (it even has an S-O-S mode if you’re in danger) and a built in compass.
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Fulton Open & Close 3 Travel Umbrella
I can’t for the life of me figure out why people don’t travel with an umbrella. I also can’t figure out why people buy those tiny cheap dollar store type umbrellas that break the moment they experience a gust of wind.
Do yourself a favour and invest in a quality umbrella. I use this brand umbrella and I buy one every 5 years or so – that’s right they last that long! Why get wet touring around your new European or vacation destination? Use this umbrella. Just don’t forget it and leave it behind as it will set you back a few well worth it dollars.
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First off, they’re not cheap! However, they are light-weight, super supportive to your lil guys, and they dry fast. I only wear this brand. Great for every day and while adventuring around the world.
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What do you do for food while travelling?
In terms of eating while traveling for extended periods of time, I find Airbnb’s are wonderful because they often have kitchens with fridges and stoves and if you’re lucky (a microwave and toaster) that allows you to cook a basic, yet healthy 3 meals a day. Hotels don’t provide this sort of flexibility so I find you can save money on dining out by staying at an Airbnb.
For starters, even before you leave home, I recommend you bring along about a dozen Ziploc bags with you to store nuts, fruits, passport, etc. for your travels.
Before you go grocery shopping in your new city or town while on your trip, check the kitchen to see what pots and pans you have available and if they have a toaster, strainer for pasta, can opener, bottle opener, etc. This is important as it will determine some of the groceries you buy or don’t buy.
My grocery list includes (depending on the length of stay in a particular destination):
- Frozen vegetables: Can be easily boiled in a pot
- Eggs: Easy to prepare for all meals
- Fruit: Apples, Bananas, Grapes, Berries are all super easy to wash and eat raw with no preparation required.
- Nuts: Buy some almonds or pistachios (put some in a Ziploc bag and bring with you when you leave for some sight seeing).
- Vegetables: I buy veggies I can easily eat raw such as baby carrots, grape tomatoes, peppers, celery, etc.
- Cereal and Milk: Easy to prepare
- Pasta and Spaghetti Sauce: Mix in a can of tuna into the sauce and/or frozen vegetables into the boiling pasta for extra protein
- Chicken: Buy chicken or turkey that is not a breast but is thinly cut/sliced: Cooking a full breast of chicken in a frying pan is challenging. Thinly sliced white meat cooks super fast. I brought along my favourite chicken spice to “spice” up my meals as needed.
- Beef/Pork: Buy pre-made meatballs: Eat them with eggs or pasta or on there own.
- Yogurt: I buy the highest protein or Greek yogurt if you can find it. Add berries to it or cereal.
- Fish: Buy pre-seasoned fresh salmon or a can of tuna to add to pasta
So, what is a must-have that you bring along on your extended vacations or travels? Comment below or on my Twitter/X.
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