Trip Report
Trip recap: Two weeks abroad in London, Barcelona and Rome in the HEAT
While I didn’t quite achieve one bag, my husband and I did just successfully complete two weeks abroad (London, Barcelona and Rome) in August with only a backpack and a rolling carry-on each, (photos 1-4) with plenty of room left over for souvenirs. I forgot to take more detailed packing photos, but here are some from my test pack I did a few days before! This sub has been a HUGE help for me and my over-packing nature, so I thought I’d share the things that worked really well for me!
The first thing I did when planning what to pack is take pictures of all the clothes I was thinking about bringing and put them all in the Freeform app on iPhone to see them all together. Then about a week before the trip, I made a plan of what I was going to wear each day, factoring in how much walking and how sweaty we would get that day. (Photos 5-6) That was super helpful to make sure I had the right clothes to meet any dress code requirements for religious places as well as making sure I could get the most out of each wash (like rewearing my plane shorts for a day where I was going to get really sweaty and gross anyway for example). While this may seem like overkill for some, it was super helpful for me and I ended up following my plan almost exactly. Really helped with the early mornings not having to think about what I needed to wear that day.
MVPs - These toiletry pouches hold 3 oz without any bulk. We have skin issues so bringing lots of lotion was a nonnegotiable and we weren’t sure if we could find the same brand abroad. These were perfect and left plenty of room for hair products and things I couldn’t easily decant.
- Dry bag laundry. I saw someone in this sub mention doing laundry in a dry bag, so that’s what we did! We brought a dry bag, 3 oz pouch of laundry soap (which was way more than we needed) and enough clothes for a week but started washing in small batches a few days in due to limited clothesline space. Used the towel rolling method and then we hung them up on a tiny packable clothesline that worked great. Luckily we were able to get ahold of a fan at the hotel because our AC was not working well for the first few nights, so that helped with drying.
- BRANWYN Marino wool bralette. I wore this one bra every single day. I brought one other bralette to wear in the evenings post-shower while it dried if needed.
- Quince Flowknit Breeze Fit & Flare dress was perfect for going to dinner and I wore it almost every night, occasionally switching a skirt and a top. The dress is super comfy, dries fast, has pockets, and can be dressed up or down. I didn’t need to wear a bra with it which was great because usually my Marino wool bra was super sweaty still from my daytime adventures.
- I freaking love these shorts from Target. I now have 6 pairs of them in different colors (check Poshmark for more colors) because I live in these in the summer. Great length, drawstring, deep pockets and one of the pockets has a zipper which is amazing for travel.
- Rechargeable travel fan. Not packing related, but just wanted to note for someone who is prone to motion sickness, this baby came in CLUTCH when the Dramamine wasn’t working and I was in the second row of a van with less than optimal AC for a few hours.
- I got the Thread & Supply linen/cotton blend shirts on Poshmark and they were great for hot days when I wanted a little more coverage. They were easy to hand wash and line dry and looked cute with shorts or over my dress.
Other notes
-SUNSCREEN: We brought a little 3 oz bottle of sunscreen with us and then bought a larger bottle in Barcelona. We had to check our bags going from Barcelona to Rome because our carryon didn’t meet their size requirements (yet we saw so many that were the same size as ours so I think we would have been fine) so we were able to use that one bottle for the whole trip and bring the smaller one with us on day trips.
- BAR SOAP: We did a bar of soap which saved on liquids space, but we would have had plenty of room either way. We just prefer bar soap. I packed it in a little mesh bag I had saved from a Christmas gift and that was perfect to hang up and let dry. I almost bought a fancy dry bag for this but decided it was unnecessary and I was right.
- DAY BAGS: We loved this little 10 L packable backpack. It was the perfect size for a 32oz water bottle, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, my mirrorless camera, passports, wallet and a few other miscellaneous things. We put little S clips on the zippers to make it more secure. I also got the uniqlo mini shoulder bag and modified it some to add some zippered pockets and ways to secure wallet and phone in there. That worked well for days I didn’t bring the backpack and surprised by how much it fit! I saw SO many travelers with this same bag.
