Deciding What to Pack

Our December 10-day trip to Europe was a test of packing skills.  

Scenario: 10-days in Europe +  3 countries + varied weather + 4 flights

Here were some things that we had planned that impacted packing:

Surfing = need a wetsuit
Beaches = need bathing suits
Hiking = need suitable clothing & running shoe
Touring cities = need everyday clothing & running shoes
A boat cruise on the Seine & NYE celebrations outdoors in Paris = need warm clothing (warm clothes, jackets & gloves)

Other considerations:

We also had to pay for any checked bags - I wanted to avoid this.  

We were also taking two long bus rides  (Bilbao to Hendaye & back) & two long train rides (Hendaye to Pau & back).  On top of that, we had multiple airport transfers via public transit.  

Lugging around bulky suitcases wasn’t an option.

The plan was to fit everything into small backpacks.  

After some careful clothing culls, we got it down to two backpacks.

Sheri's Backpack

Stella's Backpack

---

In the end, there was stuff that we didn’t even end up using &/or decided to donate. 

10-days worth of stuff crammed into two backpacks, and we were still carrying too much.

The only thing that we didn’t have that we should have brought were headphones & gloves. That’s it!

Why am I telling you all of this & relating it to our own travels?

The whole point of this site is to take our travel experiences and condense them into ways that’ll make travel or learning something new (skiing, surfing, cubing....) easier for someone else.  

I’ve been travelling extensively since university & Stella’s been travelling since she was only a few months old.  Between the two of us, we’ve accumulated a fair bit of experience. 

I also have to travel with a budget in mind, something most people probably have to do.  That means that I can pass on what I learn, what works, and what doesn’t.  Some of this may resonate.

Travel doesn’t have to be unaffordable. 

It doesn’t have to be out-of-reach.

My intention is to make travel a little more accessible. 

My goal is to also (re)consider how I travel - my impact & what I leave behind.

Whether you are going for 2-days, 2-weeks or 2-months, consider how much you are willing to carry. 

​What I’m leaving you with now is a 2-page overview that’ll perhaps make your next packing experience a little bit easier.

Ready for another adventure?

---

---