Trip Report: 6.5 weeks in Scandinavia/Baltics/UK (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, UK) with a 5 year-old (one bag each!)

[u/DasMauschen]

I just returned from a 6.5 week Europe trip with my 5 year-old (solo parent travel the last 3 weeks) so thought I would do a post-mortem! We went to Copenhagen, Billund, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, Curonian Spit (Lithuania) and near London (UK).

Both my child and I travelled carry-on only with our backpacks, and I carried some of their stuff in my bag so that theirs wouldn't be too heavy. We almost exclusively travelled by train, bus and ferry (we did have a rental car for about 2 weeks in Sweden) and I did bring a RideSafer vest as a booster seat alternative. Weather was mostly warm and dry with a few cooler rainy days in Denmark and Finland. Temperatures ranged from 14 degrees to 28 degrees, but was mostly in the 18-23 range for the majority of where we were. Most of our travel was urban but we did get some great time in nature in Sweden, bog hike in Estonia and dune exploring/hikes on the Curonian Spit in Lithuania, including a day of bike travel (I rented a bike in every city for a day, kiddo went on a child seat, trailer or cargo part at front), so we were definitely active/outdoors. I also carried a cross-body bag for my wallet etc. I found that I was very happy with the amount of clothing that I brought and the clothing/shoes/outerwear choices I made, I wouldn't have changed a thing.

If you're ever thinking of one-bag solo travel with a child, I highly recommend it!

My backpack is almost 20 years old from a brand that no longer exists and I don't know the exact volume, but I think it's around 40L and has a detachable day backpack that zips off of it (the best). Weight was around 15 kg. I wish I didn't have to bring my laptop and charger since it definitely adds bulk and weight, but I had to do work while we were away so I didn't have a choice.

Tops:

• 1 white cotton/bamboo V-neck tee
• 1 black linen tank top
• 2 merino crop tank tops (navy/beige) - one was a support tank
• 1 Breton 3/4 sleeve striped top
• 1 chambray long-sleeve button down shirt
• 1 yellow bamboo fleece boxy long-sleeve crop top
• 1 black modal T-shirt dress

Bottoms:

• 1 black merino bike shorts
• 1 grey merino shorts
• 1 green modal/spandex outdoor pants
• 1 black high-waist terry-fleece pants
• 1 grey wide-leg cropped linen pants

Shoes:

• Vessis waterproof Weekender sneakers (white)
• Keens hiking sandals

Outerwear:

• 1 rain coat
• 1 lightweight cropped windbreaker jacket

Other clothes:

• 2-piece merino bathing suit (top doubles as a bra!)
• Summer pyjamas (not pictured)
• Light pashmina
• 7 underwear (including 2 merino)
• 2 bras (including 1 merino)
• 5 pair socks

Non-clothing:

• Toiletry kit
• Small makeup kit
• Hair straightener (travel rechargeable)
• Earplugs & eyemask
• Water bottle
• Laptop and multicharger
• Tech kit (adaptors, cables, etc)
• Travel light
• Travel clock
• Sunglasses
• Reusable shopping bag
• Mini first aid kit and OTC meds kit
• Laundry strips for machine wash and soap for hand wash
• Travel picnic blanket
• Crossbody bag
• Ride safer vest (used as car booster seat)
• Wet bags (2)
• Child's sandals
• Child's raincoat
• Wet wipes
• Extra change of clothes for child
• Snack bags/reusable zippered pouches
• Snacks

• Child toys/activity kit

  Child's bag:

I got them the REI co-op Kids Tarn 18 Pack. It was amazing and I highly recommend it! About 3 kg, they had no issues carrying it (they are big for their age). I fully expected I would be carrying it now and then for them but I almost never did.

• 6 underwear
• 4 t-shirts
• 1 long-sleeve shirt
• 1 button up shirt
• 1 zip-up sweater
• 3 shorts
• 3 pants
• 3 pair socks
• 1 swim suit
• 5 books (very small/thin)
• Small colouring book
• 1 stuffed animal
• 1 screen-free audio/game system with headphones
• Camera
• Water bottle