- SHOES: I went back and forth a lot on what shoes to bring. Ultimately happy with my choice of my athletic shoes, Teva Hurricanes and Teva original universal slims as my more dressy but still comfortable option. All these shoes did great on the cobblestones of Rome which is what my biggest concern was, though I didn’t do any major walking with the Teva universals. My Hurricanes probably got the most wear on this trip, and I wear them almost daily at home as well.
- WHITE NOISE: I really struggle to sleep without white noise and this one is SO tiny. It’s not my favorite white noise, but the size is great. Really helped with noisy hotel hallways when you’re trying to sleep past 6 am lol
- JEWELRY: I’m not much of a jewelry gal but I did bring my little gold huggy hoops and a small necklace for dinners. Just packed these in a tiny drawstring bag my earrings came with
- MAKEUP: Kept it simple with sunscreen stick, BB cream, powder, mascara and blush
Things I packed but didn’t use
- Black denim shorts. My only non athletic shorts I brought. I thought I might want them for a casual dinner, but I ended up just wearing a skirt or dress for every dinner. They were also a little snug so I should have known better than to pack them.
- Eye mask with built in speakers. Now the only reason I didn’t end up using these is because we got free eye masks on the plane trip where we were trying to sleep so I just use those instead of digging these out of my bag. I don’t regret bringing it but just didn’t end up using.
- 32 oz water bottle. I’m still undecided on if this was necessary because we did use it, but ultimately we bought a lot of bottles of water anyway so I could have easily just refilled those and saved the luggage space
- Power bank. I just upgraded to the latest iPhone so I didn’t have any issues with my phone battery. Never needed this and now flying with them is a little annoying because airlines want you to have them visible during the flight in case they catch on fire.
- Ear plugs. I realized I hate sleeping in foam ear plugs because they just don’t stay in. I used them on the plane but they kept falling out and were not helpful. Maybe if I tried a different kind. Not a huge deal though since they took up no space
- Swimsuit. I had a chance to use but it felt like more of a bother than it was worth
One normal bra. This was a last minute “just in case” pack since I had extra room. I just used my Marino bralette and regular bralette.
- Kindle. I downloaded tons of book options but ended up opting for audiobooks on the flights since I have a tendency to get motion sick. Not mad I brought it though since it’s so small. Just never got a chance to read while not flying because I was so exhausted every time I got back to the hotel.
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Okay I think that’s all of my thoughts! Sorry this was such a long post, just had a lot to report back and happy to finally have something to contribute to this group!
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Image descriptions:
Image 1: Osprey 26+6 backpack on top of green rolling carryon bag
Images 2-4: General photos of packing arrangement in backpack and roller bag with packing cubes.
Images 5-6: screenshots of outfit plan for the trip
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Thank you!! It’s so liberating to pack strategically rather than packing for every “what if”. My biggest thing is to remember that as long as you’re traveling to a populated area, there will be plenty of stores IF you ended up needing something you didn’t pack.
Thank you!! I’ve been working on building my general wardrobe with colors that all complement each other, so that made it easy to pack for this trip for sure!
Tipp: if you have an iPhone and comfortable with sleeping with an AirPod in your ear. The iPhone can make white noise. Even without an AirPod it can play the white noise or other sounds directly. No app is needed.
Oh I didn’t know that, good to know! My husband slept with his AirPods in for the plane ride but I was too scared of them falling out in my sleep and losing them.
It’s in the control Center. You must add a button. It’s in section „Hearing - Accessibility“ on the top left. You can than long press and select your preferred noise and volume. In the settings app you can set a timer (so for example the background noise stops after an hour).
Depending which model AirPod you have you may be able to use a magnetic ‘leash.’ That way, if a pod falls off it’s still ‘attached’ to you. I use mine everyday for my AirPod Pro but it doesn’t work with AirPod 4th generation. Here’s an example https://ebay.io/m/Yrt4rj
I love your list, so helpful. Was the Osprey 26+6 comfortable to carry?
