Packing, travelling

This was a Q&A about what to pack, etc when travelling to Europe between a friend of mine and myself. She asked, I answered. I'm now referring to it for my trip to Africa.

What kind of shoes did you wear while backpacking? Did you find the
need for fancy shoes, or nice shoes and clothes much?

The little european style flat tennis shoes are great. Lightweight,
comfortable, don't take up too much space. I also brought flip flops
that were comfortable, durable, and could go in the shower as shower
shoes. Hannah had a pair of Keen shoes, which are like a sport sandal.
She loved them. Don't buy new shoes that will need to be broken in.
Blisters would be a bitch with as much walking as you'll be doing.

You will not need any kind of dressy clothes really. You'll have to
bring pieces that are versatile, so if you bring black tennis shoes,
or something, you can pair it up with jeans or black pants and a
decent shirt. The most you would need to dress for is going out on the
town at night.

The trick is to pack as few items as possible, but pack it all in a
similar color palette, so you can do some heavy duty mixing and
matching. I also brought 2 silk scarves that could be worn as neck
scarves, belts, headbands, etc to mix it up. And I think I brought 2
necklaces. That way, you can make it look like different outfits.

Clothes I packed: (give or take)
1 jeans
1 khakis
1 sweater
1 zip up hooded sweatshirt (thin)
3 t-shirts
1 button up shirt
1 pj pant (that could be worn as bummy pants)
1 tank top
1 medium weight jacket
1 light sweater- acrylic is good so you can dry it easily.
1 gloves
1 bathing suit (though you might not need it this time of year)
7 underwear
3 bras
4-5 socks

Pack your stuff in those vacuum seal bags that you roll up to get the
air out of. That will save a lot of space in your pack, and also
protect and organize your clothes. I had 2 big ones, one for tops, one
for bottoms, then one small one for underwear, socks, etc.

Ziploc bags are also awesome! I packed stuff in them, and also brought
a bunch of medium and large freezer bags folded up and rubber-banded
for later in the trip. A very good thing to have.

I used a cosmetic case for my toiletries. One had shampoo,
conditioner, soap (in case), razor, small puff. (all shower stuff).
Another had lotion, deodorant, mascara, tweezers, etc. I also had a
ziploc bag first aid kit, with a little bit of everything, minus
boxes, and such.



What kind/ size backpack did you bring? Im trying to stick to a carry-on size.

That's going to be tricky to keep it as a carry-on. How long is your trip?

Somewhere in the market of 4000-5000 cubic inches is a good size.
http://www.backpacker.com/gear/article/0,1023,2435,00.html Mine was
borrowed from Heather Dietzold, and was perfect. It was a Kelty-check
out the Tornado. campmor.com

You'll also want a (SMALL) backpack or day-pack. It'll act sort of
like a purse, but don't keep your money in there (use a money belt!).
I used it to carry my journal, anything I bought, food, daily
essentials while out and about.


Did you bring a sleeping bag?

No, too bulky. But I did bring a "sleep sack" which was great to
have. It's just a flat sheet folded in half and sewn up into a pocket.
That way, you're always good to go, and won't have to pay to rent
sheets at hostels.



How do you know if a train station or hostel has lockers for you to
leave your bags in? and how big do these typically tend to be?

Well, definitely bring a padlock for when these opportunities
arise. I also had several smaller locks to lock up the zippers on my
bag when there wasn't a locker at the hostel. When there are lockers,
a 5000 cu. in. pack will definitely fit. They're usually made to fit
this size bag.

Most hostels have lockers, and some train stations do. You won't
usually need one at a train station unless you have a few hours
layover, though.


Do you have any other advice that I may not be thinking of? Is there
anything you wish you had known before you left? is there anything you
were glad you knew about before you left?

Definitely bring:
Hand sanitizer
money belt (worn under clothes)
inflatable neck pillow (for traveling)
Shout wipes
detergent (small liquid container. you can wash some things in sinks)
baby wipes
guidebook (tear out sections/countries you won't need on this trip to
make it lighter)
small locks, one padlock


Definitely utilize this site: http://guideforeurope.com/

This was the planning stage of my trip:
http://euroexp.blogspot.com/2005_08_28_euroexp_archive.html

Print these worksheets out, they're very helpful:
http://www.guideforeurope.com/planning_worksheet.html (planning)
http://members.shaw.ca/guideforeurope/packinglist.html (packing) This
will help a LOT. Call me if you want help narrowing it down.
http://members.shaw.ca/guideforeurope/backpackchecklist.html (buying a backpack)

Cost?
3 months in Europe, Fall 2005
5302.29
including 2 plane tix (one round trip to Turkey - 900, one from Spain to Turkey - 228), Eurail pass, hostels, food, travel insurance (200), pre-trip packing, atm withdrawls, etc.