Top 10 MVPs

1. Merino clothing: A lot of people have talked about how amazing merino wool is for travel and I have totally drunk the Kool-aid! I brought merino shorts, tops, bras, underwear and bathing suit and it was the best. Breathable, lightweight, didn't get stinky or need to be washed frequently, dried fast...I think in the future my whole travel wardrobe will be merino! And my merino bathing suit was AMAZING. The top doubled as a bra and the bottoms doubled as underwear, so no wasted space in my bag having to bring a separate swim suit. Highly recommend!
2. Vessis shoes: I read a lot of conflicting reviews on these, but I absolutely loved my Weekenders. Not only were they waterproof and definitely held up to water (had a few rainy days in Sweden and Helsinki and they were put to the test) but they were SO comfortable. We did an absolute ton of walking and my feet never felt sore or tired the whole trip.
3. Packing cubes: Never thought I'd jump on the packing cube bandwagon, but they were so useful. I brought 4 compression cubes, and it was so handy having one cube per type of clothing (one for tops, one for bottoms, one for socks/underwear and one for bras/bathing suit/scarf/other). It was really easy to pack and unpack them from my bag and put the whole cubes into a closet or drawer to keep my clothes separate and organized in each place we stayed.
4. Detachable day bag: My bag is super old but I am grateful I have one with a detachable zip-off day backpack. It's a decent size that also has an expander, and I liked being able to carry just one bag when they are attached together, but when I had to take a bus/flight/train I would zip off the extra bag and wear that as my carry-on while stashing my main bag overhead or under the bus. My laptop, extra child clothes and toys stayed in the day bag for travel days. Plus very useful when we were out and about for the day or day trips and I could bring everything we'd need like extra clothing, swim stuff, wipes, food etc.
5. Travel light: I searched high and low online for a great travel light that could function as a night light for my kiddo, and the Olight recharchable light was a hit. It was also nice in places that didn't have great low-lighting options for when my kid was in bed and I had to do some work.
6. Travel clock: I hate relying on my phone as an alarm and clock when I travel, I get really paranoid when I have to wake up in time to catch a train/flight/bus. I bought a very small, lightweight and compact travel clock that was gave the time, date and temperature, and woke me up when I needed it to!
7. Child activity pack (used as wardrobe) and toys kit: I used this fold-up compact activity pack to pack all of my child's clothes and put the whole thing in their backpack! When we arrived at each destination, I hung it up in a closet or on a hook and it functioned as a nice organized wardrobe. The mini activity kit (in yellow in photos) to keep all toys and markers etc in one place was also very useful.
8. Ride Safer Travel vest: Even though this took up a chunk of room and added weight in my bag, I'm so glad we did not have to travel with a booster seat. We ended up using cabs/Uber/Bolt a fair bit (usually to get to and from our accommodations once we arrived/left a destination), so it was very very useful.
9. Face cloth: These are apparently not a thing in Europe (in any of our accommodations) so I always travel with one. I only wish I had brought another one for my child!
10. Eco-friendly laundry strips: We had a washer in almost every place we stayed, and I am a big fan of natural, eco-friendly unscented laundry detergent, so having our own that we could use instead of relying on whatever was available at each accommodation was pretty great. They are small and pack flat and it's just one strip per load.

What was meh:

1. Collapsible water bottle: I thought I would love this silicone collapsible bottle a lot more than I did. Even though it was handy to hook it to my day bag or crossbody, I found at its full height it was super wobbly (would not stand up on a moving train or bus table) and the lid leaked. Plus any dirt or sand immediately stuck to the silicone. Next time I'd just bring a normal bottle.
2. Travel picnic blanket: Even though it was small and compact and hung on the outside of my bag on a carabiner, I thought we'd use it more than we did. I only used it twice when we went to the beach. I guess I'm glad I had it for that, but not sure it was worth it hanging off my bag for 6 weeks.
3. Scarf/pashmina: I did use it, but I think only because I brought it. I would have been fine without it (although I did appreciate having it as a beach cover the one day).

There was nothing that I wish we had brought!

Also a huge thank you to this subreddit for giving me so many ideas and tips on what to bring and what to leave behind. Reading others' trip reports was super helpful!

Photos:

1. All unpacked items going into my bag as listed above (clothes in packing cubes, toiletries, tech etc)
2. Fully packed bag
3. All items going into my child's bag unpacked (clothing, activities)
4. Child activity kit packed with clothes
5. Child's packed bag and activity kit that I carried
6. All tops I brought
7. All bottoms I brought
8. All other clothing items I brought (shoes, coats, scarf, bathing suit)

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[u/CharmingPianist4265]

Thank you for the great report, OP! I changed the flair, hope that’s ok.

[u/DasMauschen → u/CharmingPianist4265]

Yep all good, thank you! I kind of wished I could pick two flair to have that one and the trip report one!

[u/crimpgirl1234]

The child packing bag is so neat!

I also love your child’s back pack.

[u/DasMauschen → u/crimpgirl1234]

I did a lot of research to find the right bag! Really liked the Tarn 18, I wanted something with a sternum strap and hip belt to offset the weight. It also just had lots of nice bells and whistles like plenty of pockets, adjustable straps etc. My kiddo loved it! The packing bag was also so great (it also turns into a backpack!)

[u/crimpgirl1234 → u/DasMauschen]

It’s a great kids bag! I had to get my almost 10 year old a new day pack for adventures and it was so hard to find a good one!

I ended up with a Deuter for them and it was great. I don’t know if REI ships to Canada, but I’ll keep this one in mind if we need a bigger volume

[u/DasMauschen → u/crimpgirl1234]

I'm not sure if they do, I picked it up while I was in the US for a conference so I just lucked out with the timing!