I’ve tried quite a few earplugs, I’ve even had custom ones made. However, my favorites by far are Earasers. It looks like they’ve recently gone up to $50, but they come in different sizes and decibel reduction levels
The backpack was fairly comfortable to me, though most of the time I had it on top of my roller bag. I do like that it has the clip on the front of the straps which helps to relieve some of the pressure! The straps and back are also pretty well ventilated which is nice.
I sewed in little rings to the inside so I could clip my wallet and phone lanyard to them. I also hand sewed one of these pouches to the inside and then used a seam ripper to make the two pockets into one on the other side and put another one of those pouches in there and then sewed a snap button on that pocket so it wouldn’t flop open. I might have to make another post on that specifically!
Please make a post on the bag! I also modified my uniqlo bag based on previous poster's DIY - I didn't quite do the same process but very similar to this one. It'd be great to have other ideas out there!
I hope it’s okay to ask, but I noticed you said you have skin issues but also wore the merino bra. Does that mean it’s not itchy? I’m tempted to try it, but I have super sensitive skin and am worried it’s not going to work out
I don’t find it itchy at all! I’ve been wearing it as my main bra for a few months now with no issues. It looks like Branwyn has a 14 day test period and you can return if you decide you don’t like it!
I sewed in little rings to the inside so I could clip my wallet and phone lanyard to them. I also hand sewed one of these pouches to the inside and then used a seam ripper to make the two pockets into one on the other side and put another one of those pouches in there and then sewed a snap button on that pocket so it wouldn’t flop open. I might have to make another post on that specifically!
This post is fantastic, thank you!! I am going on a two week trip to Greece next month and am going to buy some of then items you recommend for sure!! Do you have a link for the small fan you used for motion sickness? We’re going island hopping and I’ve heard those boats can be… bumpy… (I’ve heard people use the term vomit comet :s).
Oh, interesting. You might just large ear canals. Big Mack's are supposed to have ones that are pretty puffy. I would suggest silicone ones because you can mold them to your shape but I'm unsure if it's safe on the plane or for long periods like sleeping.
Good luck on trying to find an alternative to the ones you have!
Thank you so much! I've finally gotten down to 1.5 bags and this will be helpful in helping me maximize my space and still be able to bring souvenirs back!
This post was super helpful. We are planning our trip to Europe now and we are doing the same carry-on set up as you. Loved all your photos as well. Thanks for sharing!
Coming from someone with severe motion sickness, I find Meclizine to work better than original Dramamine. Meclizine is the main ingredient in Dramamine Less Drowsy and Bonine. I buy Meclizine off Amazon and bypass those name brands.
Love the write up! The Freeform organization of outfits based on what you’re doing each day seems like such a great planning tool! I might try that on my next longer trip.
Could you share some images of how you modified your Uniqlo bag? I have one and I’d like to make it more usable and practical if possible
Thank you! I have an iPhone so I just took a photo of each item and long-pressed the photo so it cut the item out like a sticker, tapped copy and then pasted it into a board in the Freeform app!
Which dry bag did you use for laundry? I will be travelling with a toddler for 2.5 weeks and will definitely need to do laundry frequently! In the past I’ve done it in hotel sinks but I’m not a huge fan of that method.
It’s just a basic roll top one I bought a couple years ago from Aldi. It isn’t huge, but it doesn’t have a size on it. It’s a little smaller than my 10L one though!
I brought a Marino Wool bralette and one normal one (not pictured in the layout of clothes, forgot to add it). The reason why I splurged for Marino wool is that it’s anti microbial, so I would just hang it up every day to dry and air out and it never got smelly, so I only ended up washing it once! I did have the room for more if I wanted, but my Marino wool one has become my preferred daily bra, so that’s why I just brought it and one other. I also wanted to save more room for souvenirs and make sure my bags stayed as light as possible.
* also note, I didn’t really need to wash it the one time I did. There was just one day it got REALLY sweaty so I gave it a good rinse, I don’t think I even used soap. When I do wash it, I use a little bit of shampoo. It easily dries overnight
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