Tuesday, January 26, 2016

How to Pack for Europe in the Winter!




Hello everyone! Welcome to the first post about my wonderful trip to Europe! I wanted to make sure I covered all the great parts about my trip, but this being a fashion blog, we're going to start with what I was planning on wearing! 

In the very early stages of planning this trip, I pinned many posts about what I should pack for Europe, what's going to make me look the least touristy as possible, and what's a good amount to bring for an overall around 10 days of travel. 

And how to fit it all into this backpack.

Anyone who knows me, knows this is not an easy feat. I'm the queen of over-packing. I need at least two outfits per day and could never repeat a piece! And in WINTER. Like, it's going to be cold, and most the Pinterest posts talked about summer travel, so what do I do?! But, being the world traveler that she is, Kathleen gave me some guidelines and tips to follow:

-Two Shirts 
-Two Sweaters
-Two Pairs of Pants 
-Two Dresses
-Two Pairs of Shoes
-One coat


So a few weeks before I was to travel, I decided to practice packing so I would know exactly how everything would look, and fit. I really recommend doing this, because then you get an idea of what you'll actually wear, rather than just ideas of what you think you'll put on. 

Here is the result of my careful planning!


8 outfits for the 8 full days that I was in Europe. I thought it couldn't be done...but alas, here it is. Kathleen also gave the suggestions of rolling the clothes, wearing the bulkiest items on the plane, and stick to this plan!

I really did stick to these outfits, except I swapped the striped t-shirt you see there with a long sleeve white shirt. I wanted to make sure I was warm enough. I think having the versatility of colors and types of clothing really helped. By having a button up as one of my shirts, I could wear it with either sweater and have that extra layer under my coat. Picking some neutral colors with the clothing really helps it be more versatile. 

I probably could have kept with the one pair of jeans, but the purple pants were new when I started packing, and pretty warm so they made the cut. I think if I had to do it again, I would pick a different color pant or button up, since the colors were too similar to be worn together. 

Now another really important aspect of what to bring, is the right purse. People will preach and preach to you about pick pocketers and how they had all their money stolen, etc. I'm happy to tell you that I didn't have that experience, and the only money taken from me was money given to buy amazing food and cool souvenirs. Something that helped with that was this purse:



Purchased at Francesca's (see they're more than just wonderful necklaces), this purse had two zippered pockets, and a flap over those, which is like extra security. If you're in any crowded area, you should always watch your stuff, but this purse helped keep me not as paranoid. 

Other items that are necessities when traveling abroad:

-Outlet converters
-Toiletries
-Passport & a copy of your passport kept in another bag
-Portable Charger
-Scarf, Hat, Gloves/Mittens (it's going to be cold)
-Print outs of any confirmations (tickets, hostels, reservations as restaurants)
-Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide (Okay, so maybe not vital, but this really helped us see some really cool things in Budapest and Prague, with guided walks and fun facts)


Items I thought I needed but ended up not needing:
  • iPod: I brought it because I figured I would need music on the long flight, but AirBerlin offered quite a great selection that filled the times between my naps.
  • Make up: Okay, I'll preface this with I absolutely will always bring makeup with me wherever I go, and I would bring it again, but I do want to warn you that too much make up will make you stand out. Especially the places that I went, make up was very subtle if any was worn.


Now you could be asking yourself this question: But Ann, where are your statement pieces?


In stead of making a whole separate post, I will just say that jewelry is heavy and I was packing light. And due to the huge scarf and coat I had on, you wouldn't be able to see one of my beautiful necklaces. Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely brought jewelry. I brought some pearl studded earrings and some Kendra Scott, along with a few necklaces that will be featured soon.

Something I didn't prepare for was how much I would be bundled up so the outfits almost didn't matter. Almost.

Be sure to keep following for the next post about my adventures in Europe and so many more pictures!




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