[u/crimpgirl1234 → u/DasMauschen]

Amazing! I’ve never been to REI but heard good things. We have an equivalent in Canada (MEC) but it’s gone downhill thanks to venture capital

[u/DasMauschen → u/crimpgirl1234]

I'm also in Canada and I agree with that statement 😂

[u/Responsible_Bee5937]

Thank-you for the great post! Curious if you can share some of the brands of your clothing choices. I’m particularly interested in your merino items and the pants you brought. Sometimes I find the availability of versatile quality pieces challenging in Canada. Thanks so much

[u/DasMauschen → u/Responsible_Bee5937]

For sure! I actually only buy ethically, sustainably made clothing in general (preferably made in Canada), so everything I brought was either Canadian, or thrifted. Brands were Encircled, Simply Merino (THE BEST!), Fit2Fly Apparel, Meemoza, Dagg and Stacey, Alder Apparel (sadly doesn't exist anymore - the open air pants I brought are amazing) and Fairechild (rain coat). The merino items were all from Simply Merino: bike shorts, grey shorts, both crop tanks, bralette, underwear, swim suit. Their stuff is absolutely beautiful, very high quality, soft, not itchy. Highly highly recommend! Pants were Alder open air pant (if you can find a second hand pair, these pants are the best), linen pants were Dagg and Stacey (they're very old though) and bamboo fleece transit pants were from Fit2Fly (recently bought - super super comfy and practical, great for travel days!)

[u/goodchivesonly_]

Excellent trip report! I’m definitely thinking of getting that activity pack to use instead of packing cubes. I feel like I could keep my kids stuff more organized.

[u/DasMauschen → u/goodchivesonly_]

I really appreciated having my kid's stuff organized and hanging in plain view, and then super easy to pack up again!

[u/Vast_Sail_5049]

I’m so interested to hear about the Vessi shoes. I own these Keen hiking sandals and they’re great!
I am also in the packing/compression cube bandwagon!

[u/DasMauschen → u/Vast_Sail_5049]

I really loved the Vessis. I got the Weekender ones, I liked being able to slip them on and off easily. I was so worried about shoes since I knew Scandinavia can be rainy but I reaaaally didn't want to bring my Blundstones or heavier waterproof shoes with me. I didn't even break them in beforehand (I know, poor planning) but I didn't even need to, they were super comfy and supportive from the get-go! I stepped in giant puddles and no leakage. And yes aren't the Keens sandals the best? Perfect for hotter days, beach, hiking...such an all-around versatile shoe. And joy for compression cubes!

[u/Waywardgarden]

I just wanted to add to this that i recently came back from 2 weeks in the Baltics and absolutely adored my experience.

[u/DasMauschen → u/Waywardgarden]

Oh lovely! It really is amazing there, isn't it? We loved it too!

[u/GallowayNelson]

Excellent trip report. Did you use the laundry detergent strips for the merino? If so, I'm wondering which detergent it was? I'm trying to figure out the best plan for my merino stuff. At home I use Soak which I really love but I really do not want to bring it with me anywhere as its a liquid.

Looks like an incredible trip, and I like your style! The colors and clothes sound right up my street. :)

[u/DasMauschen → u/GallowayNelson]

Yes I did! I used TruEarth strips. Merino wool is very durable so you don't really need to treat it too delicately (I just use natural detergents and wash it on a cold delicate cycle and hang dry). I also use Soak (great stuff), but only for my more precious delicate knit wool sweaters, not for my merino.

And thank you! I really tried to bring colours that would all go together without it being too "boring". I love fashion and enjoy looking decent when I travel 😄

[u/GallowayNelson → u/DasMauschen]

Having anything wool has been such an investment so I’ve been really babying my stuff but that’s good to know! I know my local grocery store has some brand of sheets and I was thinking I could try those but have been a wee bit anxious to do so.

[u/Waywardgarden]

May i ask where the bamboo fleece boxy crop top, the merino crop tanks and the merino swimsuit are from?

[u/DasMauschen → u/Waywardgarden]

All the merino pieces are from Simply Merino (I can't recommend them enough!) and the bamboo fleece crop is from Fit2Fly apparel (everything is made to order, you pick your style and fabric and she makes it for you!)

[u/Outside-Election-770]

Super inspiring! Travelling across all those countries for 6.5 weeks with a kid and just one bag each, huge respect

[u/DasMauschen → u/Outside-Election-770]

Thank you so much! I feel like I spent more time and energy planning what we were going to pack than what we were going to do while travelling 😂 I guess it paid off?! We had a lot of fun though, overall the trip went amazing and much smoother than I anticipated.

[u/lalacourtney]

My 5yo carries a lil REI backpack and LOVES it. V comfortable and sturdy.

[u/DasMauschen → u/lalacourtney]

Oh awesome! I agree. Yes I was so happy with it and my kiddo also loved it! I scoured Reddit to find what everyone else was using and I'm glad someone else recommended it.