Packing 101 by Rick Steves
How do you fit a months worth of luggage into a small backpack? The answer is simple: Bring very little.
Spread out everything you think you might need on the living-room floor. Pick up each item one at a time and scrutinize it. Ask yourself, "Will I really use this snorkel and these fins enough to justify carrying them around all summer?" Not "Will I use them?" but "Will I use them enough to feel good about hauling them over the Swiss Alps?" Frugal as I may be, I'd buy them in Greece and give them away before I'd carry that extra weight over the Alps.
Don't pack for the worst-case scenario. Pack for the best-case scenario and simply buy yourself out of any jams. Bring layers rather than take a heavy coat. Think in terms of what you can do without — not what will be handy on your trip. When in doubt, leave it out. I've seen people pack a whole summer's supply of deodorant or razors, thinking they can't get them there. The world is getting really small: You can buy Dial soap, Colgate toothpaste, Nivea cream, and Gillette razors in Sicily and Slovakia. Tourist shops in major international hotels are a sure bet whenever you have difficulty finding a personal item. If you can't find one of your essentials, ask yourself how half a billion Europeans can live without it. Rather than carry a whole trip's supply of toiletries, take enough to get started and look forward to running out of toothpaste in Bulgaria. Then you have the perfect excuse to go into a Bulgarian department store, shop around, and pick up something you think might be toothpaste.
Whether you're traveling for three weeks or three months, pack exactly the same. To keep your clothes tightly packed and well organized, zip them up in packing cubes, airless baggies, or a clothes compressor. I like specially designed folding boards (such as Eagle Creek's Pack-It Folder) to fold and carry clothes with minimal wrinkling. For smaller items, use packing cubes or mesh bags (one for underwear and socks, another for miscellaneous stuff such as a first-aid kit, earplugs, clothesline, sewing kit, and gadgets).
Go casual, simple, and very light. Remember, in your travels you'll meet two kinds of tourists — those who pack light and those who wish they had. Say it out loud: "PACK LIGHT PACK LIGHT PACK LIGHT."
4 dark colored T-shirts – One for sleeping. Easy to buy abroad too.
1 pair of shorts – for sleeping.
3 pair of pants
2 long sleeve shirts
2 light sweaters
1 Dark colored Hoodie – Good for cold transportation and moderate temperatures.
1 fleece lined rain jacket –
2 scarfs
1 pair of gloves
2 bras
7 pairs of socks
7 pairs of underwear
*1 pair of boots and Sneakers.
Always best to dress in layers during the season that I am going.
Some Accessories I am taking:
~Travel Towel
~Shower Shoes
~Packing cubes (I got 3 small and 3 large but won't need to use them all)
~Baby wipes and hand sanitizer
~ Medicine~Including Immodium
~Toiletries Bag~ Take basic toiletries to get you thru, you can
purchase these items abroad and won't need to weigh your backpack down unecessarily.
~First-Aid kit with a needle and thread for sure.
~Recommended to take At least 7 days of underwear and socks
~Money Belt (cant stress this one enough)
~Bike Chain Lock (great to lock your bag to the bed or to lock your locker at the hostel when you're gone...not that someone wont steal it if their determined enough but if there is a room full of bags they are going to try to steal the one that will come the easiest first)
~Camera and Charger
~Tablet and charger
~Money/ATM Card (The card is great because of easiness with exchange rates, but make sure and watch the ATM fees, they can wipe you out pretty quick if you're not careful).
~Day Pack (to put things in that you will take with you during the day and your important documents).
~Sunglasses
~Converter and plug in(I also got the 4 plug oulet to plug in multiple items at once.)
~Travel pillow for planes, trains and buses(I got a blow up one that will fit easily into my backpack for very little weight)
~Passport and Drivers License
~Copies of: Itinerary, passport, extra passport photo in case I lose my passport it will be easier to obtain new passport thru the US embassy)
**also leaving copies with my Spouse.
~I have registered with the State Dept for each country I am going to.
~ Vaccinations are in the works.
~ I have Travel Insurance.